INT. MAV - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Martinez dove into the airlock and forced the door closed. He waited for agonizing seconds as it pressurized.
As soon as it pressurized, Martinez raced up the ladder, slid into the pilot's couch and booted the system. "Commander -- The MAV's got an 8 degree tilt. It'll tip at 12.3-"
EXT. HAB - STORM - DAY
"Copy that-" Lewis said.
Beck checked the readout on his arm computer. "Johanssen, Watney and Gray's bio-monitors sent something before going offline. My computer just says "Bad Packets"-."
"They didn't finish transmitting." Johanssen worked her arm computer. "I have the raw packets. They're plaintext: BP 0, PR 0, TP 36.2."
"Copy." He paused a moment. "Blood pressure zero. Pulse rate zero. Temperature normal."
"Temperature normal?" Lewis repeated.
"It takes a while for the... it takes a while for the body to cool."
Everyone stopped short as that news landed.
Martinez said over the radio, "Commander. Tilting at 10.5 degrees now, with gusts pushing it to 11."
"Copy. If it tips, can you launch before it completely falls over?" Lewis asked.
Martinez hesitated. "Uh. Yes. Ma'am. I could take manual control."
"Copy that. Everyone home in on Martinez' suit. That'll get you to the airlock. Get in and prep for launch."
"What about you, Commander?" Vogel asked.
"I'm searching a little more. Get moving. And Martinez, if you start to top, launch."
"You really think I'm leaving you behind?"
"I just ordered you to. You three, get to the ship." The others hesitated. "Go."
INT. MAV - DAY
Vogel, Beck and Johanssen stumbled into the airlock.
EXT. STORM - DAY
Lewis couldn't see a thing in any direction. "C'mon, think, Melissa, think..." She reached into the pack on her back and removed two of the one meter drill bits she was using earlier to take samples. She held one in each hand, dragging them on the ground as she trudged through the sand.
"Johanssen, would the rover IR camera do any good?" Lewis asked.
INT. MAV - DAY
Johanssen said into the radio, "Negative. IR can't get through sand any better than visible light."
They ripped off their helmets and scrambled up the ladder.
"What's she thinking?" Beck wondered. "She's a geologist. She knows IR can't get through a sandstorm."
"She's grasping," Vogel replied. "For anything."
YOU ARE READING
Life on Mars // Chris Beck
Science-FictionMelina Gray is a chemist chosen for the Ares III mission. But when a storm comes, not all goes according to plan. Two are forced to fend for themselves on a planet where nothing grows. The rest of the crew are unaware of their crew mates' status...
