Chapter 8
The Transmission
The scratchy noice continued along with the flashing of lights. Carlos and i both looked at each other afraid to touch anything in case something goes wrong "Still think its some sort of transmission DA?" Carlos asked as he looked me. I nodded and moved my shoulders up and down before i spoke to him"I'm only guessing Carlos, however you did just agree with me!","Rare i know" he then answered as he then looked away to focus on the control panel. We then started to hear a voice, it was wasn't clear nor easy to understand as it kept cutting out "Hello? Hello?". Carlos and I were able to make out that it sounded like a womens voice "That voice sounds familar Carlos..." i stated "Sure?" Carlos then replied "Its hard to identify!". The radio like voice began to speak again although this time it was louder as if the person was shouting "HELLO? ANYONE...THERE? SAY SOMETHING SO I KNOW WHO I"M SPEAKING WITH". Ok the voice was very clear now! We both looked at each other and glupped Carlos whispered quietly to me "What do we do? Do we dare to respond to this transmission?" I looked at him and looked towards the world outside noticing that the rocket was beginning to move of course from the Earth "Ummm Carlos, looks like we are not going home just yet!" i told him in a worried voice. "That is right Dorothy-Ann, looks like you and Carlos are drifting off course!" the transmission voice stated, ok that was freaky! How does she or it know our names?. "Doesn't the transmission sound sort of familar to you DA?" Carlos asks me in a nervous voice "Who ever it is they are hacking the system! i responded "It could be trying to save us".
"Carlos and Dorothy-Ann, we need to make this quick as you guys are stuck in a magical rocket where you have no control is that right?" the transmission asked, it wasn't long until we both responded saying "YES" at the same time. We still had no idea who this person was but we felt that this person was trying to help us "Right kids, i've been atempting to communicate with you, however it seems that the further you are away from Earth the more trouble i have making the transmission" it then said. Carlos and i felt that now was the time to really respond back to her as we felt the rockets start to fire up again to continue the unplanned journey of the Solar System. "Um, ah, yeah are you able to help us?" Carlos asked as i saw him putting his face towards a mini mircophone that suddenly appeared on the console in front of us "When did that appear and who are we speaking with?" i asked the voice calmly. The voice then answered promptly back to us "I'll explain everything later, now we need to focus on getting you guys back to Earth, in case that rocket ship of yours decides to go completely off course and you both land up lost in the Solar System!" we both really felt uneasy about that, Carlos and i certainly didn't want to be lost in the Solar System AGAIN!. It brought back not so good memories of when we lost Ms Frizzle that time during our classes first visit and us kids being the age we were back then were left alone with out a teacher for a long period of time in a place we didn't know. Luckily we got our heads together and managed to follow Ms Frizzle's transmissions and found her and Liz on Pluto like it was a quest. That was scary and Carlos and i certainly do not want a repeat of that! Just then the sound of the rockets really began to rumble and the intercom started to speak again in its electronic voice "Next planet the red planet Mars!. Between you and me i kinda wanted to continue the tour but then again, hearing those words from the transmission and seeing the face on Carlos (Carlos's face was looking at me in fear), it could be that we could end up lost in space forever! I took a deep breath and quickly spoke into the mini mircophone "Yeah...we need your help and fast!".
Our rocket continued to be in autopilot and seemed that we were heading on course to Mars. The transmission started to speak again however this time it was really starting to cut out "Trying...hack...autopilot...magic...communicate!" it said " Oh no! The transmission is cutting out as we move further from Earth! i shouted as i looked through the windows to the dark sky of stars. Carlos grabbed the mircophone with his gloved hand "Excuse me! Whoever you are! You are breaking up! Hurry we are heading towards Mars!" he said as he spoke in a rather serious voice. We began to move at such speed leaving the Earth behind once more, over the roar of the rockets we heard what could be our last communication from the transmission lady "Ki...i...you". It was getting worst and worst until eventually we could no longer hear her. "DA, i'm freaked out now, was she trying to say KILL YOU?" Carlos nervously asked me, i was nervous too however i didn't think she said "Kill You" that wouldn't be right would it? This person who we think is trying to help us want's to kill us? "Never trust anyone DA!" Carlos shouted to me and there's me thinking he's normally the laid back one! I took a deep breath praying that it wasn't the case that this person was trying to kill us and replied to what Carlos had said "Carlos...surely not because that we are having a communication issue it could be that she was trying to say that she will get us out of this...i hope!". We both were starting to really pray for a miracle now.
Carlos then decided to have one last go and trying to communicate with the tranmmissoner by speaking into the mircophone. However when he went to look for it, it had disappeared "Carlos what have you done with it?" i asked him "Nothing DA, i swear! I hadn't touch it!" he answered. Just then the familiar sound of the intercom began to speak again "Now next planet that we will be visiting is Mars, the red planet of our Solar System, sit tight, relax and we will arrive shortly", Carlos and i looked out ahead through the windscreen and saw that we are almost at the red planet. Looks like that the intercom has taken control again as the mechancial hands appeared again and handed us our space helmets and oxygen tanks (not as roughly this time) "Think it wants us to complete the journey" i said to Carlos.
I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Whats next for Dorothy-Ann and Carlos? Find out next time.