Artificial Earth

                                 

                                 22

       BOB WAS HUNCHED BEHIND THE REAR END of the News Van working as fast as he could to fix the tire. The wind was blowing so hard now that keeping his eyes open took a lot of effort, even the rain was moving sideways. Andy, pointing his flashlight on the tire was desperately doing his best to assist Bob while Sarah stood next to them, squinting, looking in horror at the fast approaching Twister.
       "Oh my God, Oh my God...please...please..." Sarah whimpered.
        "Hurry Bob!" Andy shouted.
         "Just a little more..." Bob said out loud.
         "Bob!" Andy shouted again.
          "Come on....just a little more..." Bob said, tightly fastening the bolts.
           "Please hurry...please...." Sarah pleaded,  biting her lip, causing it to bleed.
            Debris started coming their way, a huge trash can rolled past them, barely missing the van. Up ahead, about one hundred feet from them and getting closer by the second,  was the gigantic deadly black whirling cloud, destroying and uprooting everything in it's path.
         "Ok we're done!" Bob yelled back, standing up. "Go! Get inside!" he yelled, picking up the tools and leaving the other tire.
          Bob sprinted to the drivers side of the van, Sarah got in her side, Andy was opening his side of the van when a branch the size of a mans arm flew towards him like a boomerang, hitting him on the head, knocking him out.
        "Andy!" Bob cried out, looking at the rear view mirror. "Sarah! Get Andy in the van!" he added, turning the ignition key.
          Sarah got out the van to get Andy who was lying on the ground unconscious, the whirling black mass was now ninety feet from them.
          "I can't pull him in! He's too heavy!" Sarah shrieked over the noise of wind and rain, tugging Andy's jacket.
           Bob got out of the van and sprinted over to help Sarah get Andy inside. The Twister was now eighty feet from them.
           "Get inside, I'll hold him up, you pull him in!" Bob hollered, reaching forward, holding Andy underneath his shoulders.
            "Okay!" Sarah replied, getting inside.
             "Pull Sarah!" Bob cried out, yanking Andy up.
              Sarah pulled Andy as hard as she possibly could while Bob hoisted Andy's lower half in. The Twister was now seventy feet from them.
          Another projectile flew a few inches above Bobs head, like a missile. After getting Andy inside, Bob closed the door of the van and hurried towards the drivers side.
He hopped in and turned the ignition switch again....nothing. The Twister was now sixty feet from them.
         He tried it again......nothing.
             "Come on.." Bob said, trying it again....nothing.
              Fifty feet...
           Sarah all drenched, checked Andy's pulse then sat up front beside Bob.   "Andy's alive but unconscious." Sarah said, now looking ahead at the deadly whirlwind. "Let's go!" she shrieked, eyes bulging.
          "Engine won't start..."
           "Oh my God...Oh my God.."
            "Come on..." Bob said, trying it again.
            Forty feet...
            Right now the van was slowly inching backwards, being pushed by the tremendous force of the wind. Small rocks started falling on top of the van making clanking noises.
            "We're going to die...Oh my God...no.....no....please.." Sarah whimpered, tears falling down her cheeks, closing her eyes as if in prayer.
            "Come on....damn it!" Bob swore, trying the ignition again. Finally, the engine roared to life. Sarah opened her eyes upon hearing the engine working.
            Thirty feet...
         "Go...go....go....go!!!" Sarah exclaimed.
          Bob stepped on the gas and the van accelerated, moving in reverse. He then steered the wheel  all the way to the left, shifting gear without stopping then pushed the pedal to the floor, making the van shoot out like a bullet.
        "It's gaining on us!" Sarah exclaimed, looking at the side view mirror.
         "Get the map, it's inside the glove compartment!" Bob ordered, looking straight ahead.
          Sarah opened the glove compartment. Inside were reciepts, bills, her purse, a map and a gun with extra cartridges. She took out the map and held it in front of her.
          "What am I looking for?" Sarah asked in a panicked voice.
           "Your looking for any alternate road on route eleven! We can't go around the thing and we can't head back..judging by it's tail, twister's gonna swing from left to right...If we turn left we'll get caught up in it..Our best chance is to get ahead of it, turn right!..." Bob pointed out.
          "Okay....wait..." Sarah said, frantically looking at the map.

---------------------------------------------------------

         THE BLACK VAN SPED IN FRONT OF THE ARGONAUT. Route eleven stretched out before them, trees lined up from both sides flew past them, creating an illusion of solid wooden walls on both sides of the van. Jasper pressed a digit on the panel in front of him, green light flashed on the screen indicating that the communication line was on, the word connecting appeared on top of the display. He took the headset from it's cradle and wore it over his head, adjusting the mic, placing it in front of his mouth. The green light on the screen turned red, indicating the connection failed, he tried again, green light flashed on the screen and the word connecting reappeared. Two minutes after, the screen flashed yellow connecting him over the recievers end.
        "Argonaut, this is the "Hammer" do you copy?" Jasper said, looking at the road ahead.
         Static...
          "Argonaut, I repeat, this is the Hammer...Do you copy?"
          "This is Abby...Who's Hammer?"
           Jasper sighed. "Hammer's the name of our van....You're supposed to say... "This is the Argonaut..Copy that."
            "Oh...Ummm...Okay...This is the Argonaut...Copy."
              Jasper smiled and shook his head, Matt glanced sideways at Jasper, Hedges and Brian stiffled laughter.
              "Argonaut...What's your status? Over..." Jasper asked, still smiling.
                "Hey Grey...Ummn...What's our status?" Abby asked Grey.
              "I don't know..." Grey replied.
               "Hey Conner... What's our status?" Abby asked Conner, her voice trailing over the other end of the line.
            "I don't know.." Conner said. Jasper, Matt, Hedges and Brian burst out laughing.
                "What's so funny?" Abby asked.
                "You're...funny..." Jasper said, laughing again, the boys inside the Hammer laughing with him.
                 Inside the Argonaut, Abby turned red, embarassed and furious at the same time. Grey and Conner also laughed, both received murderous looks from Abby, instantly cutting their laughter.
                "Okay hotshot, I give...What did you meant when you said "Status?"
                 This time, uncontrolable laughter rang out over the Hammer and the Argonaut, including everyone on board minus Bone. The whole conversation was on loud speakers.
            "Jasper....The minute I get off this truck I'm going to..." Abby was saying.
            Static
           Connection Terminated
            Abby stared at the screen
           "Hammer...Hammer?...Are you there?" Abby asked, waiting for a reply.
            Suddenly, everyone on board the Argonaut laughed. Abby sat staring at the panel in front of her.
            "When I get my hands on you Jasper.....Uhgh!" Abby said, her voice trailing off.

On board the Hammer, Jasper was still laughing, placing the headphone back to it's cradle.
"Why did you terminate the connection?" Matt asked, amused.
"Because I wouldn't be able to stop laughing....Professor's probably furious by now....don't want to push her further." Jasper explained, smiling.
"And..What did you meant when you said "status?"
"I was asking if she was still
available...." Jasper said.
Everyone inside the van laughed, including Jasper.
         
         Inside the communication center of the Argonaut, a red button was flashing consistently and unnoticed, indicating Tornado warning up ahead. Peter and Allan were sitting with their backs facing the console drinking coffee, still laughing after listening in on Jasper and Abby's conversation.