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SPACE:
Alex holds the carabineer on the other end of the short safety line and pushes off, gliding out from the ship on an intercept course, hoping his judgment is correct. A moment later, he slams into Okana and fumbles for the clip on his harness. Pain shoots through his arm when Okana hits his elbow, but he grits his teeth and pushes the pain from his mind. He sees the diminishing slack in the tether and knows he’s running out of time.
Okana tries grabbing Alex’s spacesuit, but he doesn’t have enough mobility to hang on. He wraps his arms around one of Alex’s arms and pulls him closer so he can attach the safety line.
Alex’s arm is ripped from Okana’s grasp when he reaches the end of the tether line. When Okana starts to drift away, Alex stretches out, barely hooking the carabineer onto Okana’s harness. An instant later, their motion is stopped by the short line, and the reaction sends them both racing back toward the ship.
Alex is facing away from the side of the craft, but knows what is about to happen. He grimaces when his backpack slams into the side of the ship. When he bounces off, he smacks into Okana, driving them apart like pool balls until they reached the end of the short tether. They expend the last of their momentum and slowly move past the airlock.
Jadin stares through the window in the airlock door, frustrated there is nothing she can do to help them. If only she had a way to enter the airlock and drag them inside.
David stands up in the control room, desperately trying to see what is happening below his field of vision. “Talk to me, Alex. What’s going on?”
“We’re attached to the ship, but we’re having problems getting inside the airlock.”
“Can I do anything to help?”
“Not at the moment, just don’t change your speed. We’ll find a way.”
Okana grabs the short tether and pulls himself back to Alex. “I bet you didn’t think something like this would happen when you woke up this morning.” He notices tiny ice crystals forming on the inside of Alex’s visor. “Something is wrong with your life support system. We need to get you inside fast.”
“I know. It’s getting harder to breathe, but I have an idea.”
“This should be interesting.”
“Wrap your arms around the long tether and pull towards the opening. That should give you enough momentum to carry you past me and back toward the airlock. I’ll release the short tether connecting you to me, and you can slide along the long line and pull yourself inside.”
“No way. You’ll suffocate before you make it back to the ship. I have a better idea. Keep me attached and I’ll drag us both back inside.”
“You won’t be able to grab tight enough with those gloves on.”
“You let me worry about that.”
Alex doesn’t argue, but it isn’t because he agrees, he just can’t draw in enough air to speak. He feels light-headed, his brain desperate for oxygen, as he stares at the shadow of Okana’s spacesuit moving over his visor. Darkness swirls down a tunnel in his peripheral vision while he fumbles with the carabineer on his harness, then the tunnel collapses.
Okana slides along the line waiting for the tug from the short tether, but it never comes. “Damn it, Alex!”
When Okana reaches the open door, his glove becomes trapped between the ship and the line coming out from the airlock. He twists around inside, barely managing to grab the handhold before bouncing back out through the opening.
After attaching his short tether inside the airlock, he smiles. “All right. I’m inside, Alex. Are you ready to be rescued?” His smile slips away. “Alex? Can you hear me?”
Okana wraps his free arm around the long line, pulls Alex toward the ship until his other hand comes free, then drags Alex faster to the airlock. Once he has him inside, he presses the pad and the outside door closes, sealing the room. The ship’s artificial gravity comes on and catches him off guard. The sudden weight from his life support system drives him to the floor, and he stares across at the frost on the inside of Alex’s visor.
Jadin presses the button to close the outside door. “We’ve got them, David! Get down here. I need your help.”
She presses the pad to open the inside door and kneels beside Alex. She can’t see his face through the ice crystals, so she removes his helmet. His skin is pale, his lips are blue, and he isn’t moving. She has difficulty tilting his head back with his suit on, and when she tries breathing into his mouth, his passageway seems blocked.
Okana reaches over and grabs Jadin’s arm. “Help me out of this suit so we can get him inside.”
Jadin stands, quickly removes Okana’s helmet, then releases the straps on his backpack. She helps him stand and slip out of the suit, then David appears, tossing the parts of Okana’s suit into the cargo hold.
Okana and David carry Alex out of the airlock. Okana looks up at Jadin. “Breathe for him while I get him out of the suit.”
Jadin doesn’t hesitate, kneels beside Alex, and begins rescue breathing.
Okana slips Alex’s arms out of the suit between Jadin’s breaths, and with David’s help, soon tosses the suit out of the way. Alex’s complexion darkens, and Jadin stops assisting when he starts breathing on his own. Okana smiles when Alex’s eyes flutter open. “Don’t you ever do that again. I thought you were a goner.”
Alex reaches out and Okana helps him to stand. “I guess my plan worked.”
“That was stupid, Alex. I could have gotten you inside much quicker my way. We nearly lost you.”
“I knew you had my back.”
“Always, brother”, Okana hugs him.
“David, take us home,” says Alex.
Everyone makes their way back up to the control room and stare out through the front window. David brings the ship relatively close to the planet above western North America, slows down to match the rotation, and slowly descends into the atmosphere.