The Forgotten Star by Greene Joseph

Author:Greene, Joseph [Greene, Joseph]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
Amazon: B0007E8PLK
Publisher: Golden Press
Published: 1959-01-02T05:00:00+00:00

12 The Secret of the Asteroid

They wasted precious minutes standing on the asteroid and peering at the distant spaceship. The bubble in the air gauge moved down steadily until it stood at fifteen minutes.

Jim called their attention to the time in a hopeless voice. “Fifteen minutes! Only fifteen minutes left.”

“Only one thing to do,” Dig said grimly. “We’ll try to jet across to the Viking.”

“We haven’t a chance,” Ken stated, calmly prepared to accept the fact. “But if we have to die out there in space, at least we’ll be trying and fighting. I’m ready, Dig.”

“That goes for me, too,” Jim agreed. “What do we do?”

“We’ve got enough oxygen for fourteen minutes,” Dig said. “Cut your oxygen feed in half. We’ll breathe an air mixture that has only half the oxygen we need, but it’ll last us twenty-eight minutes.”

“Right!” Jim and Ken did as their friend directed.

“Hook your safety lines to my belt,” Dig went on. “I’ll take the lead. When I give the signal, jump head first at the Viking.”

“We’re ready. Count off!”

“Three! Two! One! Leap!”

At the signal, the three boys hurled themselves spaceward, Dig leaping a fraction of a second before the others. The unusually light gravity of Eros which had been the cause of their predicament, now favored them, and their Earth developed muscles propelled them swiftly into space.

“How fast are we going?” Jim asked after a while.

The Viking seemed no nearer than before they started.

“Not fast enough!” Dig replied. “Here we go!”

He pressed the jet stud in his belt and held it for two minutes while a stream of air spurted behind him. The safety lines between the boys tightened, but there was no other indication of increased speed.

“Cut it out, Dig!” Jim cried over the radicom. “You’re using up your air supply!”

“I’ve got twenty-two minutes left,” Dig said. “You should have about twenty-six each.”

“Sure, but that’s not enough to get us there,” Ken said.

“Cut oxygen supply in half again!”

“All right,” Jim called.

He adjusted the setting of the valve and immediately began to feel the effects. Only a quarter of the oxygen his body needed was now being mixed into the air circulating through his space-helmet. A drowsiness began to nag at his mind and he had to fight to keep himself awake. He lost track of time, drifting helplessly in absolute zero gravity.

“Jim! Ken! Keep awake!” Dig’s voice was very close, seeming to shout into his ears.

Jim blinked open his eyes. The Viking was now close, almost within reach.

“How long…has it been?” Jim had to struggle to get his words out.

“Check your…air gauge!” Dig said, breathing hard.

“Six minutes…about,” Ken gasped.

Jim couldn’t focus his eyes on the gauge. Everything about him seemed blurred and unreal.

“I don’t know…can’t read it.”

“Cut the oxygen supply in half again!”

“There’s no…oxygen in the air now,” Jim pleaded hoarsely. “Please, Dig, I can’t!”

“Do it!”

With groping fingers, clumsy and stiff, Jim found the valve and cut his oxygen mixture.

“All right?” Dig called.

“Yes,” Jim called.

“Ken?”

“Yes.”

“Save your breath from now on.” Dig heard the rasping breathing over his earphones and knew his friends were still fighting to live.

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