9 – The Big Jump

The whine slowly faded and was gone. A few seconds of silence. Then a harsh, cutting vibrating.
“What is that?” my voice was a bare whisper.
“It sounds like somebody is cutting into the module, Celia.” Mike’s voice was as calm as ever. “That would be consistent with venting the air.”
A bright spark of light raced along the wall in front of me.
I had this feeling that eyes burning into the back of my head. “Turn me around so I can see into the module, please.”
I felt my self move, but the black gloom varied very little.
Then an intense flash hit me. “Ouch !! ” I blinked several times, the flash repeating each time. As my sight cleared I became aware of a lighter patch in one wall. It slowly resolved into a patch of moving stars. Then the sun raced across it.
My eyes were almost prepared for it this time but I looked away blinking its after image from my retinas.
“There seems to be a sizable hole cut in the side of the module, Celia.” Mike’s voice whispered in my ear.
“Yes I saw it, Mike.” My eyesight cleared.
A beam of sunlight flashed along the opposite wall as the sun raced along the gash, once more, followed by a trail of bright, sharp stars.
“Oh, shit,” I whispered as I felt something hitting against the outside of the module.
The sun came around again, but as it passed a dark shape entered to obscure the stars.
“What is that, Mike?” I whispered and held my breath in case it might hear me.
“It is a robot probe of some kind.” He whispered back.
I did not like the look of it. “I do not want to be rescued by this thing, Mike. Is there any way out of here?”
“Now that there is a vacuum on both sides the door can be opened on emergency power.”
The probe extended a couple of arms and a dull light illuminated the inside of the module. It was an ugly piece of machinery.
“Is it armed?” My voice started to break and I swallowed hard.
“Considering the aggression already displayed it is quite likely that it is.”
“Are we armed?” I asked, fearing that I knew the correct answer already.
“No,” Mikes voice was apologetic. “We are not armed.”
I sighed softly.
The probe extended some more bits and rotated all to face us.
“It has spotted us and is trying to make contact, Celia,” Mike’s voice was calm and steady.
“Do not answer it, Mike,” my voice was horse. “Just open the door.”
I felt a low hum through my suit. A crack of brilliant sunlight briefly flashed across the probe and was gone.
“It is ordering us to halt and to make no movement.” The hum stopped. “The door is now fully open.”
“What are the chances that you can get us through the door without being shot?” I was breathing heavily now.