Chapter 7

Nash stood at the hatch doors, waiting for V2 to open them. He caught a movement outside through the glass panel on the door and saw that it was Raj. His friend was waving frantically and running towards him, shouting as he did so.

Nash pressed the button to manually open the doors, but they wouldn’t budge. Behind Raj, a gigantic dust cloud billowed. It was travelling at enormous speed and would soon swallow Raj completely.

‘Noooo!’ Nash cried.

‘Sleep mode complete.’

Nash heard V2’s soothing voice in his headphones. He opened his eyes and saw that he was still lying in his sleep pod. Beside him, the other crew members were also waking. His pod door opened and Nash sat up, rubbing his eyes. Beside him, Oson yawned and stretched, detaching the various cords and tubes that had been fitted to him during sleep mode.

Nash did the same. He peered over and saw KC sitting up.

She waved. ‘Best sleep ever!’

Nash ran his hand through his hair, pushing it off his face. ‘I was having a great sleep, but right at the end I had a bad dream … a nightmare. It was terrible.’ He turned to Raj’s pod. The door was open, but Raj was still asleep.

‘What?’ Nash jumped out of bed, his legs giving way beneath him.

Orson helped him up. ‘Easy there, kiddo. You’ve been asleep for days so your legs need a moment before they start working again.’

Around them, the rest of the crew were slowly getting their space legs back. Commander Best immediately started barking orders. Nash wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d resisted sleep and stayed awake the entire journey. She acted tough enough and angry enough to resist anything.

‘Forty minutes to landing,’ Felix announced as he monitored the positioning systems. ‘We’re right on target, Commander. And right on time. Looks like V2’s extra-tech worked perfectly.’

Orson smiled. ‘I knew Cooper wouldn’t let us down.’

‘I hope Alpha have held on,’ Olga said. ‘They sounded desperate.’

Commander Best’s brow creased. ‘See if you can make contact. They should be picking up our presence, but there’s no communication from them.’

‘All equipment is functioning,’ Orson said. As they approached Mars’s atmosphere, it was crucial that the equipment and landing gear were working.

‘Ah, Dad,’ Nash said.

‘Hang on, mate,’ Orson replied. ‘I’ve got my hands full here.’

Olga pressed a button on the panel in front of her and spoke into the microphone. ‘Ventura 2 to Alpha Colony. We are incoming in T-minus thirty minutes. On target to land at Daymeera Landing Zone. Please confirm we have the all-clear.’

There was no answer.

‘Dad, come here,’ Nash said. ‘Right now!’

Orson twisted in his seat. ‘What is it?’

‘Raj hasn’t woken up,’ Nash said.

‘What?’ Orson flicked several switches on the instrument panel then raced over to Raj’s sleep pod.

‘Can it wait, Mr Steele?’ Commander Best asked.

‘I don’t think so,’ Orson said. ‘Felix, can you cover me?’

‘Sure,’ Felix said. ‘V2 is doing most of the work anyway.’

Orson ran a health scanner over Raj while Nash and KC watched on nervously. The scanner was like a small paddle, flat and round with a long thin handle.

‘Don’t tell me something went wrong with his sleep mode,’ Nash said. ‘Maybe it’s experimental technology not extraordinary technology.’

‘It’s both, really, isn’t it?’ KC said.

‘That doesn’t make me feel any better,’ Nash replied.

‘His heart rate is slow, but stable.’ Orson read the scanner. ‘Blood pressure is fine. This is confusing. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with him.’

‘This is all my fault!’ Nash sobbed. ‘I made this happen!’

‘What do you mean?’ KC said.

‘I dreamt it!’ Nash cried. ‘I made it happen and now I’ve lost my best friend.’

Raj’s eyes flickered open. ‘So, I am your best friend?’

Nash jumped in shock. ‘What? You’re okay? And of course you’re my best friend. Why wouldn’t you be?’

‘You told Cole he was your best friend.’

Nash rolled his eyes. ‘I have lots of best friends. Don’t you?’

KC grinned. ‘I do.’

‘No.’ Raj shook his head. ‘I only have two.’ He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the sleep pod.

‘Take it easy,’ Orson said. ‘You’ve just woken up.’

Raj smiled. ‘I’m okay, really.’

‘Why did you scare me?’ Nash said.

‘You’ve been acting weird,’ Raj said. ‘I had to be sure we were still friends. I wanted to make sure you still cared.’

‘You’ve been acting weird,’ Nash said. ‘Ever since I was on the video call to Cole and …’ he paused. ‘Oh. I get it.’

‘If you ask me, you’ve both been acting weird,’ KC said, standing on on her tip-toes and dangling her arms over both boys’ shoulders to bring them together in a group hug. ‘How about we all be best friends together?’

‘Ahem.’ A voice behind the three friends made them turn. Commander Best glared at them, hands on hips as she tapped her foot to a silent, angry beat. ‘I’m relieved we didn’t hold up a crucial rescue mission because you children couldn’t get along. Honestly! I’m already regretting bringing you along.’ She glared at each of the Space Kids in turn. ‘You had better not give me any more trouble.’

She stabbed a finger at Orson and snapped, ‘Or it will be your head on the chopping block!’