by Travis Sande
"Help!" Derrick called out as he breached the surface. A rush of water immediately enveloped his helmet. Under water he noticed Eilik struggling to no avail with his free arm. Derrick pushed with all his might to get Eilik above the surface. He just managed to do it as he felt hands grasp his underarms. Pulling him back to the surface he was happy to escape the muffled depths of the water.
"I got you." It was Kim, she had come in after them.
"Th..." Derrick tried to thank her but was abruptly halted by a fit of coughing. He was in more trouble than he had known. "Thank you." Breathing heavily as the three of them started toward shore. The exertion of keeping himself and Eilik near the surface had exacerbated his chest injury, he was struggling to breathe.
Kim was a surprisingly strong swimmer as she pulled Derrick along with her. Derrick clung to Eilik and did his best to keep him secured. Looking back as they moved, he saw Ben and Sian experiencing a struggle with Hank as well. The commander was approaching them from behind to assist. Nik and Yanna had both almost reached the shore ahead of everyone.
"Over here!" Nik and Yanna yelled as they stepped back into the water to assist once Kim came close enough.
As soon as Derrick and Eilik were in the hands of Nik and Yanna, Kim immediately darted back out into the water. Without hesitation, she rushed to aid Hank. Derrick couldn't imagine the feeling of helplessness he must have been feeling. Three people were struggling to push him to the surface while his lifeless body slipped and fell beneath.
"Get away from him!" Kim yelled as she came in from behind and grabbed Hank in a similar fashion as she did Derrick.
The three others pushed off and allowed Kim to take over. Resting Hank's head on her shoulder she wrapped her arms under his. Derrick was still struggling to catch his breath on the shore as he watched Kim bring Hank in. A task that moments ago was too difficult for three people was now effortless for one. Derrick found it beautiful how she slipped through the water, saving Hank's life. The other three were making their way to shore, clearly exhausted from the ordeal.
"Thank you, Derrick." Eilik's voice came from behind Derrick and drew his attention away from Kim.
"You're welcome, Eilik." Derrick said as he fell back onto the muddy shore of the lake. Taking in deep breaths to satiate his lungs burning desire for oxygen.
Lorn didn't waste any time once he hit the shore. "We need to move, now. We can't remain at the crash site."
Derrick looked up as he started to catch his breath and noticed a hail of fireballs ripping through the atmosphere. The debris field had also been thrown into a decaying orbit and was about to rain down upon them.
"Orbital debris!" Derrick yelled as he jumped to his feet. Once again grabbing Eilik to assist in his movement. "Help them!" Derrick pointed into the lake at Ben and Sian still making their way out.
Lorn moved back into the water and pulled Sian and Ben the last few feet. Kim was nearly to shore with Hank; Nik and Yanna moved in to assist her. Once on shore, Hank remained motionless as Kim leaned down on her knees to catch her breath. They had to drag Hank with them.
Lorn and Ben quickly jumped into action preparing to carry Hank. It wasn't an easy task, but the adrenaline pushed them over the edge and allowed them to get Hank up off the ground and start moving.
"Don't look up." Lorn said as he fought his way up the hill behind everyone.
The crew was running nearly aimlessly as they attempted to distance themselves from the crash. Nik and Yanna led the way with Derrick and Eilik close behind. Sian and Kim were just behind but gaining quickly on Derrick.
"Get to that overhang!" Lorn yelled from the rear.
There was a steep cliff overhang that was about two hundred and fifty meters away. It was covered in lush vegetation and about one hundred meters high. It laid the foundation for a mountain that extended up and nearly out of sight into the clouds above. A range of mountains pushed to the right as far as they could see. To the left there were hills and oddly familiar forests.
As the crew approached the cliff, they noticed several cave-like structures in the side of the mountain. Only two were large enough for someone to fit inside and Nik ran directly into one. Everyone followed closely behind as the first of the debris impacted behind them. A violent crash followed by a wave of air hit Lorn in the back. He fell into Hank's lap as they dropped him.
Derrick rushed out of the cave, leaving Eilik behind. Getting to the commander's side he helped lift Hank by one leg, the commander grabbed the other. Ben still had a tight hold on Hank's upper body and the three of them managed to get Hank to the cave.
Derrick turned his attention to the entrance as debris continued to rain down from the sky. Most of the pieces were burning up in the atmosphere, but the occasional piece would reach ground, causing a violent explosion. It was as if the apocalypse was happening just beyond the cave.
"Get away from the entrance!" Lorn ordered everyone inside.
The crew moved deeper into the cave, it felt familiar to Derrick. The walls appeared to be rock with a trickle of moisture running down them. Vines and plants invaded the mouth of the cave. He had expected to see something more alien.
"How deep does this thing go?" Hank said from the arms of Lorn and Ben.
"It splits here, the left side appears to go up in elevation and the right moves down below us." Nik said from the front of the group. She and Yanna had continued moving inside.
"Sian can you handle helping Eilik?" Lorn asked. "I need Derrick free for some recon of that elevated route. Take Kim with you, Derrick."
"Yes, I should be able to help." Sian agreed.
"Okay, we need you down here to address injuries. I see you're bleeding, Yanna." Lorn said. "You're with us. Nik, accompany Kim and Derrick. We need to try and get our bearings here and if we can find a position with a view to scout that would be ideal. The rest of us are lame, moving up would be nearly impossible, we have to go down."
"Got it, we will head up and look for a perch somewhere." Derrick let go of Eilik, turning to face the left corridor in the cave.
"Is your CCD direct audio working, everyone?" Lorn asked.
"Mine's out." Ben said as he looked at his arm.
Everyone agreed with Ben that theirs had stopped working. An echo of the word "same" permeated the group until Derrick chimed in.
"Mine is still operational, is yours, commander?" Derrick asked.
"Yes, keep in touch with me for your team. Did anyone grab the emergency supplies?" Lorn was robot-like in his ability to assess the situation, delegate, and begin tallying resources.
A disappointed silence overcame the group, you could feel the frustration thicken the air around them. Sian let out a deep sigh that expressed the general sentiment of everyone.
"It's ok, those containers are built to survive anything. Once we stabilize here we can think about retrieving them. The lake is only twenty-five feet deep right, Ben?" Lorn asked to confirm.
"That's correct, that's what I saw on our sensors before we bailed." Ben reiterated his report from earlier.
"Kim is apparently an Olympic swimmer so we should be able to coordinate something." Lorn said. "For now, get going and look for an exit out of the cave up there, report to me if you find anything. Be careful. The rest of you, if you're injured, come with me. We need to get deep inside to avoid everything happening out there."
The cave was rattling with the exploding debris as it still rained in from the sky. Derrick thought about mentioning the discomfort in his chest but chose to ignore it in favour of being useful. Nothing felt as close as that first explosion. It was all landing in the distance, beyond the lake. The commander and the rest of the injured crew started their descent further into the cave and out of sight.
Derrick, Kim, and Nik all took the left turn and started working their way up the tight tunnel. It must have been formed by a stream that slowly wet their shoes. It was a slippery and steep climb. There was light ahead that illuminated the way.
"There
must be something up there, I can see light." Nik said, leading the way.
Kim pushed Nik up and ahead as they tried to work quickly. Kim suddenly slipped in the water and lost her footing. Before she could fall completely, Derrick grabbed her right arm and helped steady her.
"You okay?" Derrick asked her, holding on as tightly as he could. A burn erupted in the muscles of his chest, chastising their use.
"Yeah, thanks." She said as she planted her foot again on the rocky surface below them.
"You guys okay?" Nik lowered her head and yelled back down between her legs at Derrick and Kim.
"Yeah, we are good, Kim just slipped. She’s fine now." Derrick yelled back up.
"I am fine up here." Nik said from above them. "Don't worry about bracing me, just make sure you don't fall. It gets a little better once you get out of that tight spot."
Derrick and Kim followed behind Nik and discovered that she was right. The tunnel leveled off slightly as they broke free of the tight squeeze.
"Who knew spelunking would be part of a deep space mission." Derrick said, breathing heavily as he pulled himself free of the steep entry section of the tunnel.
Kim and Nik both stood above him in an open chamber with several beams of light entering from all sides. The three of them surveyed the chamber. Surprised by its size they all quietly looked for possible routes. Derrick found a beauty in the way light entered and bounced around the moisture ridden walls.
"Which way do you want to go?” Nik broke the silence.
“We should probably move back toward the lake side. I would like to be able to oversee the crash site if at all possible.” Derrick hoped he could get a vantage point of where the ISO had impacted.
“Good idea.” Kim said. “This way.” Kim pointed at the wall next to her.
Derrick turned and faced her, he trusted her that it was the direction of the crash site. One beam of light was entering from a section about twenty feet up in the air. He took a deep breath, looking for any way he could attack the climb.
"Think we can get up there?" Derrick asked the other two.
"It seems a little risky to climb up there. I think we should just go down that passageway to the right and hope it swings around that direction." Kim suggested, once again pointing.
Derrick looked at the tunnel she was speaking of. It exited the open room at roughly even level with the floor. It was clearly a much safer option and light could be seen reflecting off the slick walls within.
"How's it look up there?" Lorn's voice startled Derrick as it came through his CCD. He looked over and saw Kim smirking at his sudden jump. Derrick just shook his head at her and smiled. A brief but welcome respite from the intensity of their predicament.
"It's an open chamber about fifteen feet beyond the fork. We made it up here no problem and we are just deciding which way to go. There are several exits at varying heights in here." Derrick said back.
"Is there anything exiting the chamber toward the crash site?" Lorn asked.
"We had the same thought, sir. We see an exit about twenty feet above us but it's too risky to attempt a climb." Derrick looked around the room. "We think one of the exits at ground level might wrap around that direction. We are going to check it out. How is everything down there?"
"We found a small chamber as well, it's pretty dark but I think we are deep enough in to be safe from any issues outside. Sian has started diagnosing injuries and we have a couple emergency light packs cracked. Let me know if you find anything up there and be careful. If you need support, let us know. Ben and I are going to do a bit more scouting down here to see what we can find." The commander ended the transmission.
"Looks like we are going out that way." Derrick pointed to the tunnel just off to his right at ground level. The entrance dripped with running water and the reflection of light could be seen on the right side of the wall within as it curved to the left.
Derrick entered the new tunnel and led the way. There was more room than the tight climb they had just traversed. As soon as he started inside he could see the source of the light. Down about thirty feet to the left was an opening. The floor of the tunnel was slightly inclined leading up to it. This gave Derrick hope that it might be the elevated perch he was looking for.
"You guys can wait here, I’ll go take a look." Derrick ducked inside.
Derrick jogged down to the opening. It wasn't much bigger than a typical window. Looking out, he could see that it very clearly overlooked the position of the lake they had just escaped. The opening must have been just above the cave entrance below. The sky appeared to be clear as he searched it for debris.
"I found an opening that overlooks the path we took from the wreckage. I can see the lake we crashed into. The sky looks clear of debris, it must have all fallen." Derrick radioed down to commander Lorn.
"You three stay up top and watch over the area. We have to assume that they will be investigating their lost ship." Lorn came through again.
"The opening isn't that large, I can easily keep an eye out. Nik and Kim should move down and join you guys." Derrick suggested.
"We don't know what this planet has in store, there could be life anywhere, including this cave. I would like for us to stay in teams of at least three. Perhaps the other two could map more of the cave in your vicinity." Lorn forfeit his authority in favour of suggestions.
The two behind Derrick could hear the transmission coming through his CCD. "Got it!" Nik yelled down the tunnel to derrick.
"They heard you and are going to do just that." Derrick relayed.
"Keep me posted on the situation." Lorn said.
"It looks like the debris has scattered across a vast space on the surface. There is smoke and fire as far as I can see." Derrick looked out across the surface of the planet. Moving away from their cave was a much flatter plain. It gave him the ability to see far into the distance.
"Is there anything near the cave entrance?" Lorn asked.
"It looks like the piece of debris that knocked you off your feet landed about one hundred meters outside the entrance. I doubt it's close enough to draw suspicion to the cave itself. It is large though and burning. It could possibly ignite some of the surrounding foliage." Derrick worried for the vegetation that was helping hide their impromptu hideout.
Before Lorn had time to reply a loud blast occurred in the atmosphere. A ring of energy was dispersed from a single point. Derrick's thoughts immediately went to a RIP burst.
"I think something just entered the atmosphere above us." Derrick looked up at the sky with panic.
"Get away from any opening, we don't know their capabilities. We must limit any possibility that they might locate us. Get as deep as you can within the cave." Lorn ordered.
"I think I should stay to observe, sir. I will lay low and remain out of sight. The opening here isn't very large at all and covered with dense vegetation." Derrick said. "If they head this way or I believe I have been spotted, I can lead them away. If we don't have a lookout, we won't know until they are upon us."
"Send the other two down to us. We don't have time for debate." Lorn agreed to Derricks terms.
Derrick quickly turned and yelled down the tunnel into the chamber. Nik and Kim had already left the entrance and were scouting around inside.
"We have company, get down below to the others." Derrick called down to the others.
"What about you?" Kim poked her head back into the tunnel after a second.
"We need someone to keep watch in case they head this way and I am the only one with active comms. Get down there, there's no time to argue." Derrick scolded her hesitation.
"You better come down to see me after this." Kim lingered in the tunnel entrance for a moment, staring directly at Derrick. After nodding to her, she turned back inside. Derrick could hear a bit of resistance from Nik before they inevitably went out of earshot.
Derrick turned his attention back to the window and looked up to the sky. A trail began to appear. They must have been
entering the atmosphere. Derrick took a deep breath, in through his nose and exhaled through his mouth. He was trying to calm himself as the idea of an alien species coming down to search for them brought him to the verge of panicking. He tucked himself tight against the wall to his left and barely peered out through the opening. He could still see the lake as he heard the approaching vessel. It was still distant but getting closer with each passing second.
The sound seemed to settle at a distance Derrick perceived as kilometers away. They must have been viewing the spread of wreckage. He peered slightly further out to get a look into the sky. Before he made eye contact with the vessel itself he could see a shadow moving across the ground. It was moving slowly and toward his location. He immediately pressed himself back into the wall to avoid any chance of being seen.
The sound moved closer and closer until the shadow came into view from Derricks vantage point against the wall. The vessel had to have been just above the lake. It hovered there for what seemed like ten, maybe fifteen seconds before a loud burst announced its exit back into the atmosphere.
Puzzled, Derrick leaned out to look. The sky was streaked with a white trail guiding his eyes to the small black dot exiting up into the heavens.
"It looks like they are leaving." Derrick whispered over comms.
"Stay off audio. We don't know their intercept capabilities." Lorn said quickly.
Derrick continued to watch the sky as three more bursts happened almost simultaneously. They must have been sending reinforcements to search the area. A sense of dread entered Derrick's chest as he saw three trails enter the atmosphere. The trails were significantly larger than the trail he saw earlier. He thought the first must have been a probe of some kind for a brief scan.
Derrick once again pressed himself tightly against the wall. The thought of a creature landing and moving into the caves was assaulting his mind. He would have nowhere to go other than deeper into an unknown maze of cave systems. He slowly peeked out the opening in the cave. Three vessels were rapidly approaching the area. One was moving down directly above the lake, another was slightly further in the distance, and the third was even further near the horizon.
