Runaway World

Damage Assessment

     Alarms blared as the rover fell. Andrew and Cheval were thrown forward in their seats as the rover tipped forward, then they were momentarily weightless as a wall of ice rose before them outside the cockpit window. Then they hit something. The downward motion was momentarily halted and Andrew's chin hit the instrument panel making his teeth bite down hard on his tongue. He heard Cheval give a cry of pain as the base of his spine came down on the edge of his seat.

     Then the rover was falling again as the floor of the ancient building gave way under them and they fell another level. Darkness surrounded them as they became momentarily weightless again and Andrew braced himself for another impact. He was vaguely aware of red warning lights appearing all across the instrument panel as the vehicle suffered damage in various places.

     The second impact threw him hard onto the floor of the rover between the chair and the instrument panel. A moment later Cheval fell on him and their heads knocked together with an impact that almost stunned them both. The rover tipped this way and that as if it were balanced on something, undecided which way it was going to fall. Then it fell forward again, shuddering as its front wheels came to rest on something hard. The two men braced themselves anxiously as they waited to see if the rover would drop further, but it seemed to be stable for the time being and they cautiously picked themselves up off the floor.

     Andrew's tongue hurt him and he stuck a finger in his mouth. It came out stained with blood. He swallowed repeatedly, tasting more blood. His vision swam as his brain tried to decide whether or not he would pass out. He made himself remain conscious with an act of will.

     The alarms were still blaring. He forced his eyes to focus so he could see the instrument panel and find the control to turn them off. Beside him, he saw Cheval gently fingering his face, feeling for broken bones. "Is that it?" the Sergeant asked. "Are we at the bottom?"

     "Don't know," Andrew managed to say. The rover was angled sharply forward so that the floor rose behind them. He cast his eyes across the window and was relieved to see that none of its three layers were cracked. They wouldn't have to worry about breathing vacuum if it suddenly gave way. He froze, straining every sense to try to feel if the rover was still moving. Was there another floor of the building under them, getting ready to give way? Could any slightest movement cause them to drop again, maybe causing them further damage?

     The door flew open to reveal Windsor looking battered and half stunned and with a cut on his forehead that he was pressing a rag to. He had one foot raised as if it was hurting. "What happened?" he asked. It was a rhetorical question. It was obvious what had happened.

     "How bad is it back there?" asked Cheval.

     "Didn't have much chance to look. You've probably got a better idea here." He waved a hand at the status panel with its kaleidoscope of red, yellow and green lights.

      Andrew turned to look at it. Some of the red lights were already turning to yellow of their own accord as automatic systems went to work, re-routing damaged lines and bypassing compromised valves and conduits. Most of the rover's systems were designed to be easily accessible for field repairs, but some of the red lights indicated damage to the vehicle's chassis. Damage that could only be repaired in a city garage. Andrew felt a sick feeling rising in his stomach. This rover was his family's home. They'd put everything into it. The city would help him with the repairs if it was damaged while on city business, of course. They'd even replace it if it was unsalvageable, but that wasn't the point. He'd spent five years working on it. Performing minor repairs, carrying out minor improvements. It felt as though he'd put part of his soul into it. A part that would be lost forever if it had to be replaced.