by D L Frizzell
No, I decided. I’m not going to give up so easily. Besides, I was going to need the aerobike to get back to civilization and it might not come down on its own. I reached for the battery cables with my free hand.
The first connector went back on easily, but the second one had gotten bent. Ignoring the creaking sounds that accompanied the aerobike’s pitching and yawing, I pinched the connector between my thumb and forefinger. I got it close to its original shape, and then jammed it onto the battery contact.
I once read that ancient Earth astronauts did a maneuver called extra-vehicular activity. That’s where they’d exit their ships while in orbit and float weightlessly through space. This memory came to mind as I inadvertently grounded myself across the battery connectors. The shock loosened my grip just enough, so with a surprised yelp I flew off the aerobike. As I experienced this EVA thing for the first time, I’d have to say it wasn’t as much fun as it sounded. Maybe those old-time astronauts hadn’t been electrocuted when they did it. I don’t know. I was too busy falling to think about it…
