Servant of the Siphen

Part 9

Caroline and Erica were almost out of time.

The shuttle was sliding deeper and pitching forward as the ground loosened and gave way.  Each sickening lurch seemed to bring them closer to doom.

There were tears tracking down Erica's cheeks.  She turned to Caroline and with a quavering voice, she said, "I don't wanna die!"

"Take my hand!" Caroline said, extending her right hand towards Erica.

Erica took her hand, still looking frightened.

Caroline gave Erica's hand a squeeze.  "We're not going to die.  We're going to make it through this, somehow.  I'm not giving up, so neither should you.  Now get strapped in."

They both secured themselves in the seats and Caroline closed her eyes again, not concentrating on a command or a feeling but on communicating with the shuttle on a primal, instinctual level, some sort of reflex action that would save their hides.

She pictured herself falling from a cliff, feeling the air rush through her hair and the ground rushing up to meet her.  She needed to fly, to soar.

The engines roared to life, lifting the shuttle out of its precarious position and hurtling up through the collapsing hole. It was a bumpy ride, and they were jostled in their seats, but eventually the rough shuddering gave way to smooth ascent.

As Caroline gazed out of the cockpit she saw clouds and blue sky. She gave a triumphant grin. "Yes! We're alive!"

"Maybe we should put this thing down though, just in case," Erica said, remaining doubtful of the shuttle's flight status.

Caroline thumbed the comm. "Trueman to Brown, we're still here."

"Yes, we saw. Had us all worried, though."

"We're going to find somewhere safer to put down, is everyone down there all right?"

"We're fine for the most part. Isamura is all worn out from the magic show, though."

Caroline used the shuttle's sensors to locate a landing site and relayed the co-ordinates over the comm. "We'll see you there. Trueman out."

She glanced over at Erica, who was studying the console in front of her intently. "You look like you've found something interesting."

"Hmm? Oh, I was looking for some sign of the override command in the shuttle's computer. But I can't find anything."

"I don't think you will.  There are some things which you can't record, you just have to imagine."

"I'll take your word for it."

The shuttle touched down at the landing site and Caroline powered down the engines again. She let out a relieved sigh and unfastened the seat straps. "I don't know about you but I could really use some fresh air," she said.

"Sounds good to me!"

They headed back to the rear of the shuttle and opened the hatch. Outside was a grassy clearing with bright flowers growing on tall stems, swaying slightly in the breeze.

"You sure can pick a good spot to land," Erica said, skipping ahead of Caroline and looking around at the natural beauty that surrounded them.

"I just went for the nearest flat strip of land," Caroline replied with a shrug, "but I'm glad you like it."

Erica turned around and grinned at her. "It's lovely!"

Caroline's eyes were taking in a different kind of beauty. The sun shone down and illuminated Erica's fair hair and her bright smile. Her relaxed posture was a contrast to the scared woman from the cockpit.