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Chapter 59 (revised)

Chapter 59

February 3rd, 2158 (station time)

Logan woke from sleep groggy and confused.  His head and muscles ached reminding him that something terrible had happened, but that he had lived though it.  Memories from the avalanche came flooding back and hurt his head as they all screamed for attention.

The avalanche, it had happened so fast, there was no way that everyone could have gotten out.  He then remembered bits and peaces of scrambling up the ridge.  Then having a text conversation with Mike.  He sat up quickly which made his head hurt even more.

Mike should have found him, and he was probably here with him now.  The blanket that fell off of him as he sat up confirmed that Mike had found him.

"Oh, hey slow down," came Josh's voice next to him.

"Oh, Josh... made it," Logan said stupidly.  He regretted speaking because each syllable muttered made his head throb.  His mind was still clouded, and he was frustrated with not being able to properly communicate.

"Just lay back down and relax," Josh said.  His tone was missing the lightheartedness that it normally carried.

Logan lay down and tried to will his mind to work the way he wanted it to.  After some considerable concentration he was able to form a question.  "What happened?"

"Well," Josh let out a dry sarcastic chuckle.  "Once I realized that there was an avalanche I turned and began to run down hill.  As I was running I noticed you went up the ridge.  I decided that that was probably better than what I was doing.  When I turned to go up the ridge I found a slope that had rough terrain and that I would never be able to make it up to the top."

Josh took another breath before continuing, "I made it a third of the way up the ridge when I was hit by a small rock in the back.  Or maybe it was several small rocks."  Josh paused as he turned his head as if he were trying to look at his own back.

"Anyway, it knocked me down, and I thought I was dead.  Luckily for me about thirty meters up hill from where I was laying a large boulder was funneling most of the rockslide away from my position.  I got back up and moved a little farther up the slope before I took shelter behind another boulder."

Josh paused for one more breath, "the rocks that were hitting me were simply the lighter rocks that momentum carried over the first rock and became airborne.  I'm all bruised up, but no lasting harm.  How about you what happened to you?"

"You said it yourself," Logan started, "I turned and ran up the ridge.  Once I made it to the top, I..." Logan paused trying to remember the details.  "I received a message from Mike, and I responded.  Then I must have passed out or fallen asleep."

"Ha," Josh laughed, "When we found you, you were face down in a puddle of your own vomit."

Logan suddenly realized he had a slight lingering taste of bile in his mouth.  He felt embarrassed to have been found in such a compromising way.

"We?  You and Mike?" Logan inquired.

"Yeah, he found me shortly after the avalanche.  After he found me he began to send out messages to everyone in hopes that he and Nassor could find all of the survivors."

"Are there other survivors?"  Logan relished the small feeling of hope.

"I don't know," Josh said cautiously.  "We received your message.  As well as a weak electrical signal that was probably from a DNAC but too far away to get anything more than Mike's mech reading a weak radio wave spike."

There was a pause in the conversation as Logan allowed the information to roll around inside his head.

"And that is were Mike is now?  Looking for the source of that signal?"  Logan asked.