by Steven Wolff
The oxygen cord is almost within his grasp so he reaches for it, but at the last second it whips out of reach. He clenches his hand quickly and opens it – trying to grab onto it, but can’t. Fear is setting in as Howard is now dangling high above Earth with just a paracord as his lifeline. Howard turns and looks towards the astronaut who’s floating helplessly, trying to see if he can see their face, but can’t.
“Pull me back!” Howard says over his headset.
They quickly pull him back to the ship as he grabs onto the door handle to close the door.
“That’s it?” Chantal asks.
“You missed.” Tank said.
Howard looks up at him and doesn’t acknowledge his remark.
Chantal continues, “Are you giving up?”
“No, I’m not giving up. I need to try again, but it’s scary as hell being out there with nothing to grab onto.”
“Are you sure you want to go back out?” April asks, concerned. “One of us can do it instead.”
“I can do it. I just need to regain my composure. Just give me a sec.” He says, turning back around to face the openness of space.
“I can’t believe I’m really doing this.” He says looking down at Earth.
“Thank you for not giving up!” Chantal says.
“Here goes nothing…” He says pushing himself out of the ship with both arms.
April tosses the paracord slack out the door so it doesn’t catch on anything while he’s drifting towards the oxygen line. Everyone on the ship is watching in anticipation as he inches ever closer. The cord is coming within reach so Howard extends both arms out to grab it.
“Hang on, whoever you are… almost there…”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Miles above Earth’s Orbit
Without warning, the oxygen cord snaps and whips out of reach again, causing Howard to flail his arms in a futile effort to secure it. Everyone onboard the ship groans collectively as he continues to drift further away from the ship. Suddenly, Josh’s face lights up.
“Dude, I have an idea!” He blurts out over the headset.
“What is it? Can’t you see I’m a little busy?” Howard asks.
“Spread your legs!”
“What?!?”
“Spread your legs wide apart and no matter what, keep them open!”
“Why do you want me to do that?” Howard asks confused.
Josh takes over holding the paracord, “Just trust me bro! In a second – you’re gonna feel a tug as I pull you back in.”
Josh jerks the line, causing Howard to snap back in the direction of the ship. Howard watches the oxygen line dangles out of reach when suddenly the giant International Space Station casts a temporary shadow from the sun. Howard looks up in awe when his foot catches the oxygen line – causing it to quickly slide up his leg and whack him in his nuts.
Howard squints his eyes shut in excruciating pain as all men on board the ship cringe at the high pitch yelp he gave off. Despite the pain, Howard wraps the oxygen cord around his wrists and arms, hanging onto it for dear life.
“Pull him back!” blurts out April as she helps Josh reel him in. Howard tugs the end of the oxygen cord, pulling the lifeless astronaut towards him as he’s being pulled toward Serenity.
Once within reach, Tank grabs Howard’s leg and pulls him into the safety of the ship, as the others pull the lifeless astronaut in. They disconnect the oxygen hose and toss it out the door, before sealing it. Josh pressurizes the ship, pumping fresh oxygen back into the cabin.
“We can safely take off our helmets.” Josh says monitoring the O2 levels.
“Help me make room…” Chantal asks, motioning everyone to step back. She pulls off the astronaut’s helmet, revealing a woman they’ve never seen before. Her eyes are closed and her lips are blue. Chantal removes the communications carrier assembly cap from the woman’s head so she can check for a pulse.
“She’s still alive!” Chantal blurts out excitedly, “But just barely. Bring me my medical bag please! It’s behind the seat, next to the storage containers. Bring the oxygen too!” She says in her French accent.
Edward rushes back with the O2 bottle and her med kit. Chantal digs through her stuff and finds an oxygen mask, which she rips the plastic open as she attaches it to the green bottle. She cranks the nozzle, causing O2 to hiss quickly through the lines and into the face mask. She covers the bag for a second, allowing it to inflate before wrapping the strap around the woman’s head.
“Help take off her gloves. I need access to her wrists and arms.”
Everyone works together as Howard watches quietly from the corner. His heart is still racing a mile-a-minute, while his crotch is screaming pain.
Joss makes his way to Howard, “You alright?”
“I don’t know. I got whacked pretty good!”
“That was pretty awesome – what you just did.”
“What? Get whacked in the nuts? That was your brilliant idea?” Howard asks while cracking a smile. “By the way, what gave you that idea?”
“I saw that you kept flying past the oxygen line. It reminded me of a show I used to watch called Survivor. They would have these challenges where two teams were competing against each other. Both had grappling hooks attached to a rope and had to catch rings that were in the sand. They had to toss them and pull them back in.”
“So you saw me as a human grappling hook?”
“Yeah, pretty much. It worked, didn’t it?” Josh says smiling and patting his back.
“Except the part where I won’t have kids ever again.” Howard jokes.
“With the amount of radiation we’re soaking up – here in space. I doubt any of us will ever have kids.”
“Remind me why I said yes to doing this?”
Josh answers, “Because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Dude, it just dawned on me… you just did your first spacewalk! That’s pretty awesome!”
Howard smiles, “I guess I did… didn’t I?”
“You totally did! Like a boss! Your dad would have been so proud!”
“He probably would have killed me if he found out that I used a paracord attached to my ankle. Not to mention my mom. Don’t anybody mention anything to my mother when we get back, or else I’d be grounded for life!”
“It’ll be our secret. Josh says, “I won’t tell.” He says putting his hand on Howard’s shoulder. They both look over and see Edward holding an IV bag with a line that goes into the astronauts arm.
“Let’s check in on our patient, shall we?” Howard suggests. Josh extends his hand out, pulling him to his feet.
“How’s she doing?”
“Her pulse ox is dangerously low. She’s been floating in space for who knows how long with very little oxygen – which explains why she passed out. The water cooled lines in her suit seemed to malfunction because her core temperature is really low.
“Dummy talk, please.” Captain Whitfield asks.
“My patient is barely-alive because she was not getting enough oxygen, nitrogen and other gases needed – causing her to go unconscious. Her thermal regulator was set to really cold.”
“So, you’re suggesting it was foul-play?” Whitfield asks.
April chimes in, “No duh, Einstein. Someone on board the ISS didn’t want her to survive out here in space.”
“I forgot… what do the thermal regulators do again?”
“They are part of the water-cooled garments we have on. It pumps fluids through our suits so we don’t burn up or freeze to death.”
“Burn up?” Tank asks, “Out here in freezing outer space? Ha! That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!”
Edward steps forward, “I can see why the military chose you. It’s obviously not for your high intellect.”
“Damn Skippy! They chose me because of these guns!” He says flexing his giant arm muscles.
“Well, since your brain muscle is weak, I’ll keep it simple. In direct sunlight – the temperature can fluctuate between
120 degrees and negative 100 degrees Celsius.”
“120 degrees? That’s nothing. I’ve fought in deserts hotter than that!” Tank said with a proud grin.
“You uneducated fool – that’s Celsius, not Fahrenheit!”
“Bah… You and your British metric system. I only know American temperature.”
Edward shakes his head left and right, “How do you even survive with such a tiny, dinosaur brain? There is no such thing as American temperature! Are you really that dense? If it’s not Celsius, then it’s Fahrenheit, named after the physicist Daniel Fahrenheit, who I promise – was not American!”
“So what? Celsius, Fahrenheit, it’s all temperature, right? So it’s the same thing.”
Edward face-palms himself, stunned at the level of stupidity, “Tank, you ignoramus – outside these doors it can easily get to 248 degrees Fahrenheit in direct sunlight. That means if your skin is exposed you’re going to get one hell of a tan. Now look out the window – do you see that giant shadow cast by the International Space Station?”
“Yeah?”
“In that shadow that’s probably a negative -148 degrees below zero – Fahrenheit… and that’s just in the shade!”
Josh adds, “Talk about literally freezing your ass off.”
Edward continues, “These suits are made to keep us at the right temperature all the time when we’re out there in space, unless someone messes with it. Clearly, as in this lady’s case, someone messed with her thermal regulators and maybe her oxygen mixture. Using simple deduction, whoever did this is probably still on board that space station.” He says pointing to it. “That’s why we’re getting radio silence and no one answering the door. Someone is sabotaging our efforts.”
“Then let’s go get them!” Tank says heading for the door.
“There’s just one problem,” Edward says standing between him and the door. “We can’t get in.”
“No problem, we’ll blow the door with explosives!”
Edward looks at Captain Whitfield, “Is he really this clueless?”
“He’s a hardcore soldier. He doesn’t know the word no and doesn’t see obstacles. If something needs to be done, he does it.”
“Someone else please explain to him why we can’t use explosives in space. I’m getting a migraine just being around him.” Edward says rubbing his temple.
April steps up, “Andre the giant – come down to here to my level.”
She motions for him to lean in closer.
*SMACK*
“What was that for?”
“That was for being a dumbass! First things first… we don’t have explosives – at least that I know of and second, we’re in a pressurized cabin. If you were to blow that door, you’d blow all of us to kingdom come. So next time you get a hair-brained idea, do me a favor – don’t! Am I clear?”
“Yes ma’am.” He says, rubbing his cheek.
April walks past Edward, “He’s all yours.”
“No, no, no, no…” Chantal says in a panic.
“What’s going on?” Howard asks.
“My patient’s vitals are getting worse.”
“What can I do… or what can WE do?”
“Get us on that space station. They have medical equipment I need to save her life.”
Josh bangs on the door quickly, “Come on, open up!” He yells, looking through the port window – into the space station.
Suddenly, someone pops up from the other side – staring at the crew wickedly. Josh smiles – feeling hopeful, “Oh, hey! Do you mind letting us in, please? We need to use your medical equipment and refuel.”
“Yes.”
“Great! Open the door please.” Josh says looking at the handle.
“Yes, I mind…” He says with a thick-Russian accent.
Josh does a double take, “So you’re not going to let us in? Why not?”
“Because I have my orders.”
“Orders? From whom?”
“From Mother Russia.”
“Seriously?” Josh says in disbelief.
“I have my orders to deny the Americans and anyone else trying to get to the asteroid. Only the Russians can come on board the ISS.”
Howard asks, “What about the others on board the space station. Don’t they get a say? Will they let us on?”
“I doubt it.”
“Can we speak to them?” Josh asks.
“I’m afraid not comrade. They are both dead.”
“Not this one… and not on my watch!” Chantal says defiantly while working on her patient.
“Good luck with that because I’m not letting you on board.”
Captain Whitfield steps up to the window, “You’re in a world of trouble mister, now I suggest you think long and hard about doing the right thing. From one soldier to another – I order you to open this door at once!”
The Russian astronaut laughs, “Oh what? You are going to kick my ass? Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! You have no power here.”
Without saying a word, Tank pulls out his 45 magnum pistol and points it at the window the Russian is looking through. Everyone yells out at the same time, “Tank, NO! Don’t!”
April uses all her weight to pull his arm down, but her body just floats upward, so instead she pushes off the ceiling.
“At ease – soldier!” Captain Whitfield says while holding his hand out towards Tank. “Holster your fire arm!”
He complies, “Yes sir.”
Howard moves to the window, “Why are you not helping us? We just need to refuel and load up on our oxygen and we’ll be on our way.”
“You have enough fuel and oxygen to safely go back to Earth. That is plenty.”
“Don’t you see – we are on a mission? We can’t go back.”
“It’s you who does not see! The motherland has claimed the asteroid and everything on it – belonging to Mother Russia. My orders are to stop anyone trying to go there.”
“News flash buddy, my partner and I were the first to spot the asteroid and bring it to NASA’s attention. Technically, it’s ours.”
Josh moves towards the window and tries to work his charm, “Do you mind if I ask you a question? What is your name?”
He answers, “Nikolai”
“I once had a coworker of mine with the same first name. I lost track of him though. Don’t know if he got fired, or what. Anyways, my name is Josh. Nice to meet you Nikolai. Can you let us in, now that we’re formally introduced?”
“No! No exceptions.” He says in a stern voice.
“Nikolai, come on man… I thought we’re friends?”
“No exceptions!”
“Why not?” Josh asks, “Don’t you like doing the right thing? What would your mom say, or your lady friend… assuming you have one. It can be a guy friend too, I’m cool with that, right guys? There’s no judging coming from me. I know lots of couples of all types. To each his own…” Josh says rambling.
Nikolai looks away from the port window as his eyes begin to water.
Looking down, he answers, “I have a wife and kids.”
Josh grows excited, “That’s great! Way to … make em!”
Nikolai interrupts, “If I let you on board, they will kill them. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you in. Now go away, I’m done talking!”
Josh is stunned and doesn’t know what to say so he backs away, as Edward steps forward and asks, “Okay, but before we do, I was wondering… why did you kill or attempt to kill the other two astronauts?”
“Because the other two astronauts were going to let the American’s come on board.”
“Please clarify.” Edward says intrigued.
“The first ship that came before you did… they were going to board this space station. I couldn’t let that happen.”
Everyone’s eyes widen as they listen, “You mean the Titan was here?”
“Yes, I believe that was the name of the ship. It docked like you did and Astronaut Murphy almost opened the door for them. We struggled and he fought with me… so I
grabbed a wrench and hit him across the head. His eyes rolled in the back of his skull. He died a few minutes later. Astronaut Jenkins was outside on a spacewalk… so I cut off her oxygen/nitrogen supply and set her suit temperature to near freezing. She passed out easily and I assumed was dead. Now it’s just me on board this space station. Your friends on the Titan gave up and left.”
Josh asks, “Do you know if they went back to Earth?”
“I do not know – nor do I care. I suggest you do the same. Go home before your oxygen runs out. Good day.”
Nikolai says as he gently floats deeper into the space station before turning out of sight.
“Now what?” Josh asks.
“I don’t know.” Howard says, looking down at Chantal’s patient. “We can’t get on board the ISS… so the question now is what do we do? Do we head back, or go to the asteroid? What do you guys think?”
April asks Chantal, “Will Astronaut Jenkins survive a trip back to Earth?”
“I don’t think she’s stable enough for re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. The 4 or 5 G’s on her body will be too much on her cardiac system – it will probably kill her.” Chantal warns.
Tank interrupts, “What about the Titan?”
Howard looks up, “What?”
“He said it was here earlier. Now it’s gone… so where did it go?”
“One thing at a time. Right now we need to figure out what to do with our patient.” Howard says, trying to refocus.
“I mean, why don’t we try to hail them. Maybe they can help.”
“That’s probably the first intelligent thing you’ve ever said, isn’t it?” Edward says in shock.
“He’s right.” Howard says, “Josh, open hailing frequencies. Try to see if you can reach the Titan. Just because we can’t see them doesn’t mean they might not be in the area.”
“I’ll get right on it.” Josh says, jumping into his seat.
“Titan crew, this is Serenity. Come in, we have a medical emergency – if you are there, please respond, over.”
Captain Whitfield looks at the astronaut and then says, “We should cut our losses. Set her adrift out into space and head back home. There’s nothing much we can do for her, or for the mission. That’s just the reality of our situation.” Captain Whitfield says.