A Step Beyond (39 page)

“Cut it free!”

They slashed at the ropes with their utility knives. A liberated edge snapped at them. Watchful of the rope, they circled the rover and cut the remaining ties. The tarp lifted into the air, causing them to shrink back. It hovered above their heads, then flapped like a giant manta ray before disappearing into the storm.

“Takashi, I want you in back,” Komarov said. The rover, an open-air buggy, was designed to seat two, and in their space suits it was impossible to squeeze three up front. Satomura was to sit upon the aft chassis, where they normally stored equipment and supplies and which was now vacant since they had not planned on using the rover during the final week of their stay. With Tatiana’s aid, Satomura lifted himself onto the back of the rover.

“Tie me in,” he said, and retracted his helmet turtlelike into the safety of his tarp.

Komarov grinned as the control console lit up, and a green bar extending its full length indicated the batteries were fully charged. He initiated the self-test. Tatiana strapped herself in next to him. To Komarov’s relief, all systems were operational. He knew, however, that this would at best be short-lived. The high-gain antenna, Tatiana had predicted, would probably be the first to go, for it was shaped like an inverted umbrella. In these winds she gave it less than ten minutes, which was five minutes longer than Satomura’s dire prediction.

They were both wrong. A strong gust snapped off the antenna less than thirty seconds after Komarov had sent the signal to open it. With sinking hearts they watched the antenna tumble across the surface. When it disappeared they glanced at the low-gain, a tin can-like contraption fixed to a short rod. It appeared unaffected by the wind.

“Are you there, Al?” Komarov asked
“Can hear you loud and clear.”

“We lost the high-gain.”

“Are you surprised?”

Carter’s flippant response annoyed Komarov. “We’re going to have to reduce navigational traffic.”

“Just point that thing northwest and step on it.”

They both knew it was not that simple. Because of the low visibility, Komarov would have to rely on computer-generated topographicals to avoid the pits and crevices that lay between him and the backup lander. The onboard computer did not have sufficient storage to hold the data. If the low-gain failed, he would have to reduce his speed to a crawl, which meant they would never make the window. He touched the switch to activate the navigational systems. A top-down view of a three-dimensional map appeared. It contained the entire mesa. He keyed in the coordinates of the lander and requested the optimal path after altering the parameters to favor speed over safety. By the change in Tatiana’s breathing, he knew that she was not fully behind this move, but she said nothing.

A tortuous and jagged path appeared between the two landers. He frowned. They would have to travel farther east than he had anticipated. He reduced the safety parameter, and the neon line snapped to a much straighter path. He was pleased with the output, and Tatiana was still quiet. They would arrive with nearly two hours to spare, which was the cushion he figured they needed.

He glanced up at the cones in the dust formed by the rover’s headlights. The visibility was ten meters at best. He increased the magnification until only the first fifty meters of the path was displayed on the screen. The rover leapt forward as he pressed down on the accelerator, then bounced seconds later as it hit its first rock.

“Easy,” Tatiana cautioned.

“I didn’t see it,” Komarov explained, as the force of the rover turning pressed her next to him. She grabbed on to the control panel to maintain her balance. “Time is of the essence,” he offered in explanation. “You still back there, Takashi?”

“A warning would be appreciated.”

He ignored the reply and pressed forward full speed into the storm. The ground was barely visible, and it took his entire concentration to miss the rocks that appeared suddenly before him. Tatiana was watching the navigational screen and gave instructions whenever he veered off course. After a while he slowed down a bit, his nerves on edge. The wind was blowing hard, with gusts as high as four hundred kilometers per hour, which raised the sand and made it even more difficult for him to see.

The rover bounced over a small crevice, and a shrill, pained yelp sounded inside their helmets. Komarov brought the rover to a stop. “What happened?” he inquired, attempting to look back at Satomura.

The impact had driven a collection bag sharply into Satomura’s lower back. He had not been allowed to carry the many bags of samples he had adamantly declared were indispensable to his research. His collection had been reduced to the three bags he had secured to his suit and the one he had slipped surreptitiously through its neck, which was now lodged painfully against his lower lumbar.

“Something struck me in the back. You could be more careful.” “How are we doing on time?” Komarov demanded of Tatiana.

“We’re ten minutes ahead of schedule.”

Komarov surveyed his surroundings, but he was immediately disappointed, for all he could see was swirling dust. The wall of a mountain or the steep drop of a precipice could be less than a meter away, and he would not see it. He decided to proceed at a slower pace. The navigational screen showed that they had traveled thirty kilometers. Clouds of dust blew past him, and, occasionally, as the storm waned, he could make out a boulder in the distance.

“Get the hell out of there!” Carter ordered sharply. “You’ve got tornadoes forming east of you.”

Komarov did not wait to ask questions. He slammed his foot on the accelerator. Tatiana was thrust back into her chair, and Satomura would have flown off the back had he not been tied to the chassis. He yelped in pain.

“Hold on,” Komarov shouted belatedly. “How far east?”

“Six hundred meters.” They looked to the east, but the dust was too thick for them to see the tornadoes.

“We’re never going to make it.” Tatiana’s voice was filled with despair.

“Shut up,” Komarov demanded. “Drop the safety factor to one. I want the fastest route to the lander.”

Tatiana punched in the necessary commands. The neon path snapped almost to a straight line, and Komarov turned sharply to follow the new course. The rover was pushing its maximum speed of thirty-nine kilometers per hour. Komarov could feel sweat building on his brow.

“Watch out!” Tatiana shouted.

It was a large boulder, nearly the size of the rover, and it was less than two meters in front of them. Komarov realized that he could not stop in time so he turned the wheel sharply. The front end of the rover swerved past, but the back end lost traction and slammed hard into the rock. Komarov regained control of the rover and continued onward at the same speed, not willing to slow down with the tornadoes so near.

“That was close,” he said.

His comment was followed by an unexpected silence. Fearful, he slowed the vehicle and turned to look at Tatiana. To his relief she was still there. But she was not moving, and her head was cocked slightly back, and for a moment he feared she was dead. He was about to stop the rover when he heard her voice.

“Takashi,” she whispered.

They both waited, but there was no reply.

“Takashi,” she repeated with growing panic, this time much louder.

“Yes?” It was Takashi, and he sounded irritated.

“You frightened me,” she said.

“I find that hard to believe. Dmitri is the one driving.”

“You better keep moving,” Carter warned.

“Where are they now?” Komarov asked, increasing his speed.

“Four hundred meters and heading straight for you,” Carter replied. “If you can maintain your present speed, they may just miss you. Whatever you do, don’t stop.”

“Keep a close lookout,” Komarov said tensely.

“I can’t see a fucking thing,” Tatiana replied.

Komarov drove as quickly as he could. Carter announced that one of the tornadoes had dissipated, but that the other two were still on a direct collision course. It was Satomura who saw them first. The winds had died down somewhat, and for the first time since they emerged from their lander the sky was almost visible. The relative calm was more frightening than the storm itself. At the edge of the storm, visibility now nearly half a kilometer, a swirling tower danced into view. Its path was erratic, but by its increasing size, he knew it was getting closer. Nearly a minute passed before he said anything.

“It is in view,” he finally uttered.

Tatiana, who was no longer needed for guidance, turned in her seat to see the tornado. The sight left her speechless.

“How far is it?” Komarov asked.

“Three hundred meters, maybe less,” Satomura replied. “The rover won’t go any faster.”

Tatiana, pointing in the direction of the tornado, finally managed to speak after several false starts.

“I see the other one,” she gasped.

Satomura saw it, too. It was faint, behind the first, but rapidly approaching. The tornadoes grew larger with each passing second. The first tornado was now only two hundred meters away and dominated the sky. “Faster,” Tatiana pleaded. It towered over their heads, and had become so large it blocked the other tornado from view. It twisted and twirled and roared, and they could barely hear Carter shouting at them to keep moving. Frozen in place, the tarp at his shoulders, Satomura stared with mouth agape. The tornado closed to fifty meters.

“Oh no,” Tatiana said with disbelief.

The second tornado emerged from behind the first and was heading for a point directly in front of them.

“Stop!” she shrieked. She closed her eyes and pressed her head between her knees.

Komarov obeyed the command and turned to see what had provoked Tatiana’s outburst. He stopped breathing. His throat went dry. The tips of the tornadoes were twisting madly across the planet’s surface, sucking up sand and rock. He witnessed a boulder half the size of the rover disappear and several others being ejected like cannon shot. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around Tatiana in an attempt to protect her.

The tornado at the rear of the rover turned sharply and headed southward. Satomura felt his bowels loosen as it disappeared into the storm. But the second tornado held its course. At its closest point Komarov closed his eyes and wondered if this was how he was going to die. The tornado passed within fifteen westward. Carter was asking for their status. Several minutes passed before Komarov replied.

“Any more of those?” he asked apprehensively.

“Nothing on the maps.”

“I certainly hope not.” He stood up to survey the rover and his surroundings while the winds were weak. Tatiana still had her head in her knees. He placed a comforting hand on her back, but she did not react. He noticed that the low-gain antenna was still attached. “It’ll be all right,” he said. “Takashi, any damage?”

“None that I can see.”

“You holding up all right?” he asked. She did not reply. It sounded as if she were having trouble breathing. “Why don’t you switch positions with Takashi.”

Her body stiffened, and for a moment he was fearful of what she might do. She lifted her head. Her face was drained of color, her eyes red and filled with tears, her lips trembling.

“Yes,” she said. “I could use the rest.”

The winds were picking up, and Komarov encouraged them to move quickly. But they had to untie the rope that bound Satomura to the rover, and retie it for Tatiana. By the time Satomura finally managed to sit down next to Komarov, the storm was in full fury.

“Only thirty more kilometers,” Komarov informed his new copilot.

Satomura was staring wide-eyed into the storm, wondering how Tatiana had managed to see anything beyond the tips of her fingers.

S
atomura’s directions were quick and accurate, and were the only words spoken as they made their way across the mesa. Small crevices posed the greatest danger—they were more difficult to make out—and occasionally the rover would strike one and sink unexpectedly with a crash that jarred their spines.

They were approximately four kilometers from the lander when the rover broke down. The diagnostic program was unable to identify the cause. They clambered off to see if they could locate the problem, but did so without much hope. The gears were caked in sand. In many places the sand was so densely packed that they were able to scrape only a small bit away. After fifteen minutes, Komarov declared the effort futile.

“We’ll have to go it on foot,” he said. The three were huddled in a tight circle, their backs braced against the wind. “It should take us about an hour. Tatiana, I want you in the middle. Any questions?”

They shook their heads. To make for the lander was their only option. Komarov examined them through their darkened helmets. Tatiana’s hair was damp and matted against her forehead. Her eyes met his. They were tired, but determined. He could see though that she still blamed him for their predicament. Satomura appeared not to care, and Komarov wondered if he was still upset about his rocks. It took several minutes to secure the rope between them.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“Yes, of course,” Satomura replied.

A silver arrow on Komarov’s heads-up display indicated the direction he was to take, and a number under the arrow gave the distance in meters. It was not as informative as the navigational console on the rover, but it was sufficient. He kept his eyes on the ground just before his feet. He moved quickly. The wind, with the exception of the more forceful gusts, was not strong enough to hinder his movement. The danger lay mostly in his inability to make out his surroundings. Occasionally, the rope tied around his waist would pull him back, and he would turn to investigate and would find Tatiana off to one side attempting to regain her balance. She was growing tired. Komarov was the only one who spoke as they walked, and he did so only to warn them of a hazard he had spotted. He was glad they were not heading directly into the wind and wondered how far they would have made it without the tarps. After two and a half kilometers Tatiana requested that they stop to rest, but Komarov convinced her to go farther. He was concerned about the time they had lost.