“And we just strap into the same seats we launched in?” Spencer asked.
“Yep. No different procedure than launch, just a little different ride.” Idris smiled.
Jane and I shot each other a glance that was telling of our attitude about the situation.
“Anyway, I get the lovely task of telling this to every team in every pod, and then I get to go with the film crew. Aren’t I a lucky man?” he asked sarcastically. “I gotta go if I’m going to explain this to eight more teams. Wish me luck!” He climbed out of the porthole and into the next pod.
The room was silent.
AT 1700, FIVE HOURS since we talked to Idris, we were all in our suits and strapped into our seats. We had been sitting for nearly fifteen minutes when we heard the voice come through our helmets.
“Good evening! We are sure that Captain Idris has given you all some idea of what is going to be happening here shortly. We want to ensure that everyone has their suits on and is securely strapped in,” a sweet—as always—female voice said.
We all laughed a bit. What if someone isn’t strapped in?
“I want to direct your attention to the screen populating in the right corner of your helmet,” she continued. Immediately, a map of Circadia popped up with a tiny red dot circling its atmosphere. Us. “This is your GPS and map. You can see where you are as well as where other pods are once you have landed. We would like to encourage you to help your team out of the pod by opening the hatch labeled with your pod’s number. After you have secured your team, we recommend you seek out another team to offer assistance. Once you have reached Circadia, the map will give directions to the landing site of the supplies sent on the previous mission. Once all of the teams have reached this rendezvous point, there will be a meeting. We thank you for your patience as we detach multiple pods and receive intel from the ground. See you on Circadia,” she said and then cut out.
A string of silence was broken by a strong, male voice that dominated the airway. It was Idris announcing the first pod to release and then the countdown. “Pod Nine. Launch time T-minus sixty seconds. Fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven...” The numbers droned on and on, until there was a short silence. Then the ringing voice was back. “Pod Eight. Launch time T-minus sixty seconds. Fifty-nine, fifty-eight...”
First to load, last to leave. I had thought it would be terrible to be the first ones to go, but now I thought differently as the anticipation built. Just like being loaded into the craft first, we had to wait. Certainly not as long as loading for the launch, as in less than eight minutes we would be detached from the craft and hurtling toward Circadia. The alien planet was waiting for us as we flung ourselves toward it, not knowing what to expect.
We began to feel the detachments as each pod, one by one, grew closer to us and left the craft. Finally, we heard it. “Pod One,” Idris said. I looked quickly towards the hatch labeled “One,” just to ensure it was ours. “Launch time, T-minus sixty seconds. Fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven, fifty-six, fifty-five...” What had seemed like such a long countdown for the other pods, seemed to fly by for ours. “Five, four, three, two, one.” Silence. We felt a jolt, and then nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Looking into my helmet, in the right corner, I could see ten red dots, and nine of them were floating away. We were Pod One, but the ninth to launch, and in my helmet we were a slightly bigger dot than the others. I watched as the first dot suddenly plummeted towards the surface of Circadia, quickly followed by the second dot. They were entering the atmosphere.
We watched as all of the dots before us descended into the atmosphere. Then it was our turn. When we entered the atmosphere, even though we had no windows to look out of, we knew something had changed. The entire pod began to rattle with crashing noises. Internally, the temperature began to rise quickly, causing me to sweat in my suit. The roaring outside of the pod was deafening.
Jolting suddenly in my straps, my neck flew forward, assisted by the weight of my helmet, then snapped back. Looking around, I noticed everyone had been hit pretty hard by this quick deceleration. That must be the first parachute. We’re getting close. The rattling and roaring outside simmered down after the first parachute.
The next couple of parachutes that were deployed made the pod jump a bit, but not like the first one. It was still a rough ride, but it had slowly turned into a lull. Waiting to get to the surface was like waiting for a meal to come out of the oven when you’re hungry—excruciatingly slow. Checking the GPS in my helmet, I noticed we were close.
I looked over at Garrett and waved to get him to look in my direction. I mouthed, “We’re close!” and tapped my helmet. He nodded and held on to his straps harder. I was confused about why he felt the need to do that until I remembered the impact thrusters would be firing once we got close to the surface to give us a softer landing. He must think it’s going to be bad.
Only panicking for a second, I gripped my straps tight and braced myself. Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes and waited.
The thrusters were heard clearly through the pod. Once they fired, it shifted the entire pod and gave such a push of energy that I felt as though I had just been in a head-on collision. Directly after feeling
