MARCH ON

March On page 4

From the devious looks of the black planet's deep dark ravines tripping and falling forever into one did cross Bishop's mind, so it was that thought alone that helped him concentrate on stepping carefully, he ignored the tapping from the sizzling rain trying to burn it's way into his suit, and the fast spreading crack in the glass in his helmet easing it's way towards the end of his life, inch by inch, a sparkle in Jessie's deep blue eyes reminded him of the ocean in Cabo San Lucas and nearly every time she laughed Bishop seemed to be automatically re-energized, strange noises crackled in the deep space, static drowned Jessie's voice out in his ear piece, with every step he took only an occasional word or two got through. "Be safe" was all he could make out of her interference plagued transmission. Bishop's eyes shifted from the racing crack in the glass to the damaged untrustworthy ZX7 floating shooting sparks next to him, suddenly out of the blackness the supply compartment appeared dozens of tiny fires burned sporadically all around the crashed compartment, hot rain disintegrated chunks of debris as he approached a warm resurgence over came him "Damn I made it" he whispered to himself a heroic smile spread in the opposite direction of the crack in his glass, Bishop steps nearly turned to skips, his big heart pounded with jubilation he saved everybody he thought almost running towards the resupply container excitement caused him to breathe heavier burning his remaining oxygen was the last thing Bishop was thinking about all Bishop wanted at that moment was to open the door falling to his knees he found the control panel, long exposed wires of various colors ran from the panel to the compartment override system thinning air forced Bishop to breathe deeper while contemplating the pass code of the security airlock, surprise fell across Bishop's face when both doors slid precariously open. Bishop got an even bigger surprise when a loud electromagnetic pulse rifle fired repeatedly from within the re-supply compartment completely destroying the malfunctioning ZX7.