Page 54 - The Muse 2019-20 Issue

kicked my way up through the depths, looking at the wreckage in the sky. Finally, I reached the air, and quickly took off my helmet, hoping for something breathable, for an atmosphere that would allow me to live. I took a deep gasp as I breathed, finally, with pure air. I stared into the cool blue sky, now plagued with the hue of the red blaze.
“Colonel! Colonel, over here!” a voice said, coming from the north. I shook to see Rida and Eve, my two partners, sitting on a small island of about ten feet in length. Swiftly, I made my way over to them, greeting them with the widest smile I could muster on my face as chunks of the Astra II fell over us. I pushed my hands over the sand as I lifted myself out of the water, and onto stable ground. To the right of my helmet, a bright red was flashing. Oxygen levels would be depleted in one minute. Subsequently, I pointed to the light. All three of us were wearing helmets, so it was only a matter of time until we were forced to take them off. The possibility of not having oxygen didn’t occur to me until I was taking off my helmet. I held my breath for as long as I could, then took a deep breath on the bountiful, oxygenated planet that was the globe we were standing on. My partners followed, breathing in this new atmosphere.
“We did it! I can’t believe it! We...” Eve stopped, as she stared into the sky of red flames. “Yeah. Seems that Carter and Buck weren’t so lucky,” I responded.
“No, they weren't. But that was the past, Elon. Get yer head in the game! We need to get into
action.” Rida criticized, acting as the strongman of the group. I took a moment to consider the destruction of our research vessel, of our friends, and the information that we had lost. It was truly a disaster. We sat there on the beached island, staring at the unrelenting cosmos above us as the solitude of this barren planet set in. Our minds started to ease, as panic flowed out of our bodies. Until it appeared. The Leviathan, a huge snake-like monster sprung up from the depths. It must have been about fifteen feet long as it towered over us, fangs itching out of its mouth as its blue scales shivered in the cold air. Long arms ran down its side, clad in scaly appendages. Our eyes met with hers, a weak prey to the predator. It struck down, smashing the sand-island into shreds as it exploded back into the water. The blast threw us out tumbling into the water, and as debris flew from the heavens, the beast retreated, as it was struck from a flying piece of metal. In minutes, the water settled, and I got my bearings. I had landed on a small piece of wood. With my hands, I paddled towards Rida and Eve, picking them up on the raft. As we sat, the raft drifted into the water slowly, tumbling down the ocean that was the planet.
“I’m keeping calm. I’m keeping calm! I’m not going to freak out. I promise. Alright?” Rida stared as we shook our heads reluctantly.
“Well this is perfect! Not only do we not have food, water, or any contact, we now also have a giant sea creature chasing our tails!” Rida yelled, showing anger as her face reddened.
“Calm down,” I said. “Everything is going to be fine, as long as we stick together on this. Nobody lose our heads.”
“Well, what do we do? We’re stuck here,” Eve asked.
“Not with this!” I showed a chip, and some sort of antenna that I pulled from my jacket. “This, right here, is our ticket out. It’s the receiver antenna and the transfer chip! The only thing we’re missing is...well...every bit of electronics.” The smiles on their faces were wiped away as the realization of our victory was short lived. As Eve and I sat there trying to think, Rida ducked over and fished something from the water. It was a small canister, painted white and black. Upon opening, we found a small survival kit, some plugs, and most importantly of all, a wind generator. It was about the size of a dishwasher, and, being properly mounted, could convert the wind into a constant source of electricity. If the stars aligned, we could maybe make this work.
The next week was spent fixing our raft and settling into a comfortable position. We sat back on the wooden logs piled onto each other, accepting the splinters baring into our backs, and the blazing sun cutting into our skin. We stared at the endless horizon that looped out and back, reflecting endless glory and sunken moonbeams. As I sunk my feet in the water, I could feel the cold remnants of the now sunken ship, the vessel of our past which we had relied on for so long. Chunks of steel, metal, plastic, and wood hit my toes. The once clear ocean was now littered with the acne of civilization. The ferns grew out from underneath us, padding our ship like an anchor as to a boat, stable yet stranded, unsinkable yet unthinkable. I thought of our home: the white room, with black curtains, near the station. Oh, how I
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