“Affirmative, flying level now, but we have limited control.
“What are your intentions?”
To land without drilling a hole in the ground. “Bad Rock ATC, we need a runway cleared for a conventional landing.”
“Roger that, Bandit. Runway Two-Five Left is clear for you. There is no traffic right now. You have the whole sky.”
“Copy that. Runway length?”
“Runway Two –Five Left is two-thousand meters.”
“Copy that. Thank you.”
She wished she could be as calm as she sounded. Her heart beat so fast and so hard she had to grit her teeth to maintain control of herself. The smell of something burning caught her attention and she turned her head to yell through the open cockpit door. “Richie, are we on fire?”
“I think the fire suppression system has it out,” he called back. “You’re probably smelling residue from the plasma venting. I’m trying to get the air scrubbers to clean it up. Can you breathe all right? I can close the cockpit door.”
Tricia gave her a thumb’s up but the fear crept around the nurse’s eyes. “No, leave it open. We’re good.”
“Marla, how are we flying?” Richie said.
She made an adjustment to their heading and the ship turned sluggishly, shaking as she changed course but finally came about. Her heads-up display directed her toward the spaceport and finally glowed green when she had the ship lined up for a straight shot to the runway. She triggered the intercom.
“Richie, Tricia, I’m going to give you an update. First, stay strapped in, don’t move around for any reason. My control over the ship is limited.” She swallowed hard.
“Richie, to answer your question, I put full thrust to the starboard engine and gained some control. I think the hull of the ship is acting like a lifting body but we have to maintain speed to maintain control. Getting down is going to be tricky.”
She paused and Richie said, “We’re not landing vertically are we?”
“No, it’s going to be a conventional landing.”
Tricia had a puzzled expression on her face. “What does that mean? Is that bad?”
“Don’t worry, it just means we’re going to land horizontally on the runway instead of vertically on a pad.”
“You’ve done that before?”
“Every pilot has. It’s part of training.” Never in this ship, though. She kept that to herself. “This is going to be a rough landing. We’re getting pushed to the left because we’re on one engine but I think I can deal with that.” Something occurred to her then. “Hold on.” She keyed the radio. “Bad Rock, Bandit.”
“Go ahead.”
“We’re going to be coming in hot. Request trucks.”
“Copy, Bandit. Trucks on station.”
“Thank you. Bad Rock, do you have barriers?”
“Affirmative, Bandit. There is an arrestor system, end of the runway.”
“Copy. Thank you, Bad Rock.”
“Trucks?” Tricia said.
Marla nodded. “Fire trucks and rescue vehicles.”
She switched back to the intercom. “The plan is to use control surfaces to lower our altitude and cut thrust as much as possible. We’re going to approach the runway hard and fast. Speed is the only thing keeping us in the air but we don’t want it when we’re landing.” She wanted to explain as much as possible to help Tricia understand the situation. So far, the nurse seemed okay.
“Richie, any red lights I don’t know about?”
“Negative, Marla. All systems are green except for the port thruster network. No fires, no reactor problems.”
She thought about that. “Confirm, Richie. No reactor problems.”
“Reactor is one hundred percent, fully contained. Hey Marla, can’t we get into space and avoid landing? I may be able to give you thrusters with some time in orbit.”
“I appreciate that, Richie, but I have no idea if we’re spaceworthy. Getting up to escape velocity on one engine isn’t a problem but there could be damage to the hull we don’t know about.”
She made an adjustment to keep them on course and the ship shuddered enough that she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from cursing at it. The spaceport came into view. She saw two runways, a tower and scattered hangars. Emergency vehicles sat on the tarmac with their lights flashing.
“Bandit, Bad Rock. We have a visual on you and see smoke.”
“Copy that, Bad Rock.”
“Just to let you know as a formality, we’re getting a high-speed alarm.”
No shit. “Copy that, Bad Rock.”
The yoke shook harder as the spacecraft slowed. “It’s going to get rough now,” Marla said.
She checked her speed and the readout displayed twice the recommended rate for a conventional landing. “Richie, stand by on the drogue chute. When I tell you, get it deployed.”
“Affirmative.”
The slower their airspeed got the worse the shaking became. Marla jabbed the control for the landing gear with her thumb and got four green indicator lights as they locked into place.
“Bandit, Bad Rock. You’re good and straight. You’ve still got some smoke.”
“Thank you, Bad Rock. We’ll evacuate wherever we stop.”
“Copy that.”
The runway rushed up faster than she could have imagined. She had just enough time for a deep breath and then she yelled, “Brace, brace, brace!”
The landing gear made hard contact a moment later. She heard loose objects rattle in the living quarters and Richie grunted. Tricia made a low, frightened noise.
The ship bounced back into the air and Marla forced the yoke forward in an effort to get the ship down and keep it down. The second impact jarred the ship again but not quite as hard as the first. She pulled back on the throttle and cut thrust, but momentum carried them down the runway like a bullet. Indicators painted on the runway flashed by and she applied the brakes, trying to bleed off speed. The ship rushed forward, eating up precious space.
She hollered to Richie. “Chute, chute, chute!”
“Got it!”
The ship jerked as the drogue chute inflated behind it and she stole a glance at a monitor that showed the outside rear of the ship. A large bright orange parachute spun in their wake. The ship continued forward and Marla saw the end of the runway speeding at them. Tricia raised her head to look out the canopy.
“Stay down! We’re going off the runway!” Marla yelled.
She saw a black and yellow pattern at the end of the runway go under the cockpit and then they rolled over darker concrete.
Here comes the arrestor system, she thought and before she could shout another warning the ship lurched. The yoke jerked hard under her hands as the seat straps dug into her shoulders.
Then everything went black.
— «» —
“Eldridge,” Nathan said. “Get us out of this.”
“I’ve got an idea,” The young man said. “Command, priority reset.”
All at once, the five ‘bots stopped and spoke at the same time. “Confirm command, priority reset.”
“Confirmed.”
The glow in the eyes of the ‘bots dulled and went out. Nathan felt the grip of the ‘bot holding him loosen and he managed to squirm free. He saw the others getting loose as well.
Duncan nudged Eldridge. “What did you do?”
“That command reloads the operating system from the local network,” he said. “Give me a hand here. Each of them has a control panel on their back. Open it and pull the green circuit cluster. It will keep them from communicating over the intranet and disable them.” Ari joined the two of them and they worked fast. The ‘bots stood still and didn’t reactivate.
Nathan inspected the dim compartment. He estimated the square box to be a little less than five meters on each side
. The door they entered through appeared to be the only way in or out. He grabbed Cole’s arm.
“We need to get out of here before Dodger and his crew come back.”
“I think I can help with that,” Eldridge said. He pointed to the back wall of the compartment. “Give me a second.” He pulled open an access panel.
Duncan moved closer to Nathan. “How do you think Marla and the others are doing? Do you think they’re alright?”
Nathan swallowed. Duncan had a look of sheer terror on his face. He put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about her. It seemed like Marla still had control and that’s all she’ll need to get them down.”
“All that smoke, though… it had to be a fire”
“Yeah but the ship has suppression systems and Richie’s still aboard. She’s not by herself.” He squeezed Duncan’s shoulder. “If anyone can get them down, it’s Marla. She’s a great pilot. I have complete faith in her.”
“If anything happens to her, to all of them, I’m going to hurt someone.”
“One problem at a time, okay? We need to get out of here so we can help them. Why don’t you help the kid?”
“Knock off the ‘kid’ stuff, okay?” Eldridge said. “And yes, I could use a hand.”
Duncan nodded. “What do you need me to do?”
Eldridge waved a hand at one of the corners where a length of metal pipe lay. “Hand me that thing, would you? I need some leverage. The door is jammed in the frame.”
“I see it.” Duncan crossed the small area and grabbed the pipe. Eldridge took it and worked it into the wheel on the door. Duncan grabbed hold with the younger man and they started pulling on it.
“Where does this door go? Back into the cargo bay?” Nathan said.
Eldridge shook his head. “No, it’s a hatch that connects up with the maintenance tunnels that run all over the ship. If I can get this damn door open, we can get out of here and avoid those guys.”
Cole stood near the larger door, which they had entered through, pistol in hand. Nathan pointed at the cargo bay. “Do you hear anything?”
“I think they’re working the pumps but we should move fast. I don’t want those mooks coming back in here while we’re all bunched up. If we have to fight with them, we need to be in a better place.”
“We’re working on it,” Nathan said.
Just then, the familiar squeal of tight hinges came from the maintenance hatch and it popped open. Duncan and Eldridge shook hands. Both breathed heavily.
“Okay, we’re good to go,” Eldridge said. He took a flashlight from a pouch on his belt.
Nathan gestured into the tunnel. “It’s your ship, you lead the way. Cole, bring up the rear and help me dog this hatch.”
They pulled the door shut and secured the wheel with a length of wire pulled from the ceiling. Then they headed off in the dark tunnel with Eldridge leading the way.
Chapter 16
Marla blinked but the darkness wouldn’t go away. She could feel her eyelids moving and could breathe but she couldn’t move her arms or legs. It took a moment but she realized she sat upright. Muffled sounds came from somewhere nearby but she couldn’t hear clearly.
The ship had gone down. She remembered that. Then what happened dawned on her. The rescue vests had activated. She moved her hand more, pressing harder against the smart foam that enveloped her. Sensing her movements, it started to give way.
She flexed her arms and legs more and the foam became friable, cracking and breaking away as she moved. After a few moments, she pulled at the mass covering her face. Sunlight poured in and she blinked as her view of the cockpit improved. More of the bright yellow mass came away and she turned to Tricia. The nurse was wrapped in bright orange foam.
Smoke and the smell of burnt components filled the air. Richie said the fire was out but that had been before she slammed the ship onto a concrete runway going the speed of a missile.
She released her safety harness and stood up, brushing at her flight suit. Yellow flakes fell to the floor of the cockpit. Tricia’s orange cocoon rippled and one of her hands broke free. Marla pulled at the foam around her face and the nurse blinked rapidly.
“Did we make it?”
Marla smiled. “We sure did.”
“Are you all right?” Tricia said, slipping into work mode. “Did you hit your head or anything else?”
“I think I’m okay,” she said, pausing for a moment to consider the question. Had she blacked out when the ship stopped or had it just been the rescue vest deploying? She shook her head and seemed fine. “Nothing hurts. Let’s get Richie and get out of here.”
It took another moment to free Tricia completely and then they moved out of the cockpit to the engineering station. Richie stood up from his seat, tugging at electric green foam. He rushed to Marla, throwing a hug around her.
“You saved us! I love you!” He planted a quick kiss on her and hugged her tightly. “I will fly with you anywhere. We should be dead.”
Marla hugged him back. “Thank you for keeping it together. I couldn’t have done it without you.” She stepped back, waving her hand at the air. “We should get out of here, though, in case we’re on fire.”
“I don’t think we are,” Richie said. “I think the smoke is just left over from the plasma venting.” He touched his workstation but it remained dark. “Then again, I wouldn’t have any way of knowing, would I?”
“You’re okay?” Tricia asked Richie. She put a hand on his face and gently directed him toward an emergency light so she could look at his pupils. “Does it feel like anything hurts?”
“I think I’m okay.”
“Come on,” Marla said. “We need to go.”
Heading toward the exit, the ship grew darker as they moved farther away from the sunlight coming in through the cockpit. The emergency batteries had clicked on and weak light shone through the smoky air.
They made it to the back of the ship and Richie pulled the release for the ramp. It dropped halfway and struck concrete. They could see daylight but nothing else. They could hear sirens though, and firemen hollering instructions to one another.
Marla squatted down. “I think we sank into the arresting barrier. Maybe we can go out through the top hatch-”
A screeching sound interrupted her, as enormous steel jaws bit into the ceiling and floor of the compartment. Richie grabbed her and Tricia, pulling them backward and into the corridor.
“Holy shit!” Marla exclaimed. “What is that?”
They watched as the remains of the compartment holding the loading ramp tore free like paper. Sunlight streamed in and she raised a hand to shade her vision.
More movement caught her eye as metal tentacles snaked in and grasped them firmly, pulling them free of the wreck. Bewildered, Marla took in the single most horrifying machine she had ever seen, a serpent-like ‘bot with large jaws. Red and yellow lights mounted on its head above the jaws blinked brightly. The tentacles holding them were mounted to its sides.
It lowered them to the ground and strong hands grabbed Marla, freeing her from the grip of the terrifying rescue ‘bot. Two large firemen in turnout gear set her down gently and two more grabbed Tricia. Richie fought them off and waved hands at them.
“Stop destroying the ship!” He said. “The fire is out!”
Another fireman knelt down in front of her. “Just the three of you?”
Marla nodded. “Yes.”
“You’re sure?”
“Very.”
He motioned to a squad of three men standing near the new opening. “Get in there and get me atmospheric scans. I want to know if we have a reactor problem or any toxic issues.” The men nodded and used a ladder to climb up into the wide opening.
Water and foam drifted through the air and made the tarmac slippery. She saw black smoke drifting from the rear of the port eng
ine cowling.
A fireman offered Marla a hand and directed her toward an ambulance. “Let’s get you out of here,” he said.
“The reactor is okay,” she said. “Richie kept an eye on it.”
“I understand, miss, but then you landed going the speed of sound and embedded your ship in half a meter of frangible concrete. We can discuss everything in more detail once you’re safely away from the ship. Now, please get in the ambulance and watch your step.”
He hadn’t been kidding about the concrete. The Blue Moon Bandit stood on all four landing gear but the tires were mired in the thick, crumbling concrete. Charcoal black skid marks led down the runway to where the ship had finally stopped. They’d gone quite a distance into the barrier before stopping.
Five minutes later ambulances delivered them to the spaceport’s infirmary. Medics attached scanners and took their vital signs.
“I’m fine,” Tricia said from the bed next to Marla. “I’m a nurse, okay? If I wasn’t fine, I would know.”
A handsome medic smiled at her. “I’m glad you’re a nurse. It means that you know I’m just doing my job, and that you should let me do it.”
Tricia smiled sarcastically at the young man and let him attach the scanners.
A tall, thin man who appeared to be in his late fifties stepped into the room. He wore gray slacks and a dull yellow shirt. Perspiration dotted his bald head. He didn’t look happy. “Who is the pilot?”
Marla raised her hand. “That’s me.”
He strode over to her and shook her hand. “I’m Collins. I run the spaceport. You okay?”
“I think so. Can you tell me anything about my ship? Some scary ass thing tried to eat us.”
He pulled a chair up to her bedside and slumped into it. “Yeah. That’s the rescue serpent. It’s a ‘bot made to crack open ships and pull out passengers.”
“It almost killed us.”
He shrugged. “Oh, don’t worry about that. It scans the vessel before it starts tearing it apart. No danger to the occupants at all. We picked it up a few years ago with a grant and it’s been sitting idle ever since. The guys have never had a chance to use it before so they’re all pretty excited.”
Bad Rock Beat Down (The Milky Way Repo Series Book 2) Page 18