Earth's Last Angel (3 page)

As Sheona arrives from stacking up the cylinders of ice from the previous hole, Bill picks up the cylinder of ice and carefully prises it open to reveal a hotdog size, sapphire blue, pulsating crystal.

He holds it out to Sheona. ‘What the hell is this Sheona? It's beautiful!' handing it to her gently.

‘I've no idea, Bill. It's obviously a crystal of some sort, check out the fine, smoky mist that swirls around it. Let's take it back to the P V and see if we can get a molecular ID on it, the geo sampler should be able to ID it for us.'

‘OK let's do it now, I want to know what the hell this is!' exclaims an excited Bill.

Sheona gingerly carries the strange, pulsating crystal towards the vessel with Bill by her side. They walk up the access ramp and move through the air-lock. As they clear and seal the airlock door, the entire ship suddenly blacks out. This is a full systems failure!

Bill hears a sudden explosive air shot as the air cannon activated, shooting the emergency distress beacon into space 2 kilometers above the stricken vessel. The beacon now sends a distress signal out into the darkness of space.

‘What the hell just happened? Bill…' concern in Sheona's voice.

‘I don't know…Sheona, check out the crystal! It's lighting up the whole dock, I think it's pulsing more quickly too. I'll check out the Boddington Reactor and find out what's going on with the power.'

Sheona stands in the dock, fully entranced by the crystal while Bill goes to check the reactor. After a short time Bill returns holding the now dead reactor in his hand.

‘The reactor is dead! This has never happened before. Let's go through to the biosphere and wait for the search and rescue team, maybe they will have a spare reactor on board.'

‘OK I'll bring this with us,' replies Sheona, holding out the strange, glowing crystal.

‘Yeah alright, at least it'll give us some light,' smiles an unsuspecting Bill.

They make their way through the rear dock into the biosphere via the bulkhead door that separates the two. Bill closes and seals the door.

Now in the biosphere, Sheona gently places the crystal on a small table that Bill has moved to the center of the biosphere floor.

Bill moves over to Sheona.

‘Turn your back to me and I'll unlock your helmet, then you can unlock mine.'

Sheona turns, Bill unlocks her helmet and she unlocks Bill's helmet.

‘Let's get this gear off and get into something more comfortable,' comments Bill.

Bill unseals his helmet, quickly followed by Sheona. As Bill takes off his helmet he is overcome by a sudden giddy feeling, as if he is intensely drunk. His helmet drops to the floor with a thud. He looks at Sheona. Through the growing haze, she seems to look like an angel, beautiful and glowing in a strange, brilliant radiance then everything starts spinning, and suddenly everything goes black.

Removing her helmet, Sheona too, is overcome by a sudden giddy feeling. Bill looks strange as he lays on the floor unconscious, the smoky mist from the crystal envelops him, embracing him. She finds it hard to focus her vision in the overpowering brightness as she starts to spin out, then everything fades out to black:

‘Croc…there is a class one emergency in progress. I have just picked up the distress signal from Prospecting Vessel 6098. Their location is asteroid SF 2986-12926-5628-00788.'

‘Thank you. Alert the rescue team and inform them I will be coming along with some luggage of my own,' instructs The Croc to the super bio-computer called Nolack-2.

‘At last the prophecy may be fulfilled! They may have found …staronium!' the Croc thinks excitedly.

He rushes off to prepare for this historic event. As he approaches the vault, he instructs Nolack-2 to open the door. The large thick door slides sideways into the wall, allowing the Croc to enter. He walks down the sweeping stairway to floor level and he selects a small chest approximately 1 m long by 50 cm wide and deep. Its walls and floor are 5 cm thick solid gold, as is its lid. On its lid are two golden Crocs standing up on hind legs. Facing each other, they are each 10 cm tall. A 20 cm tall golden pyramid stands between them. It is the Golden Ark of Promise.

The Croc attaches a thin anti-gravity belt around its girth. Using a small remote, the Croc activates the antigravity belt lifting the chest to a comfortable height off the floor, now the Croc can gently push it in front of him.

As the Croc approaches the ultra-high speed rescue cruiser with the Ark floating in front of him, the rescue team snaps to attention.

‘At ease squad, I will enter the stricken prospecting vessel first and alone.'

‘But sire!' counters the squad commander.

‘No buts! You will need to attend to the two crew members as soon as I call you to come aboard.'

‘But what if they are critical?'

‘I assure you they are quite alright, although unconscious.'

‘How can you be so sure, sire?'

‘Let's just say my source is totally reliable.'

‘As you wish, my liege,' replies the Commander bowing respectfully to the Croc.

‘I have a spare space suit for you as requested, and a spare Boddington reactor.'

‘Thank you, Commander!'

‘Let's mount up, people!' the Commander signals to prepare for launch.

On the journey out to stricken PV 6098, the Croc has time to get to know the crew of the rescue shuttle. In a very short time, everyone is relaxed and the Croc is able to feel like part of the crew, sharing some humor with them to pass the time.

‘Commander, we are picking up a signal requesting direct link communications, sir.' informs Alison the communications officer.

‘Thanks, Alison, patch them through to the conference room I'll take it there.'

‘I'll join you.' nods the Croc.

‘Commander…' A petite young female's face with her neck frill raised and pink with annoyance appears on screen, talking even as her image forms.

‘I hereby action our right to salvage the remains of PV 6098.under section six two five of the salvage act.' her face now hard and determined, her neck frill red and rigid.

‘We are nearing PV 6098 as we speak. We are on a rescue mission sanctioned by the Croc himself.'

‘I am commanding you! Do not approach PV 6098 and interfere with our salvage team, they will arrive in seven days.'

‘And just who do you think you are, young lady, to command me to do anything?' the rescue Commander, now seeing red, his neck frill fully erect and pulsating.

‘I am Matriarch Nerola of Borazik, outpost city number six. I am commander of this region of the outer rim.' her chin rises in defiance.

‘May I?'

‘Of course, my liege,' bows the commander, backing away to allow the Croc to move into view of the camera.

‘It has been a long time little one,' a gentle smile breaking on the Croc's face.

Now with only the top of her head visible on the screen she responds: ‘my liege, I had no idea!'

‘Nerola, how many years is it now?'

‘Too many, sire,' her arrogance suddenly replaced by humility.

‘I honor your rights of salvage. I will credit your account with the value of the salvage plus a little something extra. We, however, will salvage the vessel to determine if a design fault caused the demise of the vessel, and we will take care of the crew.'

The Commander starts to move forward to speak. The Croc's hand signal stops him.

‘But…?'

‘Commander…a moment please,' nodding to the screen.

‘Of course… sire,' giving the Croc a short bow he takes his leave.

‘Bill and Sheona Wallace are the registered owners of PV 6098 are they not?'

‘Yes, of course, my liege.'

‘They have found a sizable ice deposit and I'd like you to organize the harvest and extraction for me, Nerola. Can you handle a contract of this size?'

‘My team is amongst the best, sire! I would be honored to.'

‘I will organize payment from this end. You should make the trip to Sky Jewel… soon. Things have changed since you were last there.'

‘Much has changed, I'd like to catch up with you a….'

‘Sorry sire, we lost the signal on our approach,' Alison's voice comes through the comm's unit.

‘Dead ahead. Commander, only 26 clicks out now and closing fast, shutting down primary drive and switching to secondary thrusters, full reverse… now!'

The rescue shuttle rapidly slows down to a stop right over the top of PV 6098.

‘Initiating descent, I'll maneuver her as close as I can, Commander.'

‘As long as we are close enough to safely extract them I'll be happy with that Jez.'

‘OK extraction squad, suit up it's game on!'

Landing the rescue cruiser tail-to-tail with PV 6098, Jez manages to close the gap between them to a short 20 meter walk.

The first person down the ramp is the Croc, with the Ark of Promise floating in front of him. He disappears into the bowels of the stricken prospecting vessel with the Ark. He stops near the bulk head door, lowering the Ark to the floor, where he removes the antigravity belt and places it into a lead-lined pocket.

He then opens the bulkhead door to the biosphere and there, lying on the floor, are the two crew members. He checks their vital signs, all good, they are just in a deep sleep. He carefully fits their helmets back on, locking them in place. He drops their internal sun visor, locking it in position completely covering their faces, they are now ready to be transported.

Now his attention turns to the most beautiful sight he has ever seen. The foretold staronium isotope in its crystal form, its incredible nuclear power evident as it drained all of the prospecting vessel's nonorganic energy, and then used it to reconstruct Bill and Sheona's organic matter back to its prime. He gently picks up the staronium isotope. It feels about …5 kg in weight, and he carries it through to the ark on the other side of the bulkhead door. Carefully, he places it into the golden ark, and closes the heavy solid gold lid, sealing it off. The Croc then calls the rescue squad in as he reattaches the antigravity belt to the Ark.

The medic is first in. ‘How are they, sire?'

‘Sleeping peacefully, keep the sun shields down until we get them to the medical center,' he smiles in return.

‘I'll just bring up their vitals to their face shield display and keep an eye on them.'

The rest of the team arrives with two stretchers and the spare Boddington reactor.

‘Commander, I'll go plug this in and run a systems diagnosis,' holding up the Boddington reactor.

‘Good, thanks Jeff. We'll attend to these two.'

After a short time, the prospecting vessel comes back to life, lights flicker back on. up on the flight deck, screens jump back to life, with data streaming across them as Jeff checks through it all.

The Commander transfers the two crew members from PV 6098 to the rescue cruiser, ready for the return journey to Star Jewel.

Slowly the two ships lift off from the asteroid to start their journey home. Jez guides the rescue cruiser level with the still active emergency beacon. Using the tractor beam she collects the beacon, bringing it back to the cruiser, and drops it into a small storage pod. Now both ships blast off in the direction of Star Jewel, the capital city of the asteroid belt.

‘Rescue one…requesting permission to land on medi pad 001. This is a priority one flight.'

‘Star Jewel, flight control tower receiving. You are clear to land on medi-pad 001.'

Jez gently touches down the rescue cruiser as instructed. The access ramp lowers and two hover stretchers with Bill and Sheona on them move out across the landing pad to the large open access doors to the medical center. A team of doctors is waiting to receive the two patients.

A special isolation recovery room has been prepared for them. Their space suits are carefully removed, as well as their electro muscle suits and undergarments. They are given a wash and are redressed in a light, comfortable hospital coverall. 24 hour medical surveillance is ordered to watch over them. They sleep a deep, undisturbed sleep for a further three days.

Finally Bill's eyes flicker then snap open.

‘Where the hell, am I?' he thinks, looking up at the unfamiliar ceiling of the room.

‘What happened? I remember the angel that looked just like Sheona, and then I must have blacked out.' With a start he realizes he is lying in a hospital bed. Panic grips him. ‘Sheona…Sheona?' he yells as he struggles to sit up.

‘Hey…take it easy, big fella!' smiles the pretty young female sitting by his bed. She reaches over him, planting a solid kiss on his lips.

‘What the hell!' yells a shocked Bill, this cheeky little whippersnapper getting fresh with him, just wait till Sheona finds out! He'll be in deep you know what then!

As the young woman's face smiles down at him sudden realization starts to dawn on him, this is Sheona!

‘What the hell happened to you? You are young and gorgeous again! How did this happen?'

‘You are not bad looking yourself, little gecko!'

Now Bill knows it is definitely Sheona, no one else ever calls him little gecko! He grabs her and gives her a massive hug then he suddenly stops, he lets her go. Slowly he gets off the bed and makes his way into the bathroom to look into the full length mirror. As he does, color drains from his face he feels weak at the knees. A young, smiling male medic and Sheona stand behind him. In a trance, Bill drops the hospital gown to the floor. He slowly turns around on the spot, not quite believing what he is seeing. He has returned to a strong, young 20 something year old with all the scars and pain gone, and his neck frill and wrist frills back to their rich dark color.

‘This is incredible…how?' he whispers.

‘The Croc himself will be here soon to see you both. He joined the rescue team to go out and rescue you. Quite a privilege, if I may say so myself, also.' the excited young medic's northern accent is still strong, his head waving from side to side as he spoke.