Craggy 2: Another Last Flight for Craggy (12 page)

Morgan said, 'Those greedy devils kept anything worthwhile inside their volcano. Anything rather than share it with East. As long as we can get inside.'

'All I'm expecting to find are a lot of dead bodies,' said Richie. 'I'm glad of my suit. I wouldn't want to be smelling any of it.'

'Assuming we can leave the ship, we won't be hanging around,' said Rocky. 'Medical stuff, two pumps and anything else will be a bonus. Then we'll get the hell out of there.'

Mantle said, 'Three days of pumping gas and we can go.'

And so the three days passed. Rocky and Max took care of the domestic duties as the tanks were filled. Finally, the dozers were driven in and parked up next to the satellites and anchored down. A feed and a good night's sleep and it was time to take Big Bird to Earth.

W
ith Big Bird's marsillium coating, it was impervious to the soaring temperatures generated by the 40 degree entry of Earth's atmosphere. After several minutes of the roaring sound, the ship was at a low cruising speed and altitude. The extraction crew were unaware of the scenes of devastation only Ramshorn and Morgan were witnessing, which was perhaps just as well.

'I knew it would be bad, but this is beyond anything I imagined,' said Morgan.

Ramshorn said nothing, just his grim-faced expression giving a clue as to his inner feelings. It looked as if the whole planet had been put in a microwave oven on high and forgotten about. Patches of isolated green, clinging to life, were few and far between. The once vast jungles and forests breathing out life giving oxygen were long gone. And yet, the two pilots were reminded of  Andrew Foreman and his son David, valiantly carving out a patch to call their own and with the brave community, actually flourishing and preserving what they could for use on Mars.

It was the same the world over. Desolation. Signs of life, none. They put the dire images from their minds and concentrated on the task in hand. They knew what they were looking for and where it was. The volcano, long dead, had been hollowed out and the elite of the West had called it home. Those less fortunate were literally left out in the cold to fend for themselves.

'Here it is,' said Morgan. 'Jeez. I'm guessing not all that damage was caused by Craggy hitting it with that missile.'

'We need to land as close as we can. See any very large flat spots?'

Morgan said, 'None looks particularly good. Or bad for that matter. That lot there will flatten out with no trouble, I'm thinking.'

'Then put us down, my friend.'

Morgan hovered and swung the ship about, balancing the landing thrusters for a gentle touchdown.

'And here we are. Might as well do the radiation check now and get it over with.'

The external radiation detector was turned on and they watched the counter move into the light orange range, white being safe, as in normal background radiation, right up to dark red. Dark red meant go outside, you die, and not in a good way.

Rocky called out the reading. 'One point three mSv per hour. That equates to a thirty two day danger limit.'

'Rocky. It's an accumulative poison. Like mercury. Absorb it, you live with it.'

Rocky stared at the numbers. 'I'm aware of that. But this is outside. We want to get inside the city. The volcano itself should have prevented at least some of the radiation entering.'

Morgan shrugged. 'So why did they all die?'

'I don't know. Maybe they were already a sickly bunch. The radiation tipped them over the edge. Look. I'm with you. I don't want to put ourselves or those back there to any unacceptable risk. I think we should set an absolute time limit. Whatever we achieve in that time is it. After that, we get the hell out of there.'

Morgan said, 'This isn't just our decision to make. We lay it on the line with the others, warts and all, and if they say no, we respect that and go.'

'Ok. Let's go talk it over.'

They entered the accommodation section where the men were waiting. John Mantle spoke up.

'What's the story?'

Rocky said, 'To be honest, not as terrible as I thought. I'm sure you know as well as Max and I that radiation is an accumulative poison. The only safe level is none. We have a reading of one point three mSv per hour. Which means we could be exposed for a few days with not too high a risk.'

Richie said, 'That's still an unhealthy number, Rocky.'

'We agree. But don't forget we have our suits and will carry our own air supply. That reduces the risk further. If we go outside at all, it will be for a strict period of time, say five hours. My gut feeling is that inside the city should be a lower level of radiation. If it's higher, we get back in here, go back to Moon for the pumps.'

Mantle said, 'We came here for medicines. Pumps would be a bonus. We need anything medical. My boy needs medication we don't have. His prognosis isn't good.'

'Sorry to hear that,' said Rocky. 'But it helps put it in perspective. Obviously even a few hours isn't good, but the alternatives for all of us could outweigh our personal risk.'

Morgan said. 'We need to decide. Majority rules. All in favour of going out there?'

It was unanimous. All hands were raised in the air.

'Outside it is,' said Rocky.'I'll advise Mars.'

Back on Mars, having received the news from Earth, Forbes paced the floor. 'I have that mother hen feeling again, Pottsy.'

'Again? Mine never goes away. It's like having a family of thousands to watch over.'

'Yeah. And right now, eight of ours are about to go out into...' He shrugged. 'And there never seems to be a right decision. I still think we should tell their families what's happening.'

Potts said, 'Go out in space, you're in danger. On Mars there's danger. We can't go around alarming people just because people go out of one danger into another. Trust them to make the right decisions.'

Forbes sighed. 'It doesn't get any easier. I'm off to bed before I lay an egg.'

Forbes went off for a well earned rest, leaving Potts in charge.

'W
hat are those?' Ramshorn asked.

'Emergency flares,' said Mantle. 'We have them handy when we are here, there and everywhere on Moon, just in case. Snap the top off here and it's a good safe light. I figure it'll be pretty dark in that city. These give off useful light for up to two hours. I've a box of fifty here.'

'Good thinking.'

With the suits air supplies replenished, armed only with a radiation monitor, the eight men walked down the ramp. Rocky closed the ramp from outside and staying close together, they pushed through gnarled, sickly vegetation. A tar-sealed road of sorts led to the huge main entrance of the volcano city. At least there should have been a main entrance somewhere. A fall of rock covered the steel, grey painted door. Once slid open, it would be large enough for vehicles to go in and out.

'There must be a smaller side door,' said Mantle.

Richie said, 'Look. Some of the top of the door's exposed. There's a smaller door built into the main door.'

'We need to to shift the rock,'said Mantle. 'We need the dozer.'

Richie said, 'Come on, Max. Let me on the ship and I'll get the dozer here in no time.'

'Ok.'

'We'll take a look around in the meantime,' said Rocky. 'We won't stray far.'

Max and Richie walked back the way they came. 'Is this place creepy, or what?' said Richie.

'I'm not planning to hang around a minute longer than we need.' They soon reached the second section where the dozers were secured. Max keyed in the four digit code and the ramp gently swung down. A cold feeling crept up between Morgan's shoulder blades. He dared to look around. 'It's probably my excessive paranoia, but I can't shake off the feeling something is watching us.'

There was a sudden roar, and Richie drove the dozer down the ramp.

Once clear of the ship, Morgan shut the hatch up and jumped on beside Richie. In minutes, they were at the entrance, the others waiting for them.

'You didn't find another way in, I suppose?' Morgan asked.

'We didn't go far,' said Rocky, but no. Don't ask me where, but a half hour has already gone.'

Richie revved up the dozer and the sound echoed like a wild beast. 'Out of the way, people. I got a job to do.'

As Richie used his years of experience to safely remove the piles of rocks, Morgan stood quietly at the side of Rocky.

Rocky picked up on Morgan's uncharacteristic nervousness. This was a man who thought little of diving out of a ship into deep space. 'Are you ok?'

Morgan stared out at the scrappy greenery; the dying plants couldn't have concealed much...'Yeah. I just want to get home.' The rocks were gradually cleared and the door was exposed. He tried the small door; a double handed lever. 'Locked. Or jammed shut.' 

'Step aside,' said Richie.

Morgan obliged and Richie hammered the small door with the scoop of the dozer. The flaking, rusting paint showered down. 'Try that now.'

Both Morgan and Ramshorn grabbed the lever and pulled. Something gave and the lever moved down. It took all their combined strength, but rasping like a freshly excavated sarcophagus, the small door swung open. It was pitch black inside, and they turned on their helmet lights that did little to penetrate the depressing gloom.

'After you,' said Rocky.

'Gee, thanks, partner.'

Morgan stepped inside.

'W
ait,' said John Mantle. He cracked a flare and hurled it inside. Guided by that, they entered the vast, cavernous mountain. 'Stick together.'

Morgan asked. 'What's the radiation reading in here, Rocky?'

Ramshorn took the reading. 'Slightly lower than outside. Not a place to hang around in.'

They couldn't see the top of the inside of the volcano, such was its height and the shadows, seemingly with lives of their own, were chased by the light from the spluttering flare. At the time of building, consideration had been given to elevators, dismissed because of dwindling resources and a power supply so unpredictable it was deemed pointless. Steel stairs seemed to wrap a spiders web around the interior, and then upwards to an incomprehensible spider, hidden in places no man was supposed to tread.

'Shit,' said Morgan. 'I hope we don't have to go up there.'

Rocky said, 'John. Where's your best guess for a couple of pumps?'

'The basement. I'm guessing this thing has such a thing.'

'Most of the city was underground,' said Morgan, 'Or so I heard. They had thousands in here and kept going down.'

'Only the top people lived up there,' said Rocky. 'Is that a ramp?'

Another flare illuminated the wide, gently sloping ramp. Parked, more like abandoned, were about fifty electrically powered vehicles.

Richie said, 'This is how they travelled about in here.' They were of the simplest controls, on, off, forwards, backwards, and a steering wheel. Ever the optimist, Richie tried the on switch. 'Dead.'

Morgan said, 'This one's still hooked up to a charging unit.' He turned the buggy on and lights came on. 'Yeah. Now this is what I'm talking about.' Jumping in the drivers seat, he stamped on the accelerator, only to have the buggy slam into the nearest wall.

Rocky gave him a round of applause. 'Maybe you should walk. Safer for all of us.'

'I got this.' Morgan eased into reverse and missed Mantle by inches. 'Sorry.'

'Hey. And they got you flying Big Bird?'

Morgan got off the buggy. 'Maybe I'll walk after all.'

'Good idea,' said Rocky, his face lit up in a spectral grin by the flares.

Mantle said, 'This buggy might come in handy for getting the pumps to the exit.'

'In that case, be my guest,' said Morgan with a wave at the vehicle.

Mantle, took the wheel, Richie and Rocky got in the spare seats. Driving like he'd been using the buggy all his life, Mantle steered the vehicle to the top of the ramp and at a walking pace for the others to keep up, entered the city where the less privileged hung on to their miserable existences. From the ramp, countless levels of steel floors crossed from one side to the other, grey steel walls with grey steel doors, opened into living accommodation, no better than prison cells.

Morgan opened one. It made his home on Mars seem like the ultimate luxury pad. A basic cot, a couple of chairs. Signs of scant personal possessions. He looked into several others, seeing next to nothing to distinguish one from the other.

'They fought wars to live like this?' Morgan said aloud. Then something occurred to him. Where were the people? If they died, where were their remains? He was sure the others all wondered the same thing. On they went, looking briefly in a few of the rooms. It was the same story everywhere. Minimal signs of habitation completely without embellishment. But not a dead body to be found. They were brought to a halt by Mantle hitting the brake on the buggy.

'Medical centre.'

It was in there they found the first dead body.

I
t was a singularly sobering moment. All eight of them gathered around the body. It was strangely fresh looking, and yet logic dictated the man had died several years before. He was dressed only in a patients medical gown, otherwise naked. The exposed flesh was disfigured by contusions and lesions. Large boils, most having ruptured, covered his face and neck, and they assumed they covered most parts of his body. Nobody ventured to find out.

The way he lay was telling. The expression on his face was one of agony and terror. He was half sitting on the floor, propped up by the wall, his hands reaching out to someone unable or unwilling to help him. Had it not been for the need for anything medical, equipment, medicines, they would not have lingered one second longer. They had to close their minds to the horror, and gather all they could.'

Rocky said, 'If it's ok with you guys, Max and I will gather everything we can find worth taking and pile it outside the door. Perhaps you can carry on down and see if you can locate a couple of pumps.'

'Rather you then me in here,' said Mantle. 'Come on people. Time's running out.'

Stepping around the body, Morgan and Ramshorn raided every cupboard, locker and cabinet. They found just two bedsheets in the place and used those to pile everything into. The sheets were so full, they could hardly carry them. Whatever had killed the poor soul on the floor,  none of the medicines had been effective on him. With the gathering completed, Rocky stared at the body.