by Mark Stewart
THE FIRST glass lid of the three freezer tubes that was in the maintenance shuttle slid open. An arm extended into the air. A young lad of sixteen blinked rapidly in the dull light. He rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his short blonde hair. He slowly sat, shaking off the effects of the frozen sleep.
The lid of the second freezer tube opened. Slightly amused at the sound it made the lad turned his head to watch the third lid slide open.
The sixteen-year-old male placed his feet on the metal floor. Eventually, he stood. His first tentative steps saw him walking across the metal floor to a black leather chair. Everything around him didn’t make sense. Thinking back to when the Captain of the USS Lock personally gave his group a guided tour of the ship, nothing seemed familiar. The shutter covering the viewport at arm’s length had been left open. He focused on the planet filling the entire glass panel.
The person from the second tube walked over. She flopped into the next available seat, pushing her black hair from her face. For a few seconds, she sat looking at the lad. Both teenagers wore the same expression; total puzzlement.
“You’re a girl,” commented the lad.
“I’m happy you can tell the difference.”
“I’m Clay Silver.” He reached out to shake the girl’s hand.
“I’m Florian Fawkes,” she replied.
“Good to meet you, Flo,” said Clay.
Instead of Florian shaking his hand, she shook a fist at him. “My name is Florian and don’t you forget it.”
“Feisty,” added Clay. “Have it your way. You can call me Clay.”
“Where are we? What are we doing in this shuttle?”
“I’ve no idea.”
“You were the first to wake; you should know the answers.”
“I was first by no more than thirty seconds,” advised Clay.
Florian leaned forward in her seat, focusing on the planet looming before them. It looked like a huge ball in space. “We’re close enough to see land and dark blue oceans.”
“I’ve noticed.”
A third passenger dropped into the seat directly behind Clay. “The planet looks hostile.”
Clay and Florian turned to look at the sandy coloured haired lad.
He smiled, reaching out his hand. “I’m Josh Quinn, number 18450. I’m twelve-years-old.”
“Great,” grumbled Clay. “At sixteen, I don’t want to babysit a kid.”
“I don’t need anyone watching over me,” Josh replied.
“I turned fifteen when I entered the freezer tube. I don’t like your attitude,” jeered Florian shifting her attention back to Clay.
“Happy birthday,” sang Josh. “What’s the date?”
Clay looked at the console in front of him. He read the numbers on a small square monitor. “It’s been only five years since we broke Earth’s orbit.”
“Unbelievable,” snarled Florian. “We’re only halfway to planet X188.”
“You two quit the bad attitude,” grumbled Josh. “To be exact, we’re not halfway to our destination. By the way, if we don’t do something quick we’re in serious trouble. The planet directly in front of us is getting larger.”
“You said a mouthful,” said Clay. He raised his eyebrows to cement the fact.
“I don’t want to land on the planet,” growled Florian. “Locate the USS Lock and high-tail it back.”
Josh pulled the instruction book from the back of the seat and commenced to read.
“Pull up,” squealed Florian. “Listen to what I’m telling you.”
“I would if I knew how to get the autopilot off,” argued Clay.
Josh dug his nose out of the small book.
“This is a maintenance shuttle. To be exact, it’s ‘number one.”
“How do you know?” questioned Florian.
“I took the handbook from the pocket on the back of Clay’s seat. The number of this shuttle is on the console above your head.”
Florian snatched the book from Josh. “Are you trying to tell me you read a seventy-page book in ten seconds?”
“No, the book has sixty-one pages. I read it in thirty seconds.”
Florian sent him a distasteful look before turning her back on him.
“What can we do to get back into orbit and locate the USS Lock?” asked Clay.
“Impossible,” said Josh. “I’ve already told you this is a maintenance shuttle. It has no light speed capabilities. We’re low on fuel; there’s no navigation equipment, and the computer is in charge.”
“We’re screwed!” squealed Florian.
“Maybe not,” replied Josh firmly.
Clay glanced over his shoulder. “You have ten seconds to explain before we hit the stratosphere.”
Josh pointed to the flight console. “We have four minutes of fuel; not enough to follow the USS Lock let alone stay in orbit. Our best option is to trust the computer in landing this shuttle. You said we’re on autopilot. Punch up the short-range scanner to see where our destination lies.”
Clay squeezed his hand past Florian’s and pushed a button on the flight console. A location came up on the small square monitor in front of him.
“The short-range scanner shows the computer is going to make this shuttle land close to a large building.”
“Why?” Florian squealed.
“I don’t know.”
“How long before we land?”
“Four minutes, seven seconds,” answered Clay.
“We’re short by seven seconds. We’re going to crash,” stated Florian, her voice staying remarkably calm.
Josh cleared his throat, slowing his voice. “Computer, where did you get the orders to take us to the destination you are going to?”
A metallic voice came through the speaker next to Josh’s ear. “Medical emergency.”
Florian and Clay said at the same time. “What medical emergency?”
“Three frozen humanoids were placed in the maintenance shuttle.”
“You took it upon yourself to decide on a medical emergency?” asked Clay.
“Affirmative.”
“That explains why we’re here,” said Josh.
“What is the name of the person who programmed you to make shuttle number one leave the USS Lock?” asked Josh looking at the speaker.
“Unknown,” reported the metallic voice.
“A mystery,” mumbled Florian.
Josh said firmly. “Computer, if the medical emergency is to be successful, state the reason why the humans are in a maintenance shuttle with limited fuel?”
“Insufficient data.”
“Computer, I need to see the flight records of maintenance shuttle number one?” ordered Josh.
The monitor in front of Clay went blank for a few seconds. When it lit, a complete record containing the shuttle’s details came up.
“Records indicate shuttle number one was flown around the USS Lock for a final external inspection before departing the Earth’s orbit. The craft re-entered the airlock at 17:00 hours and supposedly re-fueled,” said Josh reading the report out loud.
“Somebody obviously forgot,” stated Florian.
“Or it could have been deliberately done,” added Clay.
“It doesn’t matter now,” announced Josh. “We’re going down. There’s nothing we can do about it.” He continued. “Computer, send a mayday signal to the USS Lock.”
“Vital software is missing from the communication memory chip.”
The shuttle dipped and entered the stratosphere. The craft rocked slightly when air pressure started to form. The computer quickly stabilized the shuttle. The nose dipped to fifteen degrees thrusting the three occupants forward.
“Buckle up,” yelled Clay.
Florian quickly reached for her harness. She managed to strap one shoulder down before the shuttle’s nose dipped again. Three and a half seconds later the craft dropped from orbit.
“The outside temperature is a warm 200 degrees,” reported Clay. “Hold onto something; this m
ight be a rough ride. We’re almost out of fuel.”
“How long before we’re on fumes?” Florian quizzed.
“One minute three seconds.”
The shuttle bucked, rolled from side to side, threatening to invert. The craft skimmed the top of the clouds before dipping into the dense cloud bank. Water formed on the viewport. At five hundred feet above sea level, the shuttle burst out of the cloud, into the bright sunlight.
Josh said. “The manual I’ve just finished reading explains what steps to go through in a crash situation.”
“I’m open to suggestions,” said Clay.
Florian grabbed hold of the secondary joystick in front of the co-pilot’s seat. “I hope you can fly a shuttle?”
“I’ve ten hours simulated,” admitted Clay.
“It’s more than I’ve done. I have only ever sat in the co-pilot’s seat, watching,” confessed Florian. “What about you?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at Josh.
“I’m only twelve. I was ordered not to step inside a shuttle.”
“For the record, I’m sixteen and a third,” said Clay.
Josh started to quote the steps from the manual on crash landing.
“Push the autopilot toggle switch to the off position. Its location is above your head and is highlighed with the letters, ‘AP.’”
Clay looked up. He found the toggle switch. Flicking it to the off position, he simultaneously grabbed hold of the joystick.
“Locate a soft-landing site if possible,” said Josh quoting step two.
Clay and Florian lifted off their seat to view the landscape.
“Not looking good,” advised Clay. “Trees are the only things I see.”
“Trees fill my side of the viewport too,” reported Florian.
As if flipping to another page in his memory Josh momentarily paused. “If possible, hover and wait for the shuttle to flop onto the canopy of the forest.”
Clay glanced over his shoulder, sending him a doubtful look.
“Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. It’s what the manual reads.”
Dead ahead the trees thinned. The large metal building came into view.
Florian clutched the arms of her chair in a death grip and pushed her back deeper into the seat. Her gaze appeared glued to the console in front of her. “We have to land this bird. We’re almost out of fuel. Eighty seconds. Sixty seconds, of fuel, left.”
“What happened to the missing ten seconds?” asked Clay.
“No idea,” replied Florian.
“We’re using up too much fuel,” advised Josh. “Pull back on the joystick. You have to slow our travel.”
Clay pulled back on the joystick. The shuttle’s nose tilted upwards forcing the craft to slow. At the height of three hundred feet, Josh barked out an order.
“Computer, deploy parachute.”
They heard a hissing sound then a pop. The shuttle seemed to stall in midair.
“Computer, cut engine.”
The engine quickly died. The visitors sat in a ghostly silence. Above the shuttle, the parachute appeared to be totally inflated. The weight of the shuttle threatened to rip the material from the wires. Fifty feet above the canopy of the forest the shuttle finally started to drop, belly first.
“The building looks strange,” commented Florian, craning her neck to look out of the viewport.
“Forty feet to the tree tops,” called Josh.
“Hold on,” yelled Clay. “We’re about to scrape the trees.”
The shuttle dropped into the canopy. Leaves were thrown up above the shuttle’s roof. Tree branches cracked and broke, falling to the ground far below.
“I’m praying for a soft landing,” bellowed Clay.
“Let’s hope the miracle happens quickly. We are seconds away from crashing through the thin top layer of the trees. Soon the trunks will be too thick and start to smash through the hull,” stated Josh.
“You’re a bearer of good news, aren’t you?” snarled Clay.
“Computer, retract parachute,” ordered Josh.
What sounded like a whirring noise above the sound of the splintering of the trees was heard. The shuttle fell level like a lift in a building. More trees cracked. The thicker branches fell away. The shuttle’s descent slowed considerably. The approaching ground looked rock hard.
“Why did you retract the parachute?” questioned Florian. “We need it to slow our fall?”
“Trust me we might need the parachute in one piece sometime in the future.”
Total silence came next.
There was no movement, no fire, no explosion, nothing, only a deafening silence.
For a few minutes, Clay, Florian, and Josh didn’t move a muscle. They dared not breathe. Eventually, someone needed to talk. Florian spoke first. Her three-word conversation came in a whisper.
“Is everyone okay?”
“I’m fine,” announced Josh.
“Me too,” added Clay.
Josh leaned forward to view their new world. His croaky voice gave away how he felt. “We’re still in the trees.”
Clay decided to be the first to stand. He stood holding onto the back of his seat for a few seconds before hesitantly walking to the side of the shuttle and pushing a small button on a panel. A small square metal plate slid down. He pressed his face against the porthole glass, trying to look outside. He squinted in the sunlight. He counted several white clouds in the sky before focusing on the ground. “I reckon we’re about twenty feet off the ground.”
“Maybe we should take off so we can get closer to the building,” suggested Florian.
“We can’t,” said Clay. “Even if we do get this bird in the air we have only seconds of fuel left. We’d barely clear the treetops. At a guess, I reckon the tree branches will look like a spider’s web underneath the shuttle. I reckon we’re stuck in the trees whether we like it or not.”
“What happens if it gets windy?” quizzed Florian. “What if the tree branch we’re sitting on breaks? How do we live in a tree? How do we find food, water?”
Clay lifted his hand to stop her questions. She glared at him with dagger eyes.
“You have lots of questions. At this time, we have no answers. I’m sure if we thought about everything step by step we’d have too many questions to answer.”
“Okay genius what do we do first?”
Clay walked back to his chair. Sitting, he stared at the other two. He gave a shrug.
Florian’s mind began the endless list of things that needed doing. She’d always been good at coming up with solutions to problems, itemizing the more important ones first, down to the incidental.
“First thing we should do is find out if the air is breathable.”
“Good thinking,” said Clay.
“What if it’s not?” asked Josh.
“Our life expectancy is about twelve hours,” reported Florian.
“Love the idea or hate it, we’re stuck on this planet. Each time we start up the computer we use power. I’ve made a rough estimate on how long it’ll be before we lose too much power to start the computer. Once it happens we’re on our own,” said Josh.
“How long?” asked Clay.
Josh cleared his throat. “Two and a half years. Not enough time for the USS Lock to arrive at planet X188, realize we’re missing, scan space, pick up on our mayday signal, provided we can send one, organize a rescue mission then find us. Summing up, chances of being rescued is remote at best. I agree with Florian; we need to find food, water, and if possible fuel or some means to extend the life of the computer. It’s inevitable no matter how hard we try to keep it going the computer will eventually fail. Either we’ll have no power, or it will break down. At this moment, we are safe in this shuttle. For how long, who knows? I reckon our best option is the building directly ahead. It’s not more than two hundred and fifty metres away. After all, the computer did set it aside for this shuttle to land here for a medical emergency. If we’re lucky, there’ll be someone who can help us ge
t back to the USS Lock.”
“You’ve said a mouthful again,” admitted Clay.
Florian interrupted his speech. “All this is providing there is breathable air outside.”
Josh scrunched his nose. “Yes.”
“Other than opening the airlock, is there another way to determine the air quality?” asked Florian.
“Not really,” said Clay.
“We can ask the computer,” said Josh. His voice reeked of confidence.
“It’ll use power,” said Florian. “There has to be another way?”
“If you know of something, by all means, please, share your idea. In my opinion, we have no other choice than to use the computer.”
Florian shook her head.
“I guess we have to agree on the computer idea,” mumbled Clay, not too convincingly.
“Here goes nothing,” mumbled Josh. “Computer, is the air quality on this planet fit for humans to breathe for indefinite periods?”
For over ten seconds they waited for the answer.
Finally, Clay whispered. “Do you think the computer is broken or doesn’t understand the question?”
The answer came back in a metallic voice. “The oxygen level is perfect for humans to breathe for indefinite periods.”
Josh, Florian, and Clay screamed at the top of their lungs at the great news.
Clay walked to the center of the shuttle. “Finally, something has gone our way.”
“What are you up to now?” asked Florian.
“We might as well open the hatch to the outside world.”
The three gathered around, staring at the floor.
“Are you sure about this?” asked Florian.
“We don’t have much to lose,” said Clay.
“Only our lives,” whispered Florian.
“I trust the computer,” said Josh.
Clay reached up above his head, touching the small red button. “I’m too nervous to push the button.”
Florian reached up and pushed the button. It lit. The one-metre square hatch in the floor slid back, revealing the outer skin of the hull.
“I didn’t know the space between the inner hull and the outer shell is only one inch thick,” said Clay.
Florian reached above her head, pushing the button to its stop. A red light under the metal floor flashed. Three seconds later the outer hatch slid inside the cavity. A warm breeze blew in moving Florian’s long black hair upwards. The moment the internal and the external air pressures equalized her hair fell about her face.
“The air smells clean,” commented Josh, taking a deep breath.
Clay squatted, touching the leaf of a tree. He pulled at it, breaking it off. He walked over to the scanner situated at the side of the shuttle.
“What are you doing?” asked Florian.
“I’m going to have the computer analyze it.”
“Don’t waste the power. We know it’s a leaf.”
“I wanted to make sure it has the same composition as the leaves on Earth.” Clay went red in the face. “You’re right; I shouldn’t waste the power.”
“I vote we spread out searching for food and water,” said Florian.
“I agree,” echoed Josh. “I’m hungry.”
“What if there’s something dangerous waiting for us?” added Clay.
“Are you scared?” questioned Florian.
“No,” Clay snorted. “Think about it for a moment. If anything attacks us and we’re hurt in any way what first aid equipment do we have to look after ourselves?”
“You have a valid point,” said Josh.
“I think we should make a weapon. Besides, by the looks of the sun, we don’t have too many hours of daylight remaining. By the time, we have a good solid plan thought up; the sunlight would have gone. Not to mention we need to find a way to get down to the ground and back again,” said Florian. “The trees below the shuttle are a tangled mess.”
“You come up with an idea, I’ll be able to build it,” boasted Clay.
“What about my hunger?” Josh asked, rubbing his growling stomach.
“I have yet to think up an answer,” said Clay.
“I must admit I’m a little thirsty,” admitted Florian.
Josh stepped to the side of the shuttle. He stood in front of the large hatch, pushed the red button then the green. Both hatches slid away. He set to work studying the tree they were in. Thick branches wide enough to walk along grew out from the main trunk. When the branches reached the shuttle, they were broken from the landing and crisscrossed underneath the entire craft.
“I think it’s easy to see we are wedged tight,” Josh advised.
Stepping onto a thick branch no wider than a standard diving board, he walked away from the shuttle towards the trunk. On the other side of the tree, he spied berries growing. He easily reached the clump, picked the large bunch and returned to the shuttle.
“Before you eat those we should scan them,” said Florian. She broke off a single berry and walked over to the scanner. She placed the berry on the glass slide, flicking the on switch.
The computer whirred to life. A narrow beam of white light flooded the top of the berry. When the light went out, a metallic voice came over the speaker.
“The fruit is red in colour, white flesh on the inside; ten percent water, nutritious, full of vitamins and minerals to sustain human life.”
Josh placed a single thumb size berry in his mouth, biting it in half. “Tastes good.” He immediately reached for another.
The trio devoured the bunch of thirty berries in no time flat.
“The only thing missing is water,” said Clay, after swallowing the last berry.
“We can only survive three days without the fluid,” said Florian.
“The computer did say each berry contains ten percent water,” hinted Josh. He stepped up to a metal cupboard and started rummaging through the scant equipment. He soon found a tool box. He scooped out the few tools before walking back along the branch for more berries.
The trio looked comfortable seated in their leather seats staring out of the viewport watching the sky slowly turn dark. Thanks to the berries their stomachs were full, and their thirst quenched.
“What a first day,” whispered Florian.
“It sure was,” replied Clay, looking sideways at her. “I’ve been thinking. The colonists on the USS Lock have no idea what happened. They won’t find out for five years. We could be dead by then.”
“In your opinion, what do you think our chances are of surviving tomorrow let alone five to ten years?” asked Florian.
Clay shook his head. “I don’t want to even start to think about it.” He glanced over his shoulder at Josh. “He certainly is a genius. The way he can read so fast and understand what he’s read is amazing. I’m glad he’s asleep.”
“Why?” asked Florian.
“I don’t want you to take what I’m thinking the wrong way. Has it occurred to you us three might be the only humans on this planet.”
“Meaning?” asked Florian.
“If anything should happen to you, this colony of humans will be extinct in maybe forty years?”
Florian leaned closer to Clay. “Don’t take this the wrong way either.”
She closed her eyes and kissed Clay. The kiss lasted a long time. They didn’t know Josh took to watching from behind them.
Eventually, Josh spoke. “Get a room you two.”
Florian moved away. Clay frowned at being spied on.
“Go back to sleep,” whispered Clay.
Florian made her way to the other end of the shuttle. She sat on the floor staring at her feet, sobbing quietly. Clay walked up and sat next to her. He didn’t know what to say. Deciding not to talk he studied the hull. It seemed intact. White walls with a few cupboards. Small round lights of various colours flashed intermittently throughout the ship. The only thing missing was the amount of fuel onboard.
“I’m not ready to have babies,” whispered Florian, blunt. She looked up at
Clay waiting for him to respond.
“Good, I’m not ready to be a father,” he replied focusing his attention on her.
“I love nothing more than planning things for the future. Mine was mapped out until the day I died.”
“What were your plans if you don’t mind me asking?” whispered Clay.
“I did have my eye on this bloke. He’s your age. His name’s Nick. He talked to me when we were lining up to enter the USS Lock. We swapped smiles. He asked me when we’ve settled on planet X188 could he get to know me. I said yes. He held my hand. Just before I was frozen, I decided he’d be the one to see me into my old age. We’d marry in ten years, have five babies and live happily ever after. Of course, there’s more to my exact plan, but there’s no need to say it now.”
“Best laid plans have a way of changing. They start out how you want and before you know it you have to re-plan.”
“What did you expect out of life?”
“I’m a kind of bloke who lives life as it comes.”
“It sounds disappointing,” said Florian.
“I don’t think so. In a strange way, it’s exciting not knowing how your future will form. Go with the flow. See where the river takes you.”
“Careful on the river, your boat might tip if you hit turbulent water which in turn could see you drown.”
“I’d wing the moment. Which brings me to a thought I’ve been thinking about for the past hour.”
“And that is?”
“Why are we here? If you look at the question logically; why were the three of us picked? Out of five hundred colonists, our lucky number came up, why? What is it about us three? What connects us together? The facts are: We were placed in a shuttle and jettisoned into space? Josh is a genius. I’m not like him. I can make anything provided someone comes up with an idea. I guess it’s where you come in. You have great ideas. If you take our three abilities and place them together, it’s possible whoever brought us three to this planet wants us to survive. I’m finding myself thinking, why?”
“I have no idea,” said Florian. “I’m devastated my future has no plan.”
“Make a new one,” Clay whispered.
“It’s easy for you to say.”
“Staying alive is a good plan,” said Clay.
“What are the details to see your idea stays intact?”
“Condense your long-term goal into single days. You have a long-life plan, sure. To fulfill it, plan to see the sunset at the end of each day.”
Florian looked at the scene outside the viewport. She nodded slowly. “I could that?”
Clay displayed an awkward grin, placing his hand on her knee. “Good for you.”
“What if Josh gets jealous of us in the future?”
“I guess we’ll have to work it out somehow.”
“What if there are animals out there in the forest?”
“We’ll have to deal with them too. Come on, let’s go back to the nose of the shuttle. I’m tired. We have a lot to do tomorrow.”
“Thanks for the chat. I’ll fall asleep making up a brand-new plan. I’ll try my best to make a short-term plan.”
Clay helped Florian to her feet, pushed the closed buttons of both airlocks and helped her back into the copilot’s seat.
The moment they finally settled down for some sleep, fatigue quickly overpowered them. The trio fell asleep looking at the rising moon. The only difference between the moon orbiting the Earth and this one was the planet they were on had two moons.
CHAPTER THREE
DAY TWO
