Chapter 3:
The irritating buzzing of the alarm quietly drained out of Jonathan's ears. Before long, the only thing audible was his own breathing. Each intake of oxygen now felt like a struggle to breath. Each exhale sounded like a wind whispering into his ears. A small cloud of carbon monoxide grew on the interior of his helmet, fogging up the small portion near his mouth. With each breath, it grew in size, before quickly retreating into it's invisible state.
The doors of the airlock were now open, and the view before the three astronauts was something to behold. One could never truly explain wholly what they saw, or portray a description accurate enough to portray it's true beauty. Needless to say, the view always left one at a temporary loss for words. Jonathan's eyes glowed with kindled interest as the stars flashed before his eyes.
Speckled flares of white lights danced across his visor. They were different from the ones he'd stared at in the sky back home. The city was a loud, and crowded place. The only stars he was ever able to see were small, and pitiful. Even they, whose light barely managed to burn through the dark sky, were quickly blotted out by the thick blanket of clouds that always hung over the city. No, these stars were not like those in the city. They lit up the blackness of space with a new kind of life, one that he could not enjoy within the confines of the Achilles. It was out here, that one could truly enjoy the magnificence of space.
Beneath him, the humongous red planet glowed warmly, inviting him to it's inescapable presence. His eyes turned towards it, granting it his attention. Hanging just above it's orbit, lay their target; a scattered mess of debris with one lone white figure hiding amongst it.
"There she is boys. Our target." Jonathan announced, pointing his gloved fingers at the tiny white dot that stood out amongst the shards of gray metal. With the airlock now completely open, Jonathan reached up to his helmet to contact the Achilles,
"This is Extraction team to Achilles, testing comms. Are you receiving me?" The captain waited patiently for the response. Eric and Jack floated behind him, grasping the metal safety bars inside the room to avoid floating away.
"This is Achilles to Extraction team. We read you loud and clear, over?" Emma's firm voice brought a grin to Jack's face.
"Roger that. Achilles, depressurization sequence is now complete. Say, while we're out here, could you sing us a song with your lovely voice?" The mechanic jeered, his voice doing his best impression of Jonathan's deeper, more serious tone. Eric chuckled, elbowing him in the side, sending both astronauts bouncing against opposite sides of the airlock. Jonathan couldn't help but laugh with them, anxiously awaiting for Emma's response.
"Hawkins I would appreciate it if you took this operation more seriously, this is not something to joke around about." The security chief's condescending tone was just what the three men had been anticipating. Jack let out a childish giggle while Eric smirked silently. Jonathan just watched with a small smile on his face before deciding to respond to Emma before she continued on her motherly tirade.
"Affirmative Achilles, this is Jonathan. Requesting permission to retrieve the target, over?" There was a silence before any response was heard. Jonathan could only guess that Emma was trying to decide whether or not she believed them this time.
"Yeah you're a go just get the target already." Her short agitated response brought another fit of laughter out of Jack.
"Oh don't get yer panties in a twist chief, we'll get your shiny astronaut for ya." The mechanic jeered. Jonathan decided to proceed with the mission, ignoring the feud going on between the two shipmates. Just as one would push off from the wall while swimming, Jonathan gave the back wall a quick push, rocketing his body out of the confined metal room.
In a matter of seconds, the orange light that had flashed over his body was suddenly replaced by a natural glow. The stas reflected off of the white leather and metal platelets that made up his E.V.A suit. Eric and Jack, who were still arguing over comms with Emma, quickly followed suit, soaring just behind him by a couple of meters.
"-and I would prefer if you would refrain from speaking on comms when you are clearly not the one in command!" Emma's voice continued. Jack groaned, seemingly now tired of the woman's scolding. Reaching up for his helmet, he silenced his comms, and turned his head in his helmet towards his compatriot.
"Man, I'd appreciate it if you could shut her up!" The mechanic begged. Even though he was determined to have his friend acknowledge his request, Jack kept his words light. Eric looked over at his friend's pitiful expression before sighing heavily.
"This is Eric to Achilles, over? Emma it's me." Another long pause.
"What is it now?" Came the security chief's irritated voice.
"If I let you punch him when we get back, will you stop yelling at him?" The offer caused the mechanic to lightly punch Eric in the arm. Eric looked at the mechanic, who was now sporting a sour face.
"Request accepted. I look forward to seeing you in the airlock Hawkins. Achilles out." Emma's voice sent a shiver through the mechanic's body. Even in his spacesuit, he was of a thin frame. Eric wondered if he'd even survive a punch from the woman.
"Well then, thanks for nothing! I should've known you'd take her side." Jack huffed angrily, trying to hide the fear that was welling up inside him. Eric shrugged, tugging on his cable as he did so. The long white rope flailed about violently for brief moment before falling back into it's gentle wave. Before Eric could give his friend an explanation, the captain decided to bring them back to the task at hand.
"Eyes forward boys, we're almost there. Jon to Achilles, I've got eyes on the target. Requesting update on distance to destination?" Eric and Jack pushed forward their thrusters so that they were now flying side by side with their superior officer. Up ahead, the debris was beginning paint a clearer picture. The crates and propane tanks they had passed before were small in size to the damage that lay before them. Large plates of metal and steel beams swirled in a never ending rotation, occasionally colliding with each other, sending them into a new rotation. Right in the middle of it, lay their target.
"Roger that Extraction team, you are approximately 10 meters away from the target." Jonathan looked back at the safety cable trailing behind him. They had gotten a good distance away from the ship by now, and the cable was starting to lose it's wavy figure. The captain wondered just how much further he'd be able to go before the cable pulled him back. What if they couldn't even reach the target?
"Uh, Jonathan to Achilles. Is it possible that our position from the target might have been miscalculated? I don't think that the safety cable won't be long enough to reach the target, over?" As if to test the theory, Eric pulled on the leathery rope. The cable flailed past him until it's root straightened out, halting the rope's movement. The three astronauts watched as the rope spread out to it's maximum length, before making a U-turn back to Eric's position. Each of the men came to the same conclusion.
"It's not enough…." Jack announced, speaking everyone's mind. Jonathan hailed the ship again,
"Jonathan to Achilles, we've confirmed the cable is not long enough. Advise you reposition over?"
"Roger that. Alice reports that we are currently 60 meters from the target. The safety cables are designed to only go 50. We're repositioning now, hold your position." The three astronauts turned towards their ship.
From the rear of the ship, the giant thrusters suddenly sparked to life. Great blue and red flames burst out of the engines, propelling the ship into a slow forward thrust. The men watched as the Achilles slowly crawled towards them. After about a minute, the engine's abruptly cut off, and the blue flames were quickly snuffed out.
"Achilles to Extraction team. We've repositioned the ship, you should now have adequate cable length to retrieve the target, over?" Emma suddenly announced on comms.
"Roger that. Moving into extract the target." Jonathan replied. Using his jetpack, the captain turned back towards their target, with the other two following his lead.
Jonathan pulled down on the joysticks that controlled the jetpack's thrusters. Another burst of speed sent the captain shooting towards the wreckage, with his comrades close behind him. The closer they got to the wreckage, the more able they were to decipher the pieces amongst it.
One piece in particular, was of fascination to the captain. A large, metal frame, likely built onto the outside of a ship, lay on their left, hanging lifelessly. Printed in large yellow letters read the words,
SEEGSON
Tomorrow, Together!
The sight only worsened the captain's fears. Sevastopol station was the only facility this far out in the sector to be built by the company. Many manufacturers now turned to the much more successful Weyland-Yutani corporation, leaving Seegson with very few accomplished stations. This wreckage could only belong to Sevastopol. It was obvious then, that the station had somehow been destroyed, or damaged. But the question remained, as to how, and why? Jonathan's eyes turned back towards their target.
The figure was becoming clearer now, the bright that reflected off the white suit's exterior had died down, allowing better visual on it's positioning. Eyes narrowing, Jonathan examined the astronaut in a 'new light'. He was wearing a white E.V.A suit, as they had already guessed. With his legs brought up to his chest, and his arms wrapped around his body in a fetal position, Jonathan could only guess that he was trying to get warm as his body temperature fell.
"Extraction team, you are currently 5 meters from your target, over." Emma's voice announced.
"Roger that Achilles, we're moving in. Won't be long now." Eric responded. Jonathan began to pull ahead of the others, advancing towards the body with a new vigor. The answers were all right in front of him. What had happened to the station? Where was everyone? Why was he out here? How had he survived? Why didn't they call out for help, or respond to their hailing frequencies? All he needed to do was bring him back to ship and they'd be able to question him once he was brought back to perfect health.
"Jesus Jon look out!" Jack's voice caught the captain off guard, and he spun around to look at the source of the danger. Before he had a chance to figure out what hit him, a large object slammed into his chest, nearly fracturing his suit's armor. The sudden blow sent his head slamming into the back of his helmet, causing his eyesight to blur. All that he could make out, were the bright lights spinning around and around on the other side of his visor.
Adrenaline quickly pumped into the captain's blood, bringing in his survival instincts. He needed to stop spinning, otherwise he might be knocked too far off track. With his newfound energy, Jonathan swung his arms around blindly, trying in vain to grab at anything to stop the spinning. In his ear, he could hear the muffled yelling of the two other astronauts, but he couldn't decipher what they were saying; he needed to focus his attention on getting himself stable first!
Jonathan continued swinging his arms around, muttering curses with each failed swing. He had to grab something! There was so much debris out there! Surely he would come across something! After about a whole 60 seconds of swinging at nothing, Jonathan's hands landed on something solid. The captain frantically clamped his fingers down on the object as his weight suddenly worked against him, pulling on him with multiplied force in the other direction.
Letting out a determined growl, the captain pulled with all his strength to prevent himself from being pulled away. With each pull of the mysterious force, Jonathan let out a furious yell. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the force began to let up, and Jonathan's eyesight began to clear.
His hands grasped firmly onto a large metal beam that had been bent out of shape. The object had been floating calmly until Jonathan had collided with it, sending them both into a slow spin. The world had slowed down, and although it continued to spin, the captain was able to regain his bearings. If he let go now, he'd be right back where he started, but if he could stabilize himself with the jetpack, he'd be able to stop himself from spinning off track. Slowly he allowed his left hand to loosen it's fingers. Once he had let go of the beam, he reached his left arm down to his jetpack controls.
Closing his hand around the joystick, Jonathan gently pressed the stick to the side. A quick sideways thrust slowed his counterclockwise spinning, nearly ramming his head into the other side of his helmet. Jonathan let out a surprised grunt before fully letting go of the beam; if he held on too long, the beam would pull him back into it's continuous cycle. Slamming his right arm down on the controls, Jonathan pulled left on the joysticks. The second thruster stopped the beginning of an all new clockwise cycle, leaving the captain back in his steady state.
"Jesus! Oh god…..that was close….oh man…." Jonathan panted, bringing his hand to his chest as if to steady his rapid heartbeat. After a minute of just breathing, Jonathan reached up to his helmet to hail the others.
"This is Jonathan to extraction team and Achilles! I-I'm alright! A little startled but I'm alright!" A new realization came upon him as he looked around his surroundings. He didn't know where he was. The other two men were no longer in sight. Jonathan instinctively reached down for his cable - if he pulled on that, it would bring him back to the others position.
Where was the cable?
After feeling around for safety cord and grasping at nothing, Jonathan frantically looked down. The cable had been cut! Somehow, during his incident, the cable had been cut only a couple of feet from the hook that still hung lifelessly to his chest.
"Oh god, Jonathan, we thought we lost you! Where are you!" Eric's relieved voice called inside his helmet.
"Achilles to Jon! Jesus Jon, what happened out there! Are you alright!" Followed Emma's concerned call. Jonathan looked back at the cable, and then at the wreckage before him. The other half of his cable was nowhere in sight.
"I'm fine Achilles, I'm….I'm fine. My safety cable's been cut though, and I've lost my positioning. Requesting input for…." Jonathan's attention was quickly diverted from the call, to the white figure before him.
It was the rogue astronaut.
"Uh, say again Jonathan? We didn't get that last bit." Emma followed up. Jonathan stared at the figure before him. The astronaut was wearing one of the older E.V.A suits, a mark II probably. Seegson likely didn't have the money to afford the newer models. Jonathan's eyes traced up to the back of the head. Reaching out, Jonathan turned him over. The face he saw was the least he was expecting….it was his own. For some reason, the man had put down his visor, and the bronze shading reflected the captain's gaze into his own.
"Jonathan! Jonathan do you read! We've lost him again, get a heat signature scan ready to-"
"Wait! Wait I'm here! I….I'm here." Jonathan spouted as he tried to get ahold of Emma.
"God Jonathan what are you doing out there?" Emma questioned, obviously irritated at his slow response time.
"I've got the target. I repeat, I have the target." The captain announced. Grabbing the damaged cable, Jonathan brought the loose end up to his new passenger. Wrapping the tattered rope around his chest, Jonathan tied the loose ends into a knot. Giving the knot a good tug, Jonathan pushed the body away from him, testing it's firmness. He watched as his passenger floated away for a moment before snapping back, like a yoyo.
"Roger that Jonathan. Do you have eyes on the ship, over?" Emma asked. Turning his head back and forth, Jonathan searched for the familiar sight of the Achilles through the thick cloud of twisted metal. Just as his eyes passed another large plate of steel, he spotted the distant figure of the Achilles in the background.
"Affirmative, I have eyes on the Achilles. Making my way back now, over?" Giving his passenger one last tug, Jonathan reached down for his pack controls. Gently, he pressed the joysticks forward, bringing his thrusters to life, and rocketing him off towards the ship.
"Understood. Captain, Alice reports that the life signature is fading, you'd better hurry." Emma warned. Jonathan looked down at his passenger, and then back at the Achilles.
"Affirmative. I'll be there before you know it."
"Hawkins and Eric are making their way to the airlock, they'll rendezvous with you there. I'm sending Hannah and Dennis down there as well. They'll receive you once you arrive. Achilles out." Emma signed off.
Navigating through the wreckage was not easy. It seemed like every four feet, Jon would have to jolt back his joysticks, and pull on the cable to prevent his passenger from slamming his head into a metal wall. The worst part was, the environment kept changing. Every object continued to spin in a never ending loop, slowly shifting positions until the previous path was no longer an option, and Jon was forced to find a new one.
Looking about him, Jon looked for an opening. Just above him, two metal beams opened up to the familiar black openness of space. Pressing his thumbs down on the buttons situated atop the joysticks, Jon rocket upwards through the opening. As he slowed to a stop, he was reminded of his passenger when the body nearly pulled him back into another frenzied spiral.
"Watch yourself Major Tom, I need you here." Jonathan muttered as he pulled on the cord, stabilizing the body. Looking upwards, Jon now had a clear path to the Achilles. Up ahead, he could just make out two white dots making their way towards the airlock. Jack and Eric were nearly there.
"Alright Tom," The captain chuckled at his new nickname for his passenger, "Let's go." Grasping the end of the cord with his right hand, Jon pressed forward on the joystick with his left, shooting him forward towards the Achilles.
If what Emma said was true, he would need to hurry up the trip, otherwise this operation would've been for nothing. Jon allowed his left arm to pull away from the joystick, and down to the control set near his arm. Connecting the joysticks to the pack, was a long metal arm with a control panel built in. Jon's finger pressed down on one of the buttons in the panel.
The pressure that suddenly hit him forced his head into the back of his helmet as Jon was shot forwards at an increased speed. With the G-Forces pressing against his face, the captain was barely able to raise his head. He could feel the invisible pressure pulling at his cheeks, and nearly ripping his arm out of it's socket as he pulled Tom along like a kite in the wind.
40 meters. 30 meters. 20 meters. He was nearly upon them. Through squinted eyes, Jon could just make out Jack and Eric's figures floating next to the airlock entrance. With great difficulty, Jon raised his arm back to the control panel. His hand shaking, Jonathan forcefully pressed his finger down on the button again.
The world began to slow again. The forward thrusters in his jetpack activated, slowing his speedy arrival to a slower, less lethal speed. Jon watched as Eric spotted him, and raised a gloved hand in a wave. Jon grinned, and pressed his hand against his helmet, hailing the ship.
"Achilles this is Jonathan. I've got Major Tom in tow, and I'm bringing him in, over?" He could hear Jack laugh over coms, and Jon couldn't help but laugh with him.
"Roger that Jon. I'll open the airlock when you-"
Emma was unable to finish her sentence before a giant ball of flame erupted from the starboard side of the Achilles. Jonathan's eyes widened as the flames were quickly stifled, and replaced with an even scarier sight.
Shrapnel.
Debris floating at even a slow speed was dangerous enough in space, but shrapnel from an explosion could travel at the speed of a bullet.
And it wouldn't stop until it hit something.
Jonathan gasped as a large piece of metal nearly shot through his helmet. Using his thrusters to move to the side, the captain dodged multiple projectiles while keeping Tom close at bay. The explosion had rocked the Achilles, knocking it off it's previous orbit. The ship groaned as it slowly rotated in place, retracting from the sudden explosion.
Jon looked back at the airlock. The explosion had no doubt come from the rear of the ship, probably near the fuel storage, and the airlock wasn't too far from it. The captain frantically searched for his two comrades outside the ship with him. His eyes found nothing but flying shrapnel.
"Goddammit! Achilles come in! What the hell was that! Achilles, please respond-woah!" Jonathan ducked as another piece of metal flew near his legs. He was lucky enough to save his leg, but the captain's reflexes weren't fast enough to stop the metal from lightly grazing his suit. The captain's heart dropped as he heard the sound of air leaking out of his suit.
"I'm hit! Eric, Jack, where are you!" Grabbing at his leg, Jon found that grasping at it would do nothing to prevent the oxygen from leaving his suit. He would already feel the air beginning to get thinner. His breaths, while already frantic and labored, was beginning to shorten. He would need to save his talk for later if he wanted to make it back alive.
Taking a deep breath, Jonathan reached back down to his controls. The airlock was still open. He could still make it back inside! Pressing forward on the controls, the captain propelled himself through the hellstorm of shrapnel towards the open door.
Multiple pieces of scorched metal flew past his visor, but he paid them no mind. Looking at it would only cause him more panic, and more breaths. He was already running low on oxygen, and hyperventilation was the last thing he needed. Jon let out a violent cough as he took in another breath of air. He was almost there now; 10 meters. Five meters. Four. Three.
He spotted them. Jack and Eric hugged the safety bars of the airlock, facing the exit as Jonathan approached. They might've been saying something, but Jonathan couldn't hear them; he was too focused on getting in there in one piece. Taking a quick look back, Jon made sure that his passenger was still with him. Ensuring that he was still alright, Jon picked up his pace.
Two meters. Pulling back on his joysticks, Jon slowed his speed. One meter. Reaching out his hands to grab the metal bars, Jon grabbed hold of one of the safety bars with one hand while pulling back on the cord with the other, preventing Tom from crashing into the wall of the airlock.
The air was nearly gone now. Jonathan was beginning to feel panic rise in his chest as oxygen seemed to disappear from inside his suit. Opening his mouth, he breathed for air. He breathed, and breathed, but no air came. Looking down with bloodshot eyes, Jonathan eyed his oxygen levels:
Oxygen level: 2%
Jonathan would've sighed in relief as he heard the airlock doors close if he had had any breath left in him. As the doors closed, Jonathan let go of the bar, his strength slowly being sapped from his body. He couldn't feel his fingers anymore. It was so cold. He was shivering. The world was beginning to fade. He couldn't die like this! He needed to hold on, just for a little longer!
"Oxygen levels, stabilizing. Oxygen levels, stabilizing." He could barely hear mother report as gravity slowly pulled him down to the floor. As his feet connected with the floor, Jonathan could suddenly find that he couldn't stand, and his legs gave out from under him.
Falling to the floor with a thud, Jonathan reached up for his helmet to take it off. He needed to take it off! He needed to take it off! It didn't matter anymore, he needed to take it off! He needed to breathe! He was dying! He needed air!
His efforts were suddenly stopped as Jack rushed over to him, restraining his hands. What was he doing! He was going to kill him! The man screamed something at him, but Jonathan would hear none of it, the man was going to kill him! Jonathan's arms attempted to push Jack's away, but to no use. His strength was leaving him. As he felt the adrenaline drain from his arms, the two appendages fell at his sides with a weak flop.
Jack looked down at him, almost sympathetically. As if. The man had killed him. His own crewmate, in a sudden coup, had killed the captain almost without a fight. Jack suddenly looked up, like a bird when a predator neared. Jonathan's eyesight was blurring. He was losing consciousness….he couldn't hang on any longer….
And then he heard it. That all too familiar hiss of oxygen leaving one place and going to another. Only this time, it was filling his lungs.
Jonathan coughed violently as air flooded his deprived lungs. Life surged through him, sending more adrenaline into his muscles, and rejuvenating his strength. The man flailed about on the floor for a moment, coughing and wheezing with his eyes closed. Finally, when his breathing normalized, Jonathan opened his eyes.
When the figure looming above him registered as the man who had tried to kill him, his fist flung into action. Jack's face was suddenly knocked out of view by a fist, sending the Mechanic sprawling onto the floor. Pulling himself up so that he rested on his elbows, Jonathan glared at the man as he got back onto his feet.
"Dammit Jon I was saving you!" The mechanic spat. Jonathan waited for him to continue, partially because he couldn't respond on his own with his lungs being shot and all. The mechanic wiped away a trickle of blood from his lip,
"The process wasn't completed yet, you would've suffocated the second you took off your helmet! I was trying to help you!" He confessed. Jonathan's glare eased up, and he fell back against the wall, the adrenaline leaving his system as his body realized there was no enemy nearby to fight. Jack spat out some more blood before breaking into a grin,
"I've gotta say though….you've got one helluva punch cap." The mechanic snickered. Jonathan replied with a grin of his own. Suddenly, their attention was diverted to the other man in the room.
"Jack, help me get his helmet off! Quick! He's losing air in there!" Looking over at their new arrival, Jack quickly rushed to Eric's side. With Eric holding the heavy suit upwards, Jack quickly began working on unlatching the helmet. Fingers pulling off the last safety valve, Jack pulled off the helmet with all his might.
"Got it!" He yelled. All three men stared at who had been hiding beneath the suit. No one could've guessed….
"It's….it's a woman…." Jack announced. Indeed it was. Jonathan stared at the young feminine face. Her long black hair that was once held up in a ponytail was now covered in small flakes of ice. Her cheeks were pale and glossy. The ice on her body indicated that she must've been out there for some time.
"Who….who is she?" Eric asked. Reaching down into her suit, Jack felt around for her dog tags. When his hands brushed across the familiar beads of metal, he pulled them out. Grasping the frozen metal with both hands, Jack squinted to decipher the name.
"It….it says….Am….Amanda….Rid…Ripley…." Jack announced. The three men looked at one another. Amanda Ripley? Ripley? They had all heard that name before.
Ellen Ripley. Warrant officer aboard the Nostromo, a commercial freighter that was mysteriously destroyed about a decade ago. It had been a huge ordeal on the Weyland-Yutani corporation. Everyone seemed to know about it. But if this woman was in any way related to Ellen Ripley….
As if on cue, the door behind them suddenly opened up, and Dennis and Hannah quickly rushed in. The two doctors made a beeline to the figure on the floor. Pulling some equipment out of her bag that Jon didn't recognize, Hannah began to examine the frozen body. After about a minute of pressing the object against her skin, Hannah stood up looking at Jack and Eric, a worried expression on her face.
"We're losing her. We need to bring her to medical, ASAP!"
