forbidden - chris beck

Chapter 24

Beck's P.O.V

"Watney! Collins!" Johanssen exclaimed.

"What happened?" I yelled back to her.

"Something hit them!" She reported. "They went off in different directions. One minute they were behind me and the next, they weren't." She panicked.

"Watney, report. Collins, report" Lewis commanded, but she was met with silence. She asked once more but again she was met with the same answer.

My heart began racing at the thought of loosing her.

"Martinez, get to the MAV and prep for launch. Everyone else, line up and walk west."

"They have less than a minute to survive decompression." I said, emotion choking my voice.

"Commander, the MAV has a seven-degree tilt. It'll tilt at 12.3." Martinez radioed.

"Copy that." Lewis said.

We continued pressing forward, shuffling through the sandstorm and hoping for a miracle. My eyes frantically searched around for the bodies, hopefully alive.

Johanssen called out their plaintext status reports, notifying the crew of their blood pressure and temperature.

"Beck, is their temperature normal?" Lewis called.

"Um..." I swallowed in attempt to compose myself. "It takes a while for the-" I stammered. "It takes a while to cool."

"Commander," Martinez said. "Tilting at 10.5 degrees now, almost pushing to eleven."

Lewis copied as Martinez clarified that he was ready to launch at any time.

"Everyone get to the MAV airlock. Get in and prep for launch. I'm searching a little longer.

"No way." I stated. "I'm looking too."

"Beck, back to the ship. That's an order." She spoke sternly.

With reluctance, Johanssen and Vogel turned around to head towards the ship while I stood conflicted. No way could I leave her.

"I'm not leaving." I looked around hopelessly for a sign of Watney or her. I couldn't help but think that the last few days I had spent with her were full of silence and unsaid words. There were so many things I wanted her to know that she didn't know yet.

"That's an order." Lewis said a little louder this time.

Vogel formed a tight grasp on my arm and pulled me in the direction of the MAV. Everything seemed a blur around me. My mind raced with ideas of what could be done, but there was nothing I could do. All I knew in that moment was that I would never be the same man again. Walking away was probably the stupidest yet sanest decision I ever made.

After Vogel realised I seemed to be reluctantly following, he let go of me and we boarded the MAV.

First Johanssen, then Vogel climbed the ladder and boarded the ship. As I ascended the ladder, I took one last desperate glance into the rocky distance of the storm, but saw nothing.

I clenched my jaw tightly before collapsing into the chair and roughly strapping myself in.

"There was nothing we could do." Martinez said in attempt to consolidate.

I said nothing in response and held back the tears that formed in my eyes. Suddenly, I kicked the panel in front of me as I tried to control my heavy breathing.

"Beck, you need to calm down." Johanssen spoke as Martinez radioed to Lewis.

How could I possibly be calm when I left her. I left her.

"I'm gonna fire the OMS, that should buy us a little more time." Martinez said.

"Commander, you need to get to the ship now." Vogel radioed. "They're gone." At this I shut my eyes tightly and clenched my fists.

"I just need one more minute." She responded.

I don't know what came over me in that moment, but I knew that if I didn't at least try, I'd regret it forever.

"A minute's all I need." I growled before rapidly unclasping my straps and heading towards the MAV entrance.

I heard unisons of "Beck!" From the crew, but I ignored each voice as they tried to persuade me to come back to my seat.

With haste, I climbed down the ladder and as fast as I could, headed in the first direction that I laid eyes on.

"Ava!" I yelled through the stormy atmosphere.

"Mark! Ava!" My attempts seemed faulted. Every stern command that Lewis have I dismissed immediately. Even if she was dead, I wanted to see her one last time.

After attempts to argue and insist on my return to the MAV, Lewis sighed and radioed to Martinez.

"Try the radar one more time." She said.

"Detecting..." Martinez replied. "Positive! The proximity radar detects something, south east from your position."

As soon as I heard the words, my heart lifted slightly in hope. Though I didn't want to set them too high. I headed in the direction with Lewis close behind.

"Over there!" Lewis yelled, spotting a white form in the distance.

With all my strength against the wind, I charged up to the sight.

"It's her, it's Collins!" My voice rasped out at the sight of her feminine face behind the helmet.

Immediately, both and Lewis noticed that her suit was a little ripped and she looked like she was struggling to breath. But she was alive.

"Tipping off drastically." Johanssen voiced through the radio. "11.6... 11.5...holding at 11.5."

"We're on our way." Placing her limp and unresponsive arms around our shoulders, we held her between us and pulled her along back into the direction of the MAV.

Each step was increasingly difficult. But we had come this far and I most definitely was not leaving without her.

"Any sign of Watney?" I radioed with one last attempt to the MAV.

"Negative." Martinez replied. "He's gone."

With a sigh, we stopped at the bottom of the ladder. My friend was gone, and if Ava didn't break me, Mark would.

With a struggle, all three of us boarded the MAV. Lewis and I helped Ava into her seat as she clutched her rib in pain, showing signs of her regaining consciousness.

"Still at pilot-release." Martinez said once we were all strapped in. "Ready for launch."

Lewis closed her eyes and nodded.

"I'm sorry, Commander," Martinez said. "You need to verbally-"

"Launch," she said.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, activating the sequence.