We began flying toward the sun in the distance.
“Do you think these things have a warp drive or something?” I asked.
“I have no idea how fast this thing can actually go. Teelon did say there was a hyperdrive built in, but the details from the data transfer were unclear on this part.”
Natalia’s voice poured through the comm. “I think the control to the left of the throttle, for lack of a better word, might be it. I pressed it when I circled back to catch up to the ships and to sneak around them. Stars blurred for a brief second and I was a thousand yards closer.”
“I’m worried that we press it and end up hitting an asteroid, or an old satellite. Maybe I can’t come out in time and we run into the sun. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this. This must be part of the download that didn’t transfer,” Mary said.
I remembered the image of the huge containers full of humans, approaching the burning heat of the sun, and knew we didn’t have time to fly there. It took us long enough to get to the Kraski ship from Earth, and this was much farther.
“I think we have to try. Mary, what if we frog-hop?” I said, thinking of the frogs from the swamp near our farm growing up.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“What if we press and release, doing small jumps like Natalia did, as we’re flying at full speed? We could avoid any debris that shows up on the sensors. We can probably make much better time.” I was an accountant, not a physicist, but the logic made sense to me.
“Da. I think it will work,” Natalia said from the other ship.
“Let’s give it a test and see what we’re working with. Nat, stay a few hundred yards beside and a way back, so we don’t cross each other’s paths out here.” Our ship accelerated as Mary urged it to full speed. “I’m going to press and release and see what happens.”
The ship lurched forward, but by the miracle of the Kraski technology, my feet stayed planted and I didn’t even move back from inertia. It was astounding. For a moment, the view port was lined with stars, and I wanted to say a cheesy line from my favorite childhood sci-fi TV show.
As fast as it happened, we slowed and were running at regular speed. From the sensor map, we could tell that Natalia was a few miles behind us. She jumped and her icon flickered, reappearing much closer to us.
“I’d say it works,” Natalia said.
Magnus stood and stretched. “Let’s hightail it and get there before it’s too late.”
I put my hands on Mary’s shoulders and rested my hands on them. “I’m going to go get my pack and see if there’s anything in the way of food.” Carey’s ears perked up at this. “I’ll also see if there’s anything else we might be able to use. We have no idea what we’ll be up against when we arrive.”
Mary looked up at me. “Sounds good. I’ll keep frog-hopping along. Nat, let’s do this.” The stars lurched again, this time for a slightly longer period. I turned and headed out of the room, into the small bunk room. I searched the compartments on the wall and found some Kraski clothing. It was much too large for me to wear and had a strange odor to it, unlike anything I could really describe. I pictured the Kraski we’d seen for brief moments as they died. Pale, bald, beady black eyes; a genocidal species. They’d killed the Deltra without guilt, it appeared, and if I was to believe anything Teelon had said, then they had killed many other races out there too. Earth was just another on their list of conquests.
I almost didn’t blame the Deltra for what they’d attempted. It was a smart plan, after all. Convincing the Kraski to come to Earth, knowing that the device that would save them was hidden away. I wondered how many of them had perished trying to find Earth and escape the clutches of the Kraski before giving up and lying docile for centuries, waiting for the perfect moment. I also thought of Janine’s big heart. She was probably convinced to help the Deltra. I knew she wouldn’t be able to ignore an injustice to a race like that. I also doubted they’d told her the whole plan about killing off the human race.
I found nothing I could realistically use in there, so I continued down the hall. I approached one of the doors and the components hissed as the slab slid to the side, opening quickly. The lights came on softly as I stepped into the room. I smiled as I saw the suits hanging in what could only be called a locker room. There was unintelligible script above each of the three suits; their names, I figured. I checked the cubbies and found what appeared to be a winch-style rope, made of a linked metal. The links were tiny and heavily interwoven together. I tugged at it and wondered how much weight it could handle. There were also hand-held thrusters, and ones you strapped to yourself. Most likely this was all for space walks, for repairs, or for getting to other vessels.
I moved on to the main cargo room we’d entered in. Carey followed beside me and barked when he saw my pack sitting there. I rummaged through it and found some food tucked away, apples and granola bars. My stomach ached as much from worry and stress as from hunger at this point. Ripping open a bar wrapper, I told Carey to sit and gave him a piece off it, checking first that there was no chocolate in the ingredients. I thought about his owner, Susan, and wondered what she’d think of her little buddy trekking around trying to save the Earth. I took a bite and gave him another piece.
A dozen water bottles sat there, and I opened one. With nothing else to pour it in, I took a deep swallow and let him drink from the bottle top. Dog germs were the least of my concern. We sat there, my back against the shiny metal wall, him right beside me. I gave him some much needed attention and just talked to him for a bit. I knew if this ever ended and we succeeded, that it was going to be hard for me to give Carey back to Susan. But I would. At least I could see him all the time; I did live next door to them.
Would I really stay there, though? After all of this – the house I lived in with Janine? I doubted it. A fresh start would do me good. And then there was Mary. Maybe there was a future there.
Thinking of her, I realized they must be starving too.
“Come on, buddy,” I said as I got to my feet, “let’s go share our plunder.” He followed me, happily wagging his tail.
“I found some Kraski space suits down there. There are a few weapons, and some lanyards and rope for safety. Never go on a space walk without one. How’s progress?” I asked.
Magnus was pacing around the room and accepted a granola bar that I handed to him.
“We’re going along quite fast. I’m using the hyperdrive, or whatever you want to call it, for periods of thirty seconds now. Our scanners seem to be aware of any space debris at a range of twenty thousand miles, so as long as I have my hands on the controls, I have enough time to react. So far, I’ve only had to stop and move around some floating rock twice. At thirty seconds, with full speed, we’re travelling fifty thousand miles.” Mary took the water bottle I handed out and took a deep drink.
I did the math in my head. “From what I know from school, we’re almost one hundred million miles from the sun. At that speed, we should be there in seventeen hours.”
Magnus piped up. “If the sensors are telling us of danger ahead, can’t we just stop skipping and keep going at full hyperdrive?”
Mary took a moment with this. “Nat, what do you think?”
A voice spoke back from the ship following behind us. “Da, that should be safe. I think we’ll actually go faster that way too. The ship appears to hit maximum performance at around twenty seconds, and we’re only doing top speed for ten each hop.”
I thought about this and the math gave me hope we might reach them in time. “If that’s true, we’ll most likely be there two-thirds faster! We might be able to save them!”
“Let’s give it a try. I’m not sure if I have seven hours left in me with no sleep. I honestly don’t know the last time I closed my eyes for more than a second,” Mary said.
We were all feeling the events of the past week on us, and the severe lack of sleep wasn’t helping the pressure we were under. Magnus sat down beside Mary and watched what s
he was doing closely.
“I can fly this thing, I think. Tell me everything. I’ve pretty much driven any kind of vehicle out there. Nat did all the flying when we needed it, though. Isn’t that right, my little Russian princess?”
Laughter came through the speakers. “There was that one time you took over the helicopter, remember? I’d been shot through the glass and was bleeding all over the seats. You told me to be careful because it was a rental.”
I didn’t know what had changed in Natalia to make her talk, but I was glad for it. Her past had obviously caused her a lot of trauma and pain, but I was glad she was with us, even if it was in another ship. I could also tell Magnus thought of her as more than his little sister, judging by the way his eyes lit up every time she spoke. He was laughing now at their little shared memory.
“Okay, Mary. Teach me everything I need to know so you two can go get some rest before whatever it is we’re heading into.”
TWENTY-FIVE
The bunks were long and narrow, to accommodate the Kraskis’ bodies. What I really needed was some sleep, but lying in the small room with Mary on the bed a few feet away made me realize I probably needed a shower just as badly.
Carey was on the floor beside me on his side, snoring away lightly. Mary’s eyes were closed, but I didn’t think she was out yet. “Do you think they knew about the Kraskis’ plan to kill everyone?” she asked, eyes still closed.
“Janine and Bob were born out of test tubes and brainwashed by the Kraski to do their bidding. I think all they knew was there was a device on Earth that would stop their parents, or whatever they thought of them as, from coming and finding a safe home to live. Even if they assumed that humans were going to be destroyed, could you really blame them anyway?”
She opened her eyes and looked across the small room at me. “I don’t think so, but it’s just hard to think of Bob without being angry, and a little sad for him at the same time.”
“I know what you mean. Janine had evidently changed sides and worked with the Deltra. I like to think she had a soft spot and that they swayed her with stories of Kraski killing whole species and invading other worlds. It also makes me wonder what would have happened if she hadn’t turned, if she hadn’t met me, if she’d gone on that first date all those years ago in the Boathouse with that Army guy. Would the Kraski be on Earth right now? Would the Deltra? It almost gives me hope that we’ve twisted destiny and that everything will somehow all work out because of it.”
“It’s impossible to predict. For all we know, her choosing you has set us on a path to the destruction of the human race. Maybe the other man would have foiled the whole plan and stopped them from coming in the first place.” She said this with a straight face, and for a moment, I didn’t know if she was playing or being serious, until she gave me an ear-to-ear grin. “You know there’s no way some guy could have stopped them from beaming everyone up, right?”
“Yes, I know. I just think I’m glad that I’m out here and not in a massive storage container heading to the sun. Then again, we have no idea if we’ll get there in time, or how to stop them from burning up if we do.” Carey was snoring heavily now, and his breaths were lulling my eyes closed. I don’t know if Mary was falling asleep, because in moments, I had drifted off.
I woke some time later with Carey up on the bed beside me, snuggled close to my chest. Feeling much more rested, I swung my legs off the bed and noticed Magnus had replaced Mary on the other bunk. I quietly walked out and left Carey snoozing away with the big Swede. The door hissed lightly as it slid back closed. The hall lights flicked on when they sensed movement, and I made my way to the bridge.
“Mary, I hope you got enough sleep. How are we doing?” I asked her as she looked intently at the monitors.
“It’s been about six hours. I woke after four and tagged Magnus out. I’m glad you got to sleep for a while. It was needed and well deserved, Dean,” she said.
“How do you feel?”
“Not great, but alert enough. We’ve only had to stop short twice. I can’t believe this technology exists. This can change everything. We could get across the solar system in days. I mean, humans could travel to other systems! And we know that we aren’t alone out there now.”
“For a CPA from upstate New York, I can’t imagine being out here in the great expanse. That said, I always believed we weren’t alone. All the movies were right, though; the aliens wanted to destroy us. Is Natalia still live with us?” I could see her smaller ship as a green blip behind us.
“Da, hello, Dean,” Natalia said through the speaker.
“I’m sorry you’re all alone over there. You must be exhausted,” I said, knowing she was tough, but we all had our limits.
“I’m running on low, but I’ll be okay. I actually prefer to be alone most of the time.” Her voice was tired-sounding.
The sun was growing in size in the viewscreen, and I could tell the heat was drastically increasing, but the ships seemed to have automatic temperature control. Cool air emanated from multiple sources on the ship.
Stars streamed by quickly on the screen, but the massive glowing orange ball of gases stayed steady, slowly getting larger as we moved toward it. I assumed that at any point we would come across our people. With any luck, they were still here, and alive.
“From what I understand, there’s an awful lot of radiation as we near the sun. Does this thing have any gauges on the danger?” I asked, worried we would get close and die of poisoning.
Mary touched her head where the implant had been. “Yes, according to the information we were fed on the ships, all of the ships are built to withstand almost any amount of radiation. The suits in the cargo bay as well. Seems they had some serious problems in other systems and found ways of protecting themselves.”
“Thank God. One less thing to worry about… as if we don’t have enough,” I replied, actually happy to hear I wasn’t going to die a horrible death by an invisible ray.
The ship’s sensors beeped, and Mary hopped out of hyperdrive instantly. Natalia appeared behind us on the screen. Something red came into view on the screen and we stayed back, trying to figure out what it was.
“Go get Magnus, Dean,” Mary said. I quickly ran back and woke the large, slumbering man.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Not sure. Something’s registering on the sensors. We’re only about ten million miles from the sun now. It could be them,” I said as we rushed back to the cockpit.
“What are we looking at, Mary?” Magnus asked, rubbing his eyes.
“Take a look for yourself,” Mary said quietly. I looked up and squinted at it. The view screen had an auto-tint to protect us from the sun’s burning glow. Sitting in the middle of our view was a large rectangular box, like the ones that had lowered into Earth’s atmosphere. It looked much like the Kraskis’ mother ship, but less square and much smaller, though still quite large if my depth perception was making any sense out here.
“Is there just one? The image the Deltra showed us had at least a hundred of them out there.” My voice came out gravelly, and I took a mostly dry swallow.
“That’s all the sensors show. Nat, what do you think? Any chance this is a trap?” Magnus asked.
“I don’t think so. Want me to go in for a closer look?” she replied, full of confidence.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, but what choice do we have?” Mary said. “Let’s move in. I wish we knew if there was a way to scan for life signs, but there’s no instruction manual. And let’s face it, if there was, we wouldn’t be able to read it.”
My heart raced as I thought of the people that might be in that container. Would they have oxygen? Could we save them somehow and still make it to the others and stop them too? People could survive up to a week without water, Mary had told me. We were there now. Most would perish well before that.
“How the hell are we even going to find out if they’re inside?” Magnus asked.
“I have an idea. We’
re going to have to get close. Really close.” I had no clue if my idea would work, but I didn’t really see any other options. I ran to the locker room and picked the smallest suit. I truly hoped the air levels would be suitable for humans, or else this would be a short trip. I started to pull it on, and Magnus walked in.
“Not the worst idea I’ve ever heard… and I once walked through a minefield wearing nothing but my boots,” he said with a smile.
“I’m going to coax that story out of you over a beer, but for now, suit up.”
“This thing is loose even on me. And you look like a little kid putting on daddy’s pants. Imagine the glares we’ll get if this plan works. We look ridiculous. Come to think of it, I’d better use the bathroom, or whatever that strange room is over there.”
“I’ve used it. No way to flush,” I said.
I scooped up the metallic rope rolls and attached one side of the first roll to my suit’s belt. The suit was surprisingly light, nothing at all like the space suits from our Apollo missions on the moon, from what I remembered from the old documentaries about them. Magnus came back in and I hooked his rope to the suit and passed him the helmet.
“I’ll try it first.” I put the dome over my head and it clicked in, mechanical clasps auto-connecting it to the suit. The helmet was dark, but an see-through square appeared in front of my face, giving me crystal-clear vision out of it. It had a small grid layout in light green lines. I looked at Magnus, laughing at the sight. Here was the massive man in a silver alien space suit, sleeves bunched up so his hands would fit into the gloves of the long arms. As I put my own hands into the gloves, I realized there was only room for four digits in there. Luckily, their hands were larger, and my two middle fingers easily fit into one space.
“Nothing more of a reminder that we’re in an alien’s suit than a four-digit glove, hey?” I said, my voice cutting out in the small helmet.
“You got it. I can hear you in the helmet, so I guess we’ll be able to communicate, at least. Good thing these guys weren’t telekinetic or something, I only know a bit of sign language.” From the smirk he gave me, I had the feeling he just knew the dirty words. “Do you really think this can work?” he asked.
The Survivors Box Set Page 18