Judgment Day (26 page)

They were high above the surface, moving fast. The radio was active, Paul checking in regularly from the
John Henry and
Sandy requesting updates from the New Hope. A monitor between Micah and Shelly showed the view from the front of the ship. Wyatt Powder's head was cut into the corner, his mouth moving silently. They were still broadcasting. The whole Earth was watching the drama.

"I see him," Paul's voice crackled over the radio.

Christy's stomach churned again as the ship banked into a new direction.

"I've got my camera on it," Paul said.

Bob twisted a dial and the monitor changed. They were looking down into a crater. It was bigger than most, one rim casting a large crescent-shaped shadow. In the shadow she saw the
Jesus Wept
.

"It's heeled over and up against the crater wall," Paul radioed from the
John Henry
"You'll never get on it at that angle."

Micah and Shelly exchanged worried looks. Then Shelly said, "Paul, can you nudge it over? Maybe away from the wall?"

"I'll try."

The
John Henry
dropped into the crater, then slowed, creeping up to the fallen sphere. The camera lost the image a few feet from contact, and they had only Paul's voice to tell them what was happening.

"I can't get against it," Paul said.

"Careful," Shelly said. "We don't want to lose you too."

Occasional static was the only sound for the next minutes.

"It's not working. If I only had the manipulator arms."

"Get some altitude, Paul," Micah said.

Paul backed off and they could see the
Jesus Wept
sitting against the crater wall, the hatch angled over and pressed against the rock. Micah leaned down studying the image and then he talked with Shelly. She nodded and then he released his shoulder harness and swung out of his seat. Turning to Roland he said, "We can't dock with the
Jesus Wept
unless we get it away from that crater wall. I'm going outside to see what I can do and I could use some help."

Roland nodded and followed him toward the ladder. Christy trailed after. They went to the hold, unbolting the handrail. She kept out of the way as they freed the rail, which was simply a long length of pipe. Then Micah left, returning with a coil of nylon rope. Then Christy helped them into their suits. They were half dressed when the speaker crackled with a warning.

"Hang on to something down there," Shelly said. "We're decelerating."

With no rail on her side, Christy firmly gripped a rail bracket. The gee-force hit, quickly building to double Earth's gravity. Christy barely held on, her hands clawing for a better grip. Suddenly the force diminished, and she was flung back the other way, jerked violently. Only after she felt the vibration of surface contact did she relax her grip.

Quickly they returned to suiting up. When Christy had latched their helmets, she retreated through the hatch, pushing it closed. She cranked the mechanism to seal the hatch and it turned easily. With the satisfying sound of metal gripping metal it was closed, the indicator switching from red to green. Then the pumps went to work. There was nothing left for her to do so she climbed back to the flight deck whispering a prayer for Glen.

CHAPTER 50 TRAPPED

The lunar soil could only have formed on the surface of an airless body. It built up over billions of years of continuous bombardment by large and small meteorites, most of which are so small they would have burned up if they had entered the Earth's atmosphere.

—
THE NEW SOLAR SYSTEM
, J. KELLY BEATTY, BRIAN O'LEARY AND ANDREW CHAIKIN (EDS.]

R
oland waited nervously behind Micah for the hold to depressurize. It was some minutes before the cargo doors opened and they dragged the ramp into place. Then Micah led them out at a fast shuffle hop. Selly had the ship nose toward the downed craft so the crew inside could watch. Roland and Micah circled around, Micah carrying the length of pipe and Roland the coil of rope. The pipe made hopping difficult for Micah but Roland made good time with only the rope. He stopped by the
Jesus Wept
, examining the hull—it appeared intact. High above him Paul slowly circled in the
John Henry
—all this broadcast over live TV on Earth.

"See if he's alive," Shelly said over his speaker.

Roland picked up a rock and rapped hard on the wall of the sphere three times. Then he pressed his helmet at the same spot and waited—there was no reply. Three more pounds, then he pressed against the hull again. Then came three faint taps.

"I can hear something," Roland reported.

"Thank God," Shelly said.

Micah dropped the pipe and walked around the
Jesus Wept
.

"It hit pretty hard," Micah said. "It's buried a couple of feet into the surface."

Then taking the rope he scrambled up the wall of the crater, trying to reach the top. When Micah slipped on loose rock, sliding back down the edge, Roland climbed halfway up to meet him and then pushed him until he reached the top of the sphere, where he wedged himself between the crater wall and the sphere.

"Paul, bring your sphere down," Micah called. "We'll try and pull Glen's ship away from the wall."

"Got it," Paul said.

The
John Henry
floated down, stirring dust as it landed. Roland instinctively turned, protecting his eyes, forgetting the faceplate of his helmet. Micah tied one end of the rope to the top of the
Jesus Wept
, then tossed the rope to Roland, who tied the other end to a ring welded near the bottom of the
John Henry

"Try it, Paul," Micah said. "Back away nice and easy."

Again, halos of dust appeared, above the craft at first, then when the
John Henry
lifted, below the craft. The
John Henry
hovered just a little higher than the
Jesus Wept and
then moved back, the rope pulled to its full length and then stretched taut. The
Jesus Wept
remained stuck.

"Stop, Paul!" Micah's voice came over the radio. "We don't want to break the rope." Then to Roland, "Let's try and loosen it."

Roland helped Micah pull rocks out from beneath the ship and out of the path they intended to pull it along. When they had removed what they could, Micah retrieved the pipe while Roland pounded on the ship again. There was no reply.

"He's not answering," Roland said grimly.

Roland's oxygen indicator suddenly switched from green to yellow.

"Up here, Roland."

Micah was halfway up the crater, wedging the pipe between the ship and the wall. Roland started up, then paused, noticing Micah had no fulcrum. He selected the largest boulder he could manage and carried it up with him. Together they wedged the rock between the pipe and the crater wall.

"We're ready, Paul," Micah said. "Go slow and be ready to stop if I yell."

"Right," Paul said.

The
John Henry
moved off, tightening the rope. When it was taut Micah and Roland heaved on the pipe. Roland pushed with all his might,

his grunts broadcast to the world—the sphere moved, slowly at first, then suddenly the ship was dragged away from the wall.

"Hold it, Paul," Micah shouted. "That's far enough."

The
Jesus Wept
rocked slowly, settling into the dusty surface, clear of the crater wall but still tilted.

"Shelly, can you dock it at that angle?" Micah asked.

"It's too steep. The nose would bury into the ground."

Roland hopped to the pipe, carrying it to where the sphere rested. Micah worked a rock toward the sphere. Wedging the pipe under the craft again, they pushed down on the lever, tilting the craft.

"Hold it, Roland, I'll get something to wedge it with."

As Roland held the pipe, a warning beep sounded in his helmet. His suit had switched to the reserve system—he had fifteen minutes of oxygen left.

Micah pushed a rock under the craft to hold it upright. The sphere was close to vertical but slightly tilted, threatening to roll off the rock. Sweating in their suits, they moved the pipe and its rock fulcrum, lifting the craft again and pushing another rock under. This time the ship remained stable. Even with the light gravity, Roland had to fight his suit for every movement, and he was nearing exhaustion, a yellow light blinking furiously in his visor.

"All right, Shelly," Micah said. "You should be able to dock now."

"Get back inside," Shelly ordered.

"We might need to adjust the angle. We'd better stay," Micah said.

"Bob says you're low on oxygen," Shelly said.

"It will be close, but—"

"Micah, Glen may already be dead. I don't want to lose you too."

Micah hesitated, then motioned to Roland and they hopped back to the
God's Love and
up the ramp. Dropping the ramp out the back, the hatch was secured.

"Hang on," Shelly warned. "We're taking the gravity down to zero."

As the gravity faded, they hurried to the remaining rail. Soon the only force holding them to the floor was the vertical lift. Then Roland's stomach flip-flopped and he was pushed toward the rear wall. Weightlessness returned. Micah pulled himself to the interior bulkhead and studied the gauges. Suddenly Roland's oxygen indicator changed to red, a warning buzzer sounding.

"Micah, I've got a problem here."

"I'm out of oxygen too," Micah said, panting.

Trying to stay calm, Roland listened to Shelly talk with Bob and Gus as

they brought the ship over the
Jesus Wept
. His breathing deepened with each gasp. Then Micah released his grip and floated off the floor.

"Micah? Micah, are you all right?"

Roland pulled himself forward, snagging Micah's foot.

"Shelly, Micah has passed out."

Bob replied, "Get his helmet off, there's no oxygen left in his suit."

"What about the pressure?" Roland asked.

"There's enough."

Roland pulled Micah down but couldn't hold him and release his helmet at the same time. After three tries he neared panic. He was panting now and light-headed. He reached for Micah's helmet again but the light began to fade from his eyes—he was suffocating. Now he clawed at his own helmet, reaching behind for the release. Suddenly he was blown back, sailing across the hold, smacking into the back wall. He bounced, drifting toward the middle. Then he saw a bright spear of light—the door was opening. Christy shot through the door, hitting him in the chest. They floated to the corner, Roland barely conscious, hyperventilating, only dimly aware of her legs wrapped around him, riding him like a horse. Then there was a gush of air and the sweet taste of oxygen.

When he opened his eyes Christy was there, looking concerned. He smiled at her and she smiled back. He tried to sit up.

"Hold still a minute," she said.

"What about Micah?"

"Gus is with him. He's sitting up."

Now Roland relaxed. After a minute Christy released him and helped him out of his suit. Micah was getting out of his, Gus doing most of the work. "What happened to the moon's gravity?" Roland asked.

Gus answered as he worked with Micah. "They have to be particularly careful with the
Jesus Wept
on the surface. The docking mechanism isn't designed for the potential stress, so Shelly is trying to duplicate zero gravity conditions."

Micah was holding his head now, clearly in agony. Then he looked at Gus.

"Let's get to the docking ring," Micah said.

Gus helped Micah from handhold to handhold toward the door. Christy steadied Roland, who was dizzy. The docking ring was welded into the floor of the lowest deck. Once there, Micah turned on a monitor. Roland was surprised to see the ships weren't docked yet—the sphere approaching at a snail's pace.

"Shouldn't we be hurrying?" Roland asked.

"We don't have an automated docking system," Gus said. "Shelly is flying the ship by hand and if she hits it wrong she could damage the docking mechanism. We'd never get Glen out then."

"Gus, I don't trust the video," Shelly said over the speaker. "Can you see the alignment through the viewer?"

Gus pulled himself to the floor and unscrewed a metal cap exposing an eyepiece. After a minute he said, "Looks good, Shelly. Almost there, almost there . . ."

With a metallic vibration the ships were mated. Quickly Gus cranked the locking mechanism. A green light lit.

"We've got a green, Shelly. Pressurizing."

The pump worked at an agonizing pace, but then the pressure indicator turned green. Gus released the hatch and pulled it open. He dove headfirst down the tunnel, working the hatch on the
Jesus Wept
.

"I've got it," Gus shouted. "I'm opening the hatch."

Gus yelped as smoke billowed out of the tunnel. Micah grabbed Gus's feet and pulled him back out. Gus's face was black with soot and his eyes runny.

Now Roland pulled himself down the tunnel into the black hole that was the sphere. The smoke was still thick, but dissipating, spreading through the
God's Love
. His eyes teared and his throat burned. Holding his breath he felt around the interior, contacting a chair—empty. He pulled himself fully into the sphere. Pressing his face to the floor, he breathed through the fabric of his sleeve. It made a poor filter and his lungs burned. After a racking cough he held his breath again and looked around. The air was cleaner at the bottom and he could see through the gloom. Glen lay on one side of the sphere wearing an oxygen mask. The skin on one side of Gus's face was blistered and black.

Roland wedged his feet under a chair, then lifted Glen. Weightless, the limp form moved slowly at first, then picked up momentum. Roland had to breathe again, sucking in the foul air of the sphere. Coughing uncontrollably, he pushed Glen as high as he could. Suddenly arms appeared, pulling Glen into the
God's Love
, Roland sank to the floor, searching for cleaner air—he continued to cough. Body racked by coughing, he managed to stand and he was grabbed and dragged up the tunnel. The hatch was slammed behind him and sealed. He hung on to the wall clearing his lungs with deep, painful coughs.

"We've got him, Shelly," Gus yelled. "He's alive."

"Thank God," Shelly said. "Hang on, we're taking off."

The ship lifted and they were pressed to the floor. Glen's face mask was removed, revealing the extent of his burns. His right ear was nearly gone, and the burn spread down his neck into his suit. Piece by piece they removed his clothes, finding the burn down his shoulder and onto his back. In places the charred clothes and skin were melded together in one indistinguishable mass. Christy worked tenderly, peeling off the clothes, exposing the wound. A doctor was contacted on Earth and directed the exam over a video link. Christy used a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff with some expertise. Glen's respiration was shallow, his blood pressure dangerously low. The doctor warned against medicating for pain until he woke, since it would further depress his breathing and blood pressure.

Roland watched from a perch high on the wall, impressed with Christy's tenderness and fortitude. Nothing is as horrifying as third-degree burns. The burns were washed with pads soaked in sterile water but left uncovered since the gauze would only mat into the wound. The doctor ordered intravenous fluids but they needed gravity for that. Roland helped move Glen to the next compartment, then found a monitor showing the
John Henry
closing on the other docking ring. Once again the ships came together at a painfully slow rate. Only when Paul was out of the ship did gravity return.

Under the doctor's direction, Christy established an intravenous line and they hung a bottle of saline solution. There was nothing else to be done then. The others fell to prayer, sometimes praying silently, sometimes out loud. The prayers were for Glen's healing and for his wife and children back on Earth. Praying did nothing for Roland and he knew it couldn't help Glen.

Christy left to change clothes while the others continued praying. When she was gone Micah repeated the medical exam, checking pulse and blood pressure and recording the time and result. Then he pulled a small flashlight from his pocket and checked pupil response. Then he prayed with the others until Christy returned.

Soon Micah left for the bridge, stopping for two pain pills from the medical kit on the way. Roland followed Micah. Bob was at his station and Shelly was talking with Sandy on New Hope station when Micah slid into the seat next to her. Micah buckled in, so Roland gripped the back of Bob's chair expecting something to happen immediately—it didn't. Shelly called Gus to the bridge.

The
God's Love
was leaving orbit early and they needed to update orbital positions and feed these to the computer. Once the relative positions of the moon and Earth were established they were ready to plot a course and leave

orbit. When Bob asked for the speed to complete the calculations for return to Earth, the pilots were silent. After Micah and Shelly exchanged glances, Paul was called to the bridge. Then Shelly turned to Roland.

"Roland, would you
go
down and check on Glen? We need a little privacy before we leave orbit."

"I'd be willing to keep anything I heard off the record," he offered.

"It will only be a few minutes."

Reluctantly, Roland left, passing Paul on the way out. He rejoined Christy, who was listening to Wyatt Powder on a monitor.