the air like giant amoebas. Brentwood flailed his arms as he floated out of control. He struggled to pull himself together, but the dizziness swimming in his head made it difficult.
Beeps cried out between each pulse of alarm, bringing him back to attention.
The three colonists. He had to reach them and get them to safety.
A pool net floated by and he lurched out his arm and grabbed onto it. He spun under the new weight, but regained balance. Swinging the pole, he caught a wall light. Pulling himself to the wall, hand over hand on the pole, he gripped the bulb. Using handholds along the wall, he worked his way to the distance track.
“Hello? Anyone in there?”
The alarm drowned out his words. He felt like the last survivor of a shipwreck, left to wander alone as it broke apart around him with no anchors to hold onto. The thought of being the only man still alive made his stomach wretch more than the light gravity. He didn’t even like working in an office by himself.
He checked the locator, and the green dots were larger.
“Hello?” His voice echoed down the bay.
He ducked as a hoverchair floated by in a meandering arc, sputtering as the thrusters flared out of control. The seat was upside down and vacant, straps dangling.
A screech echoed so loud he thought his ears would bleed. The ceiling warped under the decreasing pressure. Resisting the urge to panic, Brentwood kicked his legs against the wall and floated over the bright orange track.
Three people wearing white civilian jumpsuits floated in the corner next to the sealed portal. Two girls clutched each other, shivering, while a young man tampered with the portal panel.
One of the girls spotted him and waved him over. “Over here. We’re trying to get through.”
Brentwood yelled back. “You won’t make it.”
They didn’t hear him, or chose to ignore his comment.
Damn it. He kicked his legs like a swimmer in molasses, wishing he could run again. “You have to come back this way with me.”
As he drifted closer, one of the girls recognized his navy lieutenant’s uniform and pulled the boy back.
“Dammit, Daryl! We’re in trouble now.”
The boy swatted her away and pulled a clump of wires out of the wall. “I’ve almost got it.”
Brentwood ordered, “Don’t open it.”
The boy whirled around and glared with defiance. “I’m trying to get us out of here.”
Brentwood pulled himself within arm’s reach. “There’s no atmosphere on the other side. The Seers sealed the corridor.”
The smaller of the two girls covered her face with her hands. Her malformed legs hung limp in the air. Even with the Matchmaker’s double check on genetic calculations, birth anomalies still manifested. They could only tame so much of nature and the small genetic pool made it more difficult to keep each subsequent generation healthy. That’s why they had analysts like Gemme Reiner giving the cold computer analysis a double check with a human touch. Computers weren’t always perfect.
Brentwood made a point not to draw attention to her. Thank goodness for the zero gravity. He could never fit her hoverchair down the cable shaft.
He put a reassuring hand on her arm. “What’s your name, hon?”
She peeked from under a finger. “Vira. That’s my sister, Rizzy.”
Rizzy stared at him as if he’d flown them into the comets singlehandedly. “How are we going to get out?”
“Using an energy cable shaft. It’s a tight squeeze.” He looked at their boney bodies. “Anyone hurt?”
They shook their heads.
“Come on. We don’t have much time.”
They floated across the track like ghosts in a dead land. His emotions surged when he looked into their young faces. How could anyone leave them to die here? They had parents, brothers, sisters, and friends. They weren’t a math equation, not to him. He wondered if the Seers had discounted Vira because of her handicap. Maybe they thought she wouldn’t make it either way. Brentwood’s chest tightened.
Beeps cried out between each pulse of alarm, bringing him back to attention.
The three colonists. He had to reach them and get them to safety.
A pool net floated by and he lurched out his arm and grabbed onto it. He spun under the new weight, but regained balance. Swinging the pole, he caught a wall light. Pulling himself to the wall, hand over hand on the pole, he gripped the bulb. Using handholds along the wall, he worked his way to the distance track.
“Hello? Anyone in there?”
The alarm drowned out his words. He felt like the last survivor of a shipwreck, left to wander alone as it broke apart around him with no anchors to hold onto. The thought of being the only man still alive made his stomach wretch more than the light gravity. He didn’t even like working in an office by himself.
He checked the locator, and the green dots were larger.
“Hello?” His voice echoed down the bay.
He ducked as a hoverchair floated by in a meandering arc, sputtering as the thrusters flared out of control. The seat was upside down and vacant, straps dangling.
A screech echoed so loud he thought his ears would bleed. The ceiling warped under the decreasing pressure. Resisting the urge to panic, Brentwood kicked his legs against the wall and floated over the bright orange track.
Three people wearing white civilian jumpsuits floated in the corner next to the sealed portal. Two girls clutched each other, shivering, while a young man tampered with the portal panel.
One of the girls spotted him and waved him over. “Over here. We’re trying to get through.”
Brentwood yelled back. “You won’t make it.”
They didn’t hear him, or chose to ignore his comment.
Damn it. He kicked his legs like a swimmer in molasses, wishing he could run again. “You have to come back this way with me.”
As he drifted closer, one of the girls recognized his navy lieutenant’s uniform and pulled the boy back.
“Dammit, Daryl! We’re in trouble now.”
The boy swatted her away and pulled a clump of wires out of the wall. “I’ve almost got it.”
Brentwood ordered, “Don’t open it.”
The boy whirled around and glared with defiance. “I’m trying to get us out of here.”
Brentwood pulled himself within arm’s reach. “There’s no atmosphere on the other side. The Seers sealed the corridor.”
The smaller of the two girls covered her face with her hands. Her malformed legs hung limp in the air. Even with the Matchmaker’s double check on genetic calculations, birth anomalies still manifested. They could only tame so much of nature and the small genetic pool made it more difficult to keep each subsequent generation healthy. That’s why they had analysts like Gemme Reiner giving the cold computer analysis a double check with a human touch. Computers weren’t always perfect.
Brentwood made a point not to draw attention to her. Thank goodness for the zero gravity. He could never fit her hoverchair down the cable shaft.
He put a reassuring hand on her arm. “What’s your name, hon?”
She peeked from under a finger. “Vira. That’s my sister, Rizzy.”
Rizzy stared at him as if he’d flown them into the comets singlehandedly. “How are we going to get out?”
“Using an energy cable shaft. It’s a tight squeeze.” He looked at their boney bodies. “Anyone hurt?”
They shook their heads.
“Come on. We don’t have much time.”
They floated across the track like ghosts in a dead land. His emotions surged when he looked into their young faces. How could anyone leave them to die here? They had parents, brothers, sisters, and friends. They weren’t a math equation, not to him. He wondered if the Seers had discounted Vira because of her handicap. Maybe they thought she wouldn’t make it either way. Brentwood’s chest tightened.
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