Dive In

Chapter Two

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By the time we were ten days into the expedition, we knew something was wrong. The way that the engine was making strange noises, and how stuffy the air was. It was worrying all three of us.

"Tone, what's HQ saying? Is Brendan on it yet?" I asked as I floated out of the bathroom.

"Uh, yeah, he's looking into it. Unfortunately though, the signal is starting to get pretty choppy. Hell, HQ's talking about making us turn around."

Jaime rolled his eyes. "I am not turning around. We've come this far and I'll be damned if we turn around if we can fix whatever's wrong. The engine probably has some sort of debris in it or something, and it's effecting the whole ship. All we've gotta do is go out and pull it out."

I nodded, agreeing with Jaime. "It's a bit dangerous, but it's our best bet if we want to keep going. What are your thoughts, Turtle?"

He shrugged. "You're the leader of this rodeo. It's on you and HQ, ya know?"

A sigh escaped my lips as I reached forward to grab the microphone. "Yo, yo, yo, Brendan, where you at?"

Static spoke back to me for a couple of seconds until a voice finally broke through. "Well look who's still in high spirits. If I remember right, you were oh, so nervous for this flight."

"Yeah, yeah, shut up. What's going on from down there?"

Brendan cleared his throat. "Well, we can see that you guys are still good on gas, and your oxygen levels are steady. It seems to be the engine that's not running properly. Maybe something's loose?"

"Yeah, that's a possibility. Me and the guys were talking... I think I'm going to go outside and check the engine."

"Are you sure? That's not something we want to do unless we really need to." I could sense the worry through the wire. I smiled. Brendan and I had been friends since I started working at NASA.

"I'm aware of the risks, but it's better to figure it out now, rather that to let it build up. So, do I have the go okay, Mom?"

Brendan sighed. "Yeah, I suppose. You be careful though. Keep in contact the entire time, you hear me?"

"Yuppers," I said with fake cheerfulness. "Let me go and get ready, I'll talk to you on the flip side. Here's Tone Bone."

"I thought we agreed not to say that anymore," Tony cried and I giggled, before propelling myself down the hall and to the left, where our suits were. I quickly pulled mine on before pulling myself back to the front.

"Jaime, will you hook up my oxygen for me?" Jaime nodded and I waited impatiently as he fumbled with the tanks. Finally, he was finished and I was all set. I was standing in the air-tight chamber that had a door leading out into open space. The oxygen line was attached to my back and I had a small pouch that held several tools that I may or not need.

"Alright, open up," I spoke into the microphone. There was a clicking noise through the intercom and I was suddenly being pulled through the door and out into the dark abyss. Fear strangled me, but I did my best to push it aside. I grabbed onto a handle that was on the outside of the shuttle and began pulling myself towards the engine. In all honesty, I was shaking with fear, fear that only escalated when I remembered that this had happened in my dream. No way was this going to end well.

"Vic, are you safe out there?" Tony asked.

I nodded, so disoriented that I forgot that he couldn't see me. "Uh- Yeah, yeah," my breath was shaky and uneven and I could practically feel disbelief coming off of him in waves.

"Alright, well, what do you see?"

I looked around. Already I was near the engine. I pulled out my screw driver and began loosening the metal protection around it. "Nothing yet. I haven't even taken the cover off yet."

"Really? What's been up with you lately, Vic? You aren't your usual confident self. You haven't been this whole expedition."

I sighed and ignored the question. "What's Brendan saying?"

"Oh, he's just fretting about if you're still alive and shit. Normal mother figure."

I chuckled as I pulled the cover loose and peered down into the engine. Sure enough, the vent on the engine had fallen half off. That would explain the stuffiness, as well as the strange sounds. "The vents loose."

"Ah, can you fix it?"

"Yeah, easily-" I was cut off by a sudden burst of beautiful singing. It was high pitched and I immediately felt relaxed. A faint smile graced my lips as I lazily looked around for the singer. The words seemed to be in another language, but images of me with my brother began to appear in my head. "Do you hear that music?" I questioned dreamily.

"Huh? What music? How high are you right now, Fuentes?" Tony asked with a touch of panic in his voice. I laughed.

"It's so beautiful." Giggles escaped my lips and I heard Tony and Jaime talking on the other end.

"Vic, we have a problem. We've lost contact with HQ."

"Oh, that's okay..." I spoke as I pushed myself away from the spacecraft. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I was going to follow the singing. It filled me with so much happiness, that and hope. Suddenly, I felt my body being tugged more and more quickly toward a spot in the darkness. I could just make out a circle of movement that I was heading towards. The oxygen tube became taught and I pulled out a pair of scissors from the bag. I had to get to the black hole, I just had to. Soon I was free, with only about two hours left of oxygen left on me. I was in a freefall towards the black hole and I couldn't help but laugh. Over the intercom Jaime and Tony had been screaming but now that was static. Suddenly I was in the black hole, and feeling like I was getting ripped apart, but it didn't matter because that wonderful singing made it all better.