The virgin & the bad boy (Gravity)

B2/Chapter 2/In England's green & pleasant land

I felt weird when I came to. I could hear my breath. I was floating.  I open my eyes it took me a moment to realise. It was bright. I wasn't dead I was in space.

"Madam is awake" sent Kentro over a radio connection. "I am afraid I must once again inform madam very rapidly."

I looked around. I realised I was in a spacesuit. A thin one. This was the kind you used on the surface of Mars but I was definitely not on the surface. I looked around I could see Kentro. I was sitting on some pilot seat. Around me was the sublime brilliance of a starry night but with everything pinpoint sharp. I turned to my left and saw the huge rusted red and orange ball which I called home. I was orbiting Mars. Home. Looking around further I could see space debris. Chunks of tank and frame everywhere. Looking back the pilot seat I was sitting on was attached to a huge piece of hull.

"I was able to steal the craft and bring you home." Kentro began "We have arrived successfully in Martian orbit. My original plan was that you would be rescued from orbit by Martian forces.

Unfortunately Mars is partly invaded by earth military.. Our ship was fired upon. We only have one viable plan. Your oxygen will only last the next 45 minutes. We will have two use the shielding on this fragment as the heat shield then land on the planet. Don't worry I have a parachute."

I look at him. I was sitting on a chair with its back against a piece of heat shield which had been blown away from the larger ship. Kentro had a couple of manoeuvring backpacks. And suggesting we re-entered practically naked.

"Are you fucking MAD?" I shouted.

"I'm sorry madam. Your life is in immediate danger. This is a course of action with the optimal probability of survival"

"Really? What's the probability?" I said

"What's the probability ? Are you sure you want to know? " said KEntro

"What's the fucking probability?" I said.

"Greater than 20%" said Kentro. "I'm sorry I cannot discuss this any longer I will be with you all the way. Orbital dynamics suggest I need to initiate retro firing in 40 seconds." He turned as cameras in a different direction.

"is it appears another rocket is on its way to destroy any large debris" said Kentro.

Kentro through one of the packs that was attached two straps wrapped around the pilots. fragment the pilot chair was attached to.

"5..4..3..2..1. Ignition" he said calmly.

"I've done some dumb things doing Marcor. This is dumber than any of them" I said. 

The backpack shot up into the air ( well space) above us. I could see the blue flame as the propellant started to come out angled to left and right. The strap which attached the pack to my chair became taught. Soon I felt the tug as it began to pull Kentro and I from the wreckage. The first backpack ran out. Then the second backpack went up. We were getting further away from the wreckage when there was a sudden explosion. Kentro threw himself over me to protect me.

The second pack lasted longer than the first and carried on. A piece of wreckage I was strapped to slowly rotated allowing me to see part of the nightside. I thought I spotted the lights from First footprint city glowing in the dark side. I thought I would never be so glad to see the craters and the landscape below. For a moment I realised How big Mars really was.

"We should begin atmospheric entry in three two... one... now" said Kentro.

Nothing happened.

"I'm going to burn up in the atmosphere arn't" I said.