Outpost |
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Little
Rex to the rescue
The tactile
alert signal of Lucky's wrist communicator goes off and Crazys
face appears above her wrist. 'I'm encountering a problem here, Luck.
The Dino got stuck in the stream when I lost control and it slipped
away from the ford. It now stands between some loose rocks and with
the storm going on I can not go outside to clear a path back to the ford.'
'Understood.
What do you plan to do? You cant stay there and sit it out.
With the heavy rainfall the waters are going to become stronger by
the hour. And if they do not carry away the Dino, then it is likely
going to be damaged when ice shelves will start to form as soon as
the temperature drops further.'
'Yes, I had
worked that out for myself. I expect that the Dino will survive but
the risk is too great for my liking. I have decided to move to Little
Rex. It is tugged to the Dinos rear end that is still more or
less on the ford, so I should be able to drive Rex from there safely
to the bank.'
'Sounds good to
me, Craze. Keep me informed if you encounter any more problems. I
will switch the domes skin to transparent so that you can see
where to go.'
'Thanks.
Ill see you in a few minutes if everything works out.'
Lucky asks
Margie to switch the dome skin to transparent and suddenly she finds
herself looking out into the utter darkness. The only visible part of
the dome is the exo-skeleton that gives the dome its stability.
Through the transparent skin she now sees the damaged sustaining leg
and with the naked eye she can see the slight tremors that run
through it.
But her eyes
drift away from the leg, only to be met by a near black nothingness
filled with a curtain of windswept rain from which the dome's light
reflects. Occasionally the air is torn apart by a lightning streak
and she can see the stream flow about hundred meters away from the
dome, some light reflecting from the foamy heads that form where the
currents hit an underwater obstacle.
About one
kilometer down the stream is the ford, but no matter how hard she
tries she can not see that far though the continuous downpour.
'Craze, how are
you. Can you see the dome?'
'I can just
make it out every now and then, but that should be sufficient to find
the way. I am now inside Little Rex and just about to leave the Dino.
A few minutes
later Crazy sees a dark shadow appear, aiming for the dome's airlock.
She notices the faint bump when Little Rex docks with the outer door
of the airlock. There is a faint hissing sound as the airlock chamber
is filled with air from the dome interior and then Crazy steps out.
'Its good
to see you back, Craze.'
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