Part 4
"You've lost both your bet and one of our ground personnel, Des."
Des didn't immediately reply. He was attempting to route some of the probes to the site Chava and Lucifer had last catalogued. The thick cloud cover and tropical thunderstorm weren't assisting matters, as the electrical discharges blocked communication with the probes.
"I didn't want to win by losing someone, Des!"
"We haven't lost anyone, Angie. We know exactly where they are and I'm trying to find out more about their condition." Des kept his focus on the probes. He sent an aerial one into the storm and promptly lost contact with it. Experimentally, he sent in a second, only to lose that, too.
"…spond," Chava said. "Pl…spond."
"Chava? I repeat, your colleague is not responding. Please report on his location." Angie waited, worried.
"His protective covering is damaged. Request assistance or recovery. Please respond," Chava said urgently.
"Location. We have no location or response from him, Chava. Please report location," Angie replied.
"Here," Chava said. Angie fell silent as her data stream showed Lucifer's injuries as Chava saw them. "He's here with me."
"Fuck! I've lost a third one!" Des interrupted. "How can I help them when I can't get a probe to their location? The storm's wreaking havoc with the equipment."
"We have a probe in their location. Chava. She can relay any information we require," Angie started to say, but as she said the words, the image Chava broadcast began to blur.
"Chava!"
Even as they watched, the image blurred into blackness.
YOU ARE READING
Genesis
Science Fiction"Who'll notice if we blow up another planet, Angie? Plenty more where this one came from." A paradise planet, a lost world...and love. Angie and Des, terraforming engineers on the vessel Genesis, encounter a new planet. With no signs of life except...
