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March 8, 2024

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Stuck under the ice on Europa. Again.

 

Leeya surveyed the not-quite claustrophobic grey-paneled interior of the ice tunneler and located her entertainment module.

 

"What are we watching while we wait for retrieval?" Leeya said into her suit’s comm.

 

"We've watched everything.” Issa sighed. “How many times does an icequake have to trap us before Corporate fixes the emergency heating modules on these beat-up old drills?”

 

"I’d settle for them having someone on-moon to come bail us out when we inevitably get stuck." Leeya scrolled the entertainment options. “Though I suppose there could be worse ways to get paid than sitting around and watching reruns.”

 

"Don't know about that. Last time it took them so long to dig us out that I hallucinated. Tunneler fever."

 

Leeya shook her head even though she knew Issa couldn't see from her tunneler. "You ran out of sleeping pills and had withdrawals, that's all."

 

Issa huffed. "Tell that to the fire creature that latched onto my hull. They never explained that burn mark, you know."

 

Leeya shuddered. That had been weird. How could a tunneler in a fractured Europan glacier get burned so badly?

 

She changed the subject for both their benefits. "How about Titan Survivor?" There was something so addicting to her about reality shows where humans defied the odds by overcoming conditions they had never evolved to live in.

 

“That stuff is garbage.” Issa snorted. “Besides, I've already seen it like five times."

 

Leeya chuckled to herself and then adjusted her signal amplifier, hoping for a comms ping. No response from Corporate. Not that she had really expected one. It'd take another hour to get a message at the earliest — transit to Earth, formulate an answer, transit back. Plus, it was Earth Saturday. The office would be nearly empty.

 

"Fine, you pick," Leeya said. She and Issa had become close during their ‘limbo times’ trapped in the ice. The way they bickered reminded Leeya of arguing with her younger sister when they were kids.

 

"That's what I'm saying — there's nothing TO..." Issa cut off suddenly.

 

"Issa, repeat."

 

"I... Hang on."

 

Objects clattered. Suit fibers rustled.

 

"What's going on?" Leeya asked, her heart rate climbing. Something was wrong about Issa’s voice. Too flat. Dazed.

 

There was a thud, shuffling, and the familiar sounds of a headset settling into place.

 

“Heck if I know. Dang rats chittering outside. Had to knock on the windows to get them to shut up,” said Issa without a single hint of jest.

 

Leeya swallowed, felt the walls of the tunneler inch closer to her now clammy skin. She tried her best to steady her voice.

 

“Issa, we’re on Europa in our ice tunnelers. There are no rats here, especially not outside.” If Issa was pranking her, she had gone too far this time.

 

Issa’s response was the friction of suit fibers anxiously swishing past one another, followed by a clunk. Then again the settling of a headset.

 

“Talk to me.” Leeya said anxiously. Now would be a great time to hear from Corporate.

 

“Whew. Feels good to be out of that suit. So hot in here.”

 

Leeya pulled up the readouts for Issa’s tunneler. “Issa, what the heck? Turn down your heater; you’ll run out of energy before Corporate gets here.”

 

“Heater? I’ve got A/C on full blast.”

 

The temperature on the display shot up. “You’re at fifty centigrade. What’s going on?” Leeya’s voice cracked.

 

“Sixty now,” Issa said, her tone bordering on delirium. She laughed.

 

Leeya watched in horror as the temperature passed seventy.

 

“You again, you fiery jerk?” Issa slurred. “Let’s finish this!”

 

“Who are you talking to?” Leeya shouted. “Issa! Answer me!”

 

The comm cut. A bead of sweat traced its way down the small of Leeya’s back. That’s when she noticed her cabin’s temperature gauge slowly start to creep upward.

Copyright 2024 - SFS Publishing LLC

Moving the Needle

It took them so long to dig us out

Jason P. Burnham

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