Chapter 5: Rescue

I woke up the next morning in the shelter. Laine was already awake, lying on her side watching me.

“Good morning, Brian,” said Laine.

“Our last morning here,” I said.

“Do we have time for a quick swim before breakfast?” asked Laine.

“Sure,” I replied.

We quickly changed and made our way to the surf. The water was still chilly, but it was refreshing, and I was glad of it.

On our way back to camp, I picked up a piece of wall from the original shelter.

“I thought I’d leave a note for Jem, in case they stopped by here,” I said.

“There is a marker in Mina’s kit you can use,” said Laine.

I smiled.

“How about a big farewell breakfast?” I said. “We don’t know when we will eat again.”

“That’s a grand idea,” said Laine.

I ordered lots of dishes from the food dispenser and carried them to the table.

Laine and I took our time to eat our fill.

While at the table, I penned a note in Ori. It told them we were making our way to the Phoosie system.

While I was busy, Laine had the wisdom to fill several sample containers with drinking water.

“We can go hungry for a few days, but water is essential,” said Laine.

“I agree. We need to stay hydrated,” I replied.

I tucked away the items we weren’t taking with us, and I put the sign where anyone would see it. I used several rocks to hold it in place.

Everything was ready.

“Time to go, Laine,” I said.

She looked up at me and smiled.

“I will miss this place, it was a pleasant break,” she replied.

“Jem and Mina will wonder where we got to,” I said.

I offered her my hand, and we walked out of camp and into the trees.

Jem and Mina waited outside the door for about a minute. Then the door opened.

They faced two more androids. The androids raised their energy weapons, but not fast enough.

Both Jem and Mina fired their energy weapons, which hit the two androids at close range.

Jem saw her opportunity and threw her grenade into the room.

The door closed, and they heard a loud bang from the inside of the cargo bay.

“Hold your position!” said Jem. “They may try to rush us.”

Mina nodded.

They waited.

After about five minutes, nothing had changed. The door was still closed.

“Is that enough time?” asked Mina.

“I think so. Please fetch the plasma cutter and pry bars. I’ll guard the door,” replied Jem.

Jem wondered if the grenade explosion could disperse the nano-bots widely enough.

Mina took two trips to bring the equipment.

“Thank you. Please stand guard while I work on the door. Keep your weapon pointed at the door, ready to fire,” said Jem.

Mina took a ready stance, with her weapon pointed at the door.

“Ready!” replied Mina.

It took Jem about ten minutes to cut through the lock mechanism. Then she used a pry bar to pry the door open a few inches.

Jem peeked inside the cargo bay. She saw nothing near the door and no immediate threat. So she pried the door open further.

Jem picked up her weapon and looked over at Mina.

“We’re going in, stay close on my left. Our shields will overlap. Now!” said Jem.

Jem and Mina entered the cargo bay. The inside was dimly lit. Against the back wall were alcoves. Several alcoves contained androids, and most of their structure had melted away. On the floor lay the remains of several more androids.

“It looks like the grenade did the job,” said Mina.

“I hope so. Keep your weapon ready and your eyes sharp. I need to do a body count,” replied Jem.

Mina carefully scanned the cargo bay for threats while Jem walked around counting.

“Nine ... Ten ... Eleven ... I only found eleven androids,” said Jem.

“Are you sure?” asked Mina.

“Yes. I counted twice,” replied Jem.

“Are there any other exits?” asked Mina.

“No. Unless ... Let me double check,” replied Jem. She followed the walls of the cargo bay.

“They haven’t cut another exit in the walls. The ceilings and the floors look intact,” said Jem.

“Where is it hiding then?” asked Mina.

Jem called Ship on her communicator. “Ship, we have cleared the cargo bay. I count eleven androids destroyed. Are you certain you brought in twelve?”

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Did you inject nano-bots into the ventilation system on all the other levels?” asked Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Have you had any sensor malfunctions elsewhere?” asked Jem.

“If by elsewhere, you mean other than the cargo bay level, then no. All sensors are down on the cargo bay level,” replied Ship.

“Mina, I believe the remaining android is somewhere on this level. We have to search,” said Jem.

“Understood,” replied Mina. They turned to leave cargo bay seven.

What a difference a few days made! We easily walked back to the obelisk. Laine’s ankle had almost healed. She hardly used her crutch, plus we didn’t feel so exhausted.

Carolus four was a beautiful place for a vacation. I already thought of returning.

Before midday, we arrived at the clearing where the obelisk stood.

We shared a container of water, and then I fetched our space suits.

“I don’t know if the worlds we visit have a breathable atmosphere or not. So we best put our suits back on,” I said.

Laine smiled and nodded.

We helped each other into our suits. Laine consulted her device and showed me the inscription I needed to select.

“Look for this inscription, Brian,” she said.

“Close your visor and take my hand,” I said.

I held on to Laine and approached the obelisk. The inscription I needed was fourth on the list.

When I touched the inscription, I experienced the usual flash of light.

We had travelled to another star system. Our journey took no time at all. Aboard Ship, it took days.

I was glad we wore our suits. The climate on this planet was much colder and also dark.

I turned on the lights on my suit and discovered the obelisk in front of me.

Laine held up her device so I could see the display.

“This is the next inscription,” she said.

“Hold on,” I said. This time, the inscription I needed was second on the list.

I touched the inscription on the obelisk. The lights flashed.

This next planet had a warm climate, and it was daytime here. We stood in front of the obelisk, in the middle of a courtyard. A civilization once lived here, but it looked long gone.

“Where to next?” I asked.

“This inscription should get us to Phoosie three,” replied Laine. She held up her device, and I studied the inscription.

“Hold on,” I said. I touched the third inscription on the list.

After the lights flashed, we arrived in front of another obelisk, once again in darkness.

The lights on my suit helped me realize we stood inside an enormous cavern.

“We’re in a cavern, Laine. We need to locate the exit,” I said.

There was a growling noise from somewhere in the distance.

“Crap!” said Laine.

I drew my stun gun and hoped I wouldn’t need it. Stun guns didn’t work well against scary creatures in dark caverns.

“Laine, stay close to me,” I said.

“If you think I will separate from you and go looking for that creature, you are mistaken,” replied Laine.

“I bet you are hoping I have one of my amazing ideas about now,” I said.

“Duh!” replied Laine.

“You might not like it,” I said.

“Try me,” said Laine.

“Stand still and turn off the lights on your suit,” I said.

“You want me to turn off the lights while that creature is somewhere,” asked Laine.

“Yes. Then stand quietly until your eyes get used to the dark,” I replied.

Laine studied me for a moment, then she turned off her lights. I did the same.

I waited and slowly turned around on the spot, looking for light.

After about a minute, I detected a faint light to my left.

“Laine, I can discern a feint light over there!” I said.

“I see it too. Is that the exit?” asked Laine.

“Let’s go find out. I’ll turn on my lights and you follow me closely,” I said.

“What about the creature?” asked Laine.

“Walk softly. Perhaps the creature is a distance away. It is more likely drawn by sound,” I replied.

I turned on my lights and moved in the direction where I detected the light. Laine followed close behind me.

At certain points we had to duck to avoid hitting the ceiling, but the light was getting brighter ahead. Fortunately, the path was wide and fairly level.

I didn’t hear the growling noise again.

The light ahead continued to get brighter.

“I think I can see the exit, Laine,” I said.

“Right behind you,” replied Laine.

A few minutes later, we stepped out into a valley. The brown and rocky terrain showed little or no vegetation. I’d describe it as a desert. In the sky, a yellow-white star shone down on us.

“We made it!” exclaimed Laine.

Although she couldn’t tell, I smiled.

I checked the display on my suit.

“Laine, keep your visor on, the atmosphere isn’t breathable,” I said.

Laine nodded.

“I hope we don’t have to go back,” I said.

“Let’s move away from the entrance. We should make our distress call from high ground,” she said.

I turned off my suit lights and looked down around me. I smiled when I didn’t find any footprints other than our own. Hopefully the source of the growling noise in the cave didn’t come outside at night.

As I looked at the cave entrance, I realized it wasn’t that obvious. If we couldn’t reach the mining outpost, we’d have to return to the obelisk, I needed to find this again.

I picked up a rock and placed it on top of another, larger rock. Finally, I put a smaller one on top of the pile.