Warp Speed by Travis S. Taylor

Author:Travis S. Taylor
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science Fiction - Adventure, Science Fiction - Space Opera, Fiction - Science Fiction, Physicists - Fiction., Science Fiction & Fantasy, Technology transfer, Space flight - Fiction., Space Opera, Fiction, Science Fiction, Science Fiction - General, Suspense fiction, Adventure, Women astronauts - Fiction., General, Space flight, Women astronauts, Physicists
ISBN: 9780743488624
Publisher: Riverdale, NY : Baen Pub. Enterprises ; c2004.
Published: 2009-04-26T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

Anson, wake up!" Tabitha slapped me across the face. My head was pounding and I couldn't breathe. I heaved. Tabi--tha rolled me over onto all fours as I heaved again. I -vomited mostly blood and very few other fluids. I held myself steady on all fours for a moment longer and heaved once more.

"Anson, are you okay?"

"I think so." I made it to my feet, shook my head lightly, and looked at Tabitha. Her face was scratched up badly and her left eye was swollen shut with a big bloody gash just above it. Her flight suit was torn and bloody across her chest and left side. A slight trickle of blood was noticeable on her left earlobe.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'll live. It's superficial stuff. The worst part is that I think my left wrist is broken. Mostly, I just have a lot of pain. I can deal with that." She grimaced, "We have to get some help soon. You've lost a lot of blood. I'm getting concerned about you."

"Hell I can't believe we're still alive. How'd we survive that blast?"

"Simple shock wave aerodynamics," she replied. "I maxed our velocity to get us as high as fast as we could get. The air pressure is lower as you get higher of course. I managed to surf the wave as long as the aircraft would take it, which wasn't that long. When the aircraft came apart, the blast wave overtook us. Then we were on the inside of the wave. What is the air pressure behind a shock wave?" she quizzed me.

"Of course. The pressure behind a shock is at stagnation pressure of that gas. In Earth's atmosphere, that is one atmospheric pressure of air, mostly harmless. Genius! You knew we weren't going to make it. That is why you told me to wait on ejecting until you ordered me to. And you didn't order us to eject until we were inside the shock wave letting the plane take the force of the blast wave." That was more than I felt like saying at the time, but it was so brilliant I had to say something.

"That's it. You win the prize."

"God I love you," I gurgled. "Let's find a way to civilization. What do you think?" I scanned the area. "Where the heck are we?"

"I think we're about three miles north of the crash site. Airman Jason said that his Aunt Rosie lives near here. There might be civilization there." Tabitha paused and gazed at the total destruction around us, "Or at least what is left of it. Can you walk?"

"I guess I'd better." I coughed up more blood and gurgled a little as I inhaled. I felt weaker and more tired than I ever had in my life. It had been a long day. Thanks to the ECC explosion the terrain was a one big pile of rubble and smashed pine trees after another—it wasn't easy going. Jesus, the destruction!

We had been walking for more than thirty minutes before we came to a paved road.

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