SUNGLASESS AND ROCKETS Part 2: The Machine

ASTRONAUTS BY DEFAULT

"Get ready!" the doctor exclaimed that very instant. "We're going manual!"

We turned to the front, grasping the sides of the seats. Darwin tilted his head slightly towards me.

"You're right," he said softly. "I don't know what has gotten into me." I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. "We're going to the moon," he stated enthusiastically. "No turning back now."

Yes, I had completely put my foot in my mouth. I took a deep breath. I turned my glance toward my friend and forced myself to show approval. Darwin put his thumb up energetically and turned to the pilot.

"You have my vote, doctor!"

"Perfect! Cross your fingers!"

I gulped hard and looked toward the captain. I saw him pushing some buttons incorporated in the rudder. Then, he released it and focused his attention immediately on the upper board.

After an instant, he started to press each button one by one.

At least we were in good hands. That was undeniable.

"The guy is a genius!" Darwin observed precisely. "He already learned how to fly the spacecraft."

The doctor stopped pressing buttons. He stared at the keys for a while. Then he gave the board an awful blow with a solid key. Sparks jumped about and fragments floated among a cloud of smoke.

Darwin and I contemplated the scene agape.

"What are you doing?" I managed to articulate.

The doctor hit the same place more vehemently.

"I'm breaking contact."

"Great," Darwin whispered, covering up. "Great."

Now the doctor was delivering a couple of blows to the lower corner of the front board. Another cloud of smoke expanded.

"And I reset the computer," he added satisfied.

I was stunned.

Not enough. Suddenly, the ship jolted. We experienced a pull to the right. Darwin and I leaned automatically and looked to the rear window. The shiny contour of the Earth, which loomed from behind, did not move anymore.

The ship had stopped spinning.

"Okay," the doctor whispered. "Now, let's begin the flight adjustments."

Being carried by the euphoria of the moment, I fixed my eyes on the captain and waited for another showy maneuver. But the doctor had put the key away. No. He had left it floating. And for the following moments, he forgot all about it. Instead of breaking apart the controls, he got ready to make them work. Everything seemed to function perfectly, in spite of the damaged sections.

I let out a breath of relief and accommodated myself in my seat again.

When I looked forward, I noticed to my surprise, a shiny claw looming up among the stars. A resonant exhalation was heard at that moment. I glanced at the doctor and noticed that he was separating from the controls.

"On the way to the moon!" he announced victorious. He reclined on his seat and, with a hint of exhaustion, added: "We made it."

Darwin moved his head in a gesture of admiration.

"Wow! It's incredible!"

I took a deep breath and sat cozily again. "Oh God!" I wailed inside of me. "Oh God!"

The flashy claw was moving to the center of the starry view. I sighed again.

"What will happen to your niece?" I asked the doctor.

It's not that I wanted to ruin the moment. I was just feeling blue. Vanessa had stayed behind in the jungle...

"Don't worry," her uncle replied quickly. "Croft was about to get to the pyramid...Vanessa and Felix should be arriving to the military base in the Atlantic as we speak."

When he was through, the explosion that I'd seen in the sky came to my mind. There was a huge propeller in the ball of fire...my stomach contracted and I turned to the doctor prepared.

"They shot down Croft!"

The doctor denied emphatically with his head.

"The chopper was not Croft's," he clarified. "That chopper was coming from Southeast. Croft was coming from exactly the opposite direction, Northwest."

The explanation, blended with a calm but firm tone, gave me back some peace.

"Then, Croft did rescue Vanessa and Felix?"

"No doubt about it."

Darwin saw me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"You'll see her again," he assured me quietly.

I nodded pensively.

"Felix and Vanessa are safe," the doctor concluded, regaining his energetic tone. "I guarantee you." I observed that he was checking the time. "Now, let's synchronize our watches to zero."

I looked at Darwin with a startled expression, and then, I saw the doctor.

"What for?" I asked.

"Our mission has just begun."