As part of the awesome Rachel Ritchey’s blog battles, I have decided to add another part to my scorched planet story. I’m not sure if this is within the rules, but Rachel and I discussed that last weeks story could easily form part of a bigger plot. Thanks to Rachel for her encouraging words you’re a totally great boss!
As David stood there. looking out over the terrain, the storm started calming. It was eerie, like the eye of the storm was passing over him suddenly. The terrain became more visible and he could now make out more detail. He looked up, the quieting of the storm gave way to the sounds of his life support and his heavy artificial breathing. The storm wasn’t passing, it was lifting. Some distance, maybe 100 metres above him, he could see the storm still raging.
A notification flashed in his heads up with a gentle beep. The data download was complete. David pulled out the wire and secured it back into it’s pouch.
“Control this is Hicks1512, please can you send out a ride to pick me up, I’ve had enough of walking through this and the storm has… risen I suppose.
“Affirmative Hicks1512” crackled through the reply “Lauren has just volunteered *crack* annndd.. ” with crackled screech the transmission ended.
“Control this is Hicks 1512, get it together!” There was nothing but the sound of static.
“Control respond please” David caught a few human sounds among the garbles static. With resignation he realised he had lost contact, he hoped Lauren would be here soon because he suddenly felt strange. David thought he was alone, but as the dust settled from the storm he couldn’t see far and something troubled him.
As he thought this, he felt the ground vibrating. Inpercievably at first but his feet sank into the dry dirt as he felt the strength of the vibration increased. Looking around for the cause David looked out over the plain and out of the dust storm he made out a vast spacecraft emerging. It seemed round in shape, probably 50 metres tall although he couldn’t tell how big it’s diameter was, it must have been hundreds of metres. Lights were visible around the flat rim and a blue glow was visible through the dust, located in what he assumed was the centre of the vessel. There was a loud hum coming from it, this was causing the ground to vibrate and his head hurt with it.
David watched as dark grey hull of the spacecraft moved across his view, keeping itself mostly hidden in the swirling dust above. It was moving across and away from him now, it was like nothing he had ever seen. Human spacecraft were nothing like this and all his could do was stand in wondered awe, not noticing his feet sinking still further he suddenly felt the grip of the soil and he pulled himself out of the dirt. David was on this hands and knees watching the spacecraft drift away, losing altitude it gently lowered, the hum of whatever passed as it’s engines quieting and then falling silent as it landed. He wasn’t sure but it was maybe 10 kilometers away.
With stunned disbelief he stared into the dust, only just making out it’s shape. All he could hear was his laboured breathing. He looked down onto the Orchid he had found only minutes before “This is turning out to be an interesting day” he said with more than a little irony.
“Hicks1512 please can you hear me?” came a crackled and distorted voice from control.
“Affirmative control, I lost contact with you and the signal isn’t great, but I can hear you now!”
“What happened?” the crackled voice asked with urgency?
David stood up awkwardly, his suit being a pain to move in, looking out toward the space craft “I’m not sure you would believe me if I told you!”
“What does that mean?”
“Just that” for a few seconds David paused “I have just observed an unidentified space craft very close to my location. It has landed about ten kilometres away” He waited for the response.
“Have you found a way to drink whiskey in that suit?”
“No I haven’t, I said you wouldn’t believe me” David barked back at them “Where’s Lauren?”
“She’s on her way Hicks1512” the reply still crackled and distorted. With nothing else to do but wait David sat down and looked out into the distance straining to see something. David’s excitement was tempered with caution. He could only guess their purpose here, maybe they were responsible for this re-generation that he had just found. Just then, spots of water appeared on his visor, only the odd few at first, then more and more… it started raining. The drops of rain tapping on his outer helmet, it hadn’t rained on Earth for decades, what was going on? This was unbelievable!
“Control this is Hicks1512, it’s raining here. Is it raining there?”
“Hicks1512, that’s affirmative. We can’t believe it. Lauren should only be a few minutes, get straight back here”
David didn’t answer, he had another plan. Just then from behind him a Rover pulled up, it’s huge wheels carving tracks in the now sodden dirt. The side door opened, climbing in and sealing the door the red light showed as the air was replenished. After a few moments, the light turned green. David removed his helmet, hanging it up. The door to the drivers cabin slid open.
“It’s been quite a day for you with little find and now this rain” Lauren chirrped, smiling as David worked his way in clumsily, water dripping off his suit.
“That’s just half of it babe.” David replied “Do you fancy and an adventure?” he smiled mysteriously.
“What kind of adventure?” Lauren asked, knowing to be worried as he had got one of his little plans on his mind.
David motioned “Drive that way for a bit and I’ll explain”
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Copyright 2015 Simon Farnell
