Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. This is one of the first things they tell you as you exit the spaceport and step into the airlock, not looking behind as you clasp your helmet to your suit. A tap on your shoulder gets your attention as you turn and see your companion waving at you and pointing to the side of her helmet, and that’s when you realize you didn’t have your communications enabled yet and you flick the switch. “Well it’s about time, I’ve been trying to get your attention for the past ten minutes,” click, as you reach up and turn your radio off again not wanting to hear her at the time. You walk ahead towards the airlock door and approach the control panel, flicking on your radio again. “Agent 327 and agent 326 have arrived at the airlock and are preparing to exit the facility,” you say as you wait for a reply, listening to the static. “Agent 327 and agent 326 proceed with your operation and good luck,” was the last thing you heard when you turned and looked at agent 326. A slow hissing sound could be heard as the airlock began to release as agent 327 enter the commands into the control panel and the door released as a swirl of dust came into the chamber. Looking at each other, they gathered their equipment and began to load the rover for their trip through the valley to the other side where they were trying to establish a colony on the edge of the great forest. Since the discovery of an ecosystem on one of Jupiter’s moons over five hundred years ago, more and more people have been arriving to try and start a new life on the small one. There had been colonies starting up all around the valley, but most of them failed because they didn’t know the ecosystem and how to filter the water properly causing the settlers to die. This didn’t discourage them to stop coming and agents 326 and 327 were part of a special agency that was on J-moon X2 to keep everyone safe, but as the colonies grew the demand for cleaner water grew, and so did the corrupt organizations trying to control these very assets.
As they finished loading the rover different sounds could be heard all around, for they knew nothing of the wildlife in this forest and only tales they heard from some of the colonists. They then jumped into their seats as the hum of the electric motor came to life and they began their twenty-kilometre journey through the valley. Their journey brought them to a clearing where a herd of hordu, (they are like the horses on earth but are twice as big and have six legs and two tails), were grazing, and some of the colonists even tamed some of them to help with the farming and work, jumped and ran off when they saw the rover coming their way as the two agents made their way across the clearing. Gazing into the sky you could see the clouds of Jupiter as they swirled out of control by the constant storms below and how the lightning danced across the clouds always just out of reach of the frail moon as each night there is a different light show, so scary, yet so beautiful as you stop the rover to take in the light show. As quickly as it started it stopped as the giant planet slowly drifted further away and the two agents continued on their way. For a moon with its own ecosystem, the oxygen was very toxic from the vegetation and helmets had to be constantly worn while you were outside the facilities. One of the colonists didn’t believe what we were saying after he saw all the vegetation and tried to tell everyone it was a hoax so he put a helmet on and when he left the airlock, removed his helmet and within seconds he was dead as his head imploded. They keep reminding the colonist by showing the video at least once a day for the new arrivals.
Agent 326 and Agent 327 continued on their path across the clearing when there was a large explosion coming from the new colony they were heading for and the rover was going as fast as it could so agent 327 jumped off the speeder and began running. Because of the low gravity, he moved much faster than the rover as he bounded over the terrain. “I’ll meet you there,” he said as he vanished out of sight over the ridge. Agent 326 slowly made her way along and once she topped the ridge she could see what the explosion was. Someone had sabotaged the environmental stabilizer and there was a tower of smoke and some flame seen coming from it. Agent 326 looked around through her bio-focals to see if she could see agent 327 and noticed him coming up on the destroyed tower from the east while there was a different group that she did not know who they were coming from the west and she tried to reach her partner but all she could hear was static, someone was jamming their communications so she hid the rover in a crevasse and covered it with vegetation and then ran as fast as she could to get to the other agent. Sliding down over the embankment she could see the other group closing in on her partner and there was nothing she could do as she watched the saboteurs bound her partner and drag him off towards some kind of vehicle and then headed east back to the colony and agent 326 sat there helplessly not knowing what to do.
About the Creator
K.C. Keats
K.C. is from a small community on the east coast of Newfoundland, Canada, and has been writing for over twenty years.
Keep reading
More stories from K.C. Keats and writers in Fiction and other communities.
Mystery Train
Waking up cold and clammy you roll from the bench of the carriage onto the floor which is covered in water from the rain pouring through the carriage window from the storm outside. Stumbling to your feet you try and close the window but it would not move as the rain stung as it hit your face and you are forced to give up. Where am I? You ask yourself as you fumble through your pockets looking for your ticket. If I'm on a train I must have a ticket you think to yourself, but find nothing but empty pockets and a key. Once again you are on the floor in the water as the carriage rocks back and forth recklessly as it goes around a turn as it's out of control or there is no one at the controls. Grabbing the handle on the door, you haul yourself to your feet only to be knocked down again, and again, every time you tried to stand. You give it one final attempt and brace yourself up against the wall, reaching for the door handle, you grab it and try to open the door which slides open and you leap into the corridor closing the door behind you. There are no windows and you can hear the howling of the wind and the rain hitting the train as you stand in the corridor trying to figure out what to do next. You walk by several cabins only to see them empty and you begin to wonder if you are the only person on board this runaway train which seems to be gaining speed with no intention to stop. As you come up on the next carriage you find that the door is locked and you reach into your pocket and retrieves the key that you had. I wonder? You think to yourself as you try the key in the door and it unlocks and you step into the next carriage and think to yourself. Am I the conductor of this train? If so, where are all the passengers and why was I in that carriage? You think to yourself. You try to remember what you were doing the day before and why you are on an out-of-control train right now? Your head starts to hurt and you can't remember a thing and just decides to keep looking for clues to this mystery you find yourself in and to see if you can figure a way out of this when you find yourself on the floor in one of the carriages once again as the train goes around another sharp turn without slowing. Getting to your feet once again, you make the decision that you have to reach the engine and see if you can slow this ticking time bomb down before you reach the end of the line, where ever it might be. It could come at any time so you do not know how much time you have and you pick up your pace when you reach the next door which is also locked, but you do not have the key on you, you must have lost it when you fell into the carriage as you turn around and head back to the place where you fell down. Looking around you can not find the key as panic starts to set in, calm down, you think to yourself and you slowly relax when you notice the key under the bench behind the leg and you reach in and grab it. Climbing back to your feet, you make your way to the locked door and when you open it, you are knocked back against the wall from the force of the wind knocking the air from your lungs. Sitting there you gasp for your breath as the rain pours in soaking you as you try to get to your feet. Peering out through the driving rain you see that there is a flat car between you and the next carriage. As you gather your strength you make a run for it, the wind and rain hit you like a wall but you bend forward and persevere, falling to your knees you start the crawl as the wind tries to knock you from the speeding train. You keep looking down and can't see anything around you cause the rain blinds you every time you try to look up, so you keep feeling your way ahead until you finally reached the next carriage. Fumbling with the key, trying not to drop it with your cold bloody fingers, you manage to get it in the lock and open the door and stumble into the dry carriage. Rolling over and laying on your back you struggle to catch your breath when you hear something at the other end of the carriage. Ripping some strips from your shirt, you bandage your fingers and struggle back to your feet. By now you are exhausted and cold and do not know how much longer you can carry on as you stumble your way to the front of the carriage and the sound you heard. Fumbling with the key in your bandaged fingers, you manage to get the door open and finally make it to the engine. "Hello, hello, is there anyone there? A voice could be heard through the radio and you reach for it and in a raspy voice, you answer. "Help, the train is out of control and I don't know how to stop it," you say as you fall to the floor and you hear a voice. "Stop simulation, that's it, folks." and then laughter could be heard from many different people as they left the building. What had just happened? You just sit down and put your head in your arm when you feel a hand on your shoulder. "You don't remember too much about your promotion party to Head conductor do you?" he said as he walked away.
By K.C. Keats2 years ago in Fiction
The Mysterious Case Files
Chapter 2: The Enigma of the Egyptian Tomb In the heart of the scorching Egyptian desert, amidst the shifting sands and ancient ruins, lay a tomb that had remained undisturbed for centuries. Known only as the Tomb of the Eternal Pharaoh, it was said to hold untold riches and treasures beyond imagination. But it was also rumored to be cursed, with those who dared to enter never returning.
By Mayowa timilehin2 days ago in Fiction
Vocal Bonus Leaderboard: 05/01/2024
Welcome to the weekly update of the Leaderboard! We're thrilled to showcase Vocal's most discussed stories, popular picks, and rising stars. Let's dive into this past week's standout contributors and their remarkable achievements.
By Vocal Teamabout 18 hours ago in Resources
Comments (2)
Great story, you area a skilled writer. Had fun reading this story
Very insightful!