Beyond

Part 3

...Thirty-six years later…

My eyes shot open and air filled my lungs. I couldn’t see anything. Only darkness I slammed my hand up against the glass of the cryo-pod. It wouldn’t budge. I put both hands and feet against the lid and shoved up. There was resistance  but the seal eventually groaned and popped free. I rolled out of the chamber and fell onto the floor.

Well, at least the artificial gravity is still working, was the only thought in my head as I heaved in air.

I heard a pounding sound behind me. Someone else was awake. I carefully picked myself up and went over to the pod that was being beat upon. It was Rebekah’s. I grabbed the handle on the outside and pulled until it was released. Bekah did the same thing as me. She tipped on her side and fell on the floor, gasping for breath.

“We did it. We did it!” I let out an airy chuckle. Bekah smiled and reached out a hand for me to pull her up.

When she was steady on her feet again she said,”We have to wake up the other two.”

We split ways and began pulling on the lids of the other pods. 

Coincidentally they popped open at the same time, and we made the same sound of shock.

What lay before us was the remains of our crew members. Their space suit gently resting atop their skeletal figures.

“It seems like just two minutes ago they were standing right in front of me.” whispered Bekah.

“We should close the lids. Out of respect.” I mumbled.

She nodded her head and we reached out and softly re-sealed the pods.

A monitor in the cockpit beeped and flicked on. Information scrolled down the screen.

Bekah rushed over and took a look at what was being displayed.

“We’re here.” 

“Where exactly is here?”

“The edge of the solar system. This is where the scanners stop.”

“We should probably try and radio back to Earth to tell them we’ve arrived.”

"Yeah, you get on that, and I’ll ready the space suits.”

I nodded and headed to the back corner of the ship. I swept my eyes over the panel of various colored buttons and pressed one that looked like a power switch.

The panel lit up. I turned on the speaker and a fuzzy white noise hummed through the air. I grabbed the microphone and pressed the speak button. I licked my lips and took a breath.

“Beyond to Earth. Beyond to Earth. Is there anyone still lookin’ out for us?”

I could hear Rebekah pause. We waited ten minutes before a crackly response graced our ears.

“We hear you Beyond! What’s it look like out there?” the person on the other end sounded exuberant that we were still functioning. So did the cheering voices in the background. I had been so busy that I hadn’t even thought to look outside.

I sped up to the cockpit and gazed out the front window. As expected, it was pitch black. But then something caught my eye. It looked like movement, just beyond the ship. Like rolling, black, thunderheads.

“We gotta get out there.” I said. Bekah went back to work on the suits.

I walked back over to the radio and said, “Well it’s dark but there is something beyond the ship. We’re going to check it out. Be back in a bit.”