Chromium

Chapter 16.7

First draft  

When the transport ship departed, Dia just stood there, too shocked to move, too tired to think. 

She was so out of it that she almost didn't hear Rodriguez say, "...theart! Can you hear me?"

The merc was yelling on the comms, but Dia could barely hear her.

"Maria?" She asked softly. Her eyelids felt heavy, her body numb. 

"Thank God you answered!" Rodriguez sounded relieved, "Listen, you don't have much time left. We can get you out of there, but you have to work with us."

When Dia heard that there was still a glimmer of hope, her survival instincts kicked in. She stood more upright, her voice regaining some of its former strength, "How?"

Rodriguez paused, "I'm afraid we'll have to do it the hard way."

I don't like where this is going.

"Don't tell me..."

"You'll have to jump." Rodriguez said, confirming her fears. "Search the hangar. There should be a spacesuit somewhere."

"Why don't you just pick us up?" Dia couldn't help but ask.

"Because we can't." Rodriguez shot back with an unusual note of frustation. The merc took a deep breath. "The Nostromus has been badly damaged by the EMP and since the turbolifts are not working at the moment, we can't use the shuttles either."

EMP? What EMP?

"Listen, we don't have time for this." Rodriguez' voice interrupted her thoughts. "Find a spacesuit."

Dia eyed the datapad. Rodriguez was right. She had less than four minutes left. The problem was she could hardly stand, let alone walk. Well aware she needed help, Dia started rifling through her pockets. She still had a vial of Spice and the bottle of adrenaline stimulants Ferguson had given her on Daxum. After a second of hesitation, she chose the latter. That was neither the time nor the place to get horny. As soon as she swallowed the pill, her heart started pounding and a rush of energy filled her. Although it was nothing compared to the almost unlimited amount of energy the Spice provided, it was enough to rid herself of the lethargy seeping into her body.

She started ransacking the place, searching through the lockers until she found what she was looking for. A spacesuit. It was a very old model, which was not a surprise, considering how old the station was. Unfortunately, there was only one.

"I've got it, but Omen..." She cast a worried glance at Omen who still lying unconscious.

"Don't worry, corporal." Mitchell interjected. "According to my readings, the captain's exoskeleton should be intact. Just put his helmet back on."

Dia wasted no more time arguing and wore the spacesuit. The only thing she could do was hope that the pilot was right. Following Mitchell's advice, Dia put his helmet back on, making sure it was airtight. Then she dragged Omen toward the hangar's door, grabbed the cable mounted on the front of her spacesuit and attached it to his exoskeleton's belt. When she was done, she was panting for breath, her muscles aching all over like after an intense workout. The stimulants were already wearing off. 

"Alright. I'm ready."

"Buckle up, Sweetheart." Rodriguez said. "It's going to be a bumpy ride."

Then, without warning, the door opened, and Dia and Omen were pushed out by the air rushing to fill the void. When it was over she felt disorientated, tired and so drained of energy, she nearly passed out. That was when she realized someone was shouting.

"...the thrusters!" The merc's voice echoed in her headset, reminding her they weren't out of woods yet. "Turn on the thrusters!

Dia opened her tired eyes, turning her head just in time to see the station's hull imploding at the pressure of the released energy. Then, as thousands of fragments of various sizes darted in a dozen directions, some of which directly toward them, she pushed the button, activating the spacesuit's thruster. While they propelled her and Omen onward like bullets, away from danger, she finally passed out.