Read Online The Curse of Europa by Brian Kayser - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Brian Kayser
Tags: Science-Fiction
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against the weight of the ice pressing down on him. He waits a few seconds but does not get a response.
“Juliana… do you copy? Juliana… Juliana?” She is not responding either. He tries to move again but he can’t. Europa may only have 15% the gravity of Earth but the amount of ice lying on top of him is nonetheless extremely heavy.
As he is lying there helpless, sprawled out on his stomach unable to move, struggling to breath, he is startled by a very staticy broadcast.
“PATRI{sssssst} {ssssst}TRICK, {ssssst} NEED HELP!”
“Juliana, repeat…repeat! JULIANA, do you copy?” he asks frantically, but does not get a response. His heart is beating wildly now and he is breathing even heavier, wondering what trouble Juliana may be in from the geyser.
Turk is covered in ice chunks, in excruciating pain, is having trouble breathing under the heavy load of ice, and he is very disoriented. But hearing Juliana call for help makes him forget about his pain, and his mind becomes clear as a bell. He knows she needs help. He could hear the panic in her voice through the static. He is the only one that can help her, but first he needs to help himself.
He starts jerking his arms and legs with all of his might, he starts rocking back and forth, and he starts to push his way up. He fights and fights against the weight of the ice. He pushes and pushes and is finally able to get up on his hands and knees. He hears Juliana calling again on the com, but he can’t make out what she is saying as there is too much static; but he can still sense the panic in her voice, and knows that she still needs help – and fast. He yells back, “Hold on, I’m coming…” No reply.
It still feels like he has a horse sitting on his back but as he pushes up, ice chunks fill in the cavities, which actually helps as it prevents him from falling back down. As he moves his arms up, he finds he can then use the filled in cavities to push up even higher. Finally, as he pushes up again, he pops up out of the ice rubble like a mad man. Instantly, he tries to find Juliana through a visor that now has a frosty coating on the outside. He can hardly see anything. “Juliana, do you copy?” He says into the com. He never did hear a response back from his previous broadcast to her.
After a few seconds he does hear: “PAT{sssssst}, I’M SLIPPING, {sssssst} WHERE {sssssst}YOU? {sssssst} {sssssst}”
“I’m over here,” he says into the com to no avail. He can hear her, but she doesn’t seem to be able to hear him. “JULIANA, DO YOU COPY?” he screams into the com again just to be sure. She doesn’t respond.
Turk frantically tries to scrape the frost off his visor with his gloves. It doesn’t work well, but good enough; he is able to see that water is still shooting up into the air, filling the entire groove with water and creating a ‘rain fall.’ He sees the torpedo probe laying off to his right. Then he spots Juliana about 50 meters away from him in a steamy fog. He waves his hands over his head, but she doesn’t seem to see him as she is bending over with her hands on the wet ice. Water is up to her knees and she keeps trying to stand straight up, but she keeps falling back down on the slippery ice under the water, and from the rain pounding down on her.
Turk’s legs are still stuck in the ice so he starts pulling them up, he is able to move them only a few centimeters at a time. He keeps alternating pulls on his legs, until they are finally out. He slides down and off the mound of ice to make his way to Juliana. Water is gushing around Turk’s feet now as well, as he reaches the bottom of the mound. The water isn’t hot, but in the frigid atmosphere of Europa it appears to be steaming, creating the eerie fog.
Then suddenly, just as quickly as the geyser shot up through the ice, it stopped. It was as if someone had just turned off a valve. The last of the water falls down to the surface making one final splash. Turk breathes a sigh of relief, as
“Juliana… do you copy? Juliana… Juliana?” She is not responding either. He tries to move again but he can’t. Europa may only have 15% the gravity of Earth but the amount of ice lying on top of him is nonetheless extremely heavy.
As he is lying there helpless, sprawled out on his stomach unable to move, struggling to breath, he is startled by a very staticy broadcast.
“PATRI{sssssst} {ssssst}TRICK, {ssssst} NEED HELP!”
“Juliana, repeat…repeat! JULIANA, do you copy?” he asks frantically, but does not get a response. His heart is beating wildly now and he is breathing even heavier, wondering what trouble Juliana may be in from the geyser.
Turk is covered in ice chunks, in excruciating pain, is having trouble breathing under the heavy load of ice, and he is very disoriented. But hearing Juliana call for help makes him forget about his pain, and his mind becomes clear as a bell. He knows she needs help. He could hear the panic in her voice through the static. He is the only one that can help her, but first he needs to help himself.
He starts jerking his arms and legs with all of his might, he starts rocking back and forth, and he starts to push his way up. He fights and fights against the weight of the ice. He pushes and pushes and is finally able to get up on his hands and knees. He hears Juliana calling again on the com, but he can’t make out what she is saying as there is too much static; but he can still sense the panic in her voice, and knows that she still needs help – and fast. He yells back, “Hold on, I’m coming…” No reply.
It still feels like he has a horse sitting on his back but as he pushes up, ice chunks fill in the cavities, which actually helps as it prevents him from falling back down. As he moves his arms up, he finds he can then use the filled in cavities to push up even higher. Finally, as he pushes up again, he pops up out of the ice rubble like a mad man. Instantly, he tries to find Juliana through a visor that now has a frosty coating on the outside. He can hardly see anything. “Juliana, do you copy?” He says into the com. He never did hear a response back from his previous broadcast to her.
After a few seconds he does hear: “PAT{sssssst}, I’M SLIPPING, {sssssst} WHERE {sssssst}YOU? {sssssst} {sssssst}”
“I’m over here,” he says into the com to no avail. He can hear her, but she doesn’t seem to be able to hear him. “JULIANA, DO YOU COPY?” he screams into the com again just to be sure. She doesn’t respond.
Turk frantically tries to scrape the frost off his visor with his gloves. It doesn’t work well, but good enough; he is able to see that water is still shooting up into the air, filling the entire groove with water and creating a ‘rain fall.’ He sees the torpedo probe laying off to his right. Then he spots Juliana about 50 meters away from him in a steamy fog. He waves his hands over his head, but she doesn’t seem to see him as she is bending over with her hands on the wet ice. Water is up to her knees and she keeps trying to stand straight up, but she keeps falling back down on the slippery ice under the water, and from the rain pounding down on her.
Turk’s legs are still stuck in the ice so he starts pulling them up, he is able to move them only a few centimeters at a time. He keeps alternating pulls on his legs, until they are finally out. He slides down and off the mound of ice to make his way to Juliana. Water is gushing around Turk’s feet now as well, as he reaches the bottom of the mound. The water isn’t hot, but in the frigid atmosphere of Europa it appears to be steaming, creating the eerie fog.
Then suddenly, just as quickly as the geyser shot up through the ice, it stopped. It was as if someone had just turned off a valve. The last of the water falls down to the surface making one final splash. Turk breathes a sigh of relief, as
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