To The Moon And Back

Chapter Five

"So that's the situation. Auto-pilot is non-existent, and by that I mean it was never there in the first place. I have to land it as is."

"Can we not evacuate the passengers?" Scott asked, his voice crackling a little over the radio.

Selene crept into the cockpit, not wanting to disturb him while he was talking to his colleagues. He looked so serious now, a look of pure concentration on his face which, if anything, just made him look all the more handsome. Hidden from view by his seat, it meant that she was able to indulge and feast her eyes on him as much as she wanted without looking like a weirdo. From this angle, she was able to notice the sharpness of his face, the strong jaw, chiselled cheekbones, and that long, straight nose. That man had bone structure to die for.

"Negative," John answered, unaware that he was being watched so closely. "We don't have the resources on board. There aren't enough spacesuits by half and the escape capsule is a one-trip deal that's only big enough for two passengers."

"Who on earth would design a ship like that?" Alan asked, the call apparently being a three-way situation. "There are laws against that."

"It's an old cargo vessel," John explained. "It wasn't designed for passengers, just a small, two-man crew. This whole ship seems to be some kind of home renovation, jerry-rigged, death trap."

"It's that bad?"

"The navigation system is like something out of the ark, I've seen it before during training, it's from 2045 and was decommissioned by NASA as unreliable. The life support backup might as well be a flashlight battery, the fuel gauge seems to be stuck on by what looks, and smells, suspiciously like chewing gum, and the controls have been ripped from an entirely different craft which looks like it might have been a fighter plane," John finished to stunned silence.

"Well that's just plain crazy," Scott raged, unable to believe that someone could allow something that dangerous. "How is that thing still flying?"

John sighed deeply."The phrase 'a wing and a prayer' has never been more apt."

Unable to hold it in, a small gasp escaped her, causing John to spin around in his seat, noticing her for the first time.

"I have it under control," John said, both for his brothers and her benefit as he turned back to the radio. "I'll meet you on the Moon, Thunderbird Three."

"F.A.B.," Scott reluctantly agreed, realising that someone must have come in due to John's sudden return to their formal call signs. He didn't like the idea of leaving it all to John, but he really was the best they had when it came to space rescues, it was just in his overprotective, big-brother nature to worry.

"Keep tracking us, Thunderbird Five."

"You got it."

John cut the connection and leaned back in his chair, which was apparently Selene's cue to move closer.

"It's really that bad?" she asked, her voice sounding smaller than he'd heard from her before.

"Yes, it's that bad," he answered, not wanting to lie to her. "But don't worry, you're in good hands. I'll get you home safely, I promise."

She'd had enough false promises to last her a lifetime, something that obviously showed on her face.

"You can trust me," he assured her, his blue eyes locked onto hers, calmly, openly, without a hint of discomfort or deceit.

Still, she shook her head, her voice almost as whisper as she admitted, "I can't trust anyone anymore."

"Then I guess I'll have to change that," John told her, his voice steady and sure.