Story Sampler

  * * * * *

  Ed Granger hurried up to the desk and Landis Schwartz waved him on. “Pad 3, Ed,” he said. “It will be ready in five.”

  “Thanks, Landis,” he replied. “Any word?”

  Landis shook his head. “Whatever’s going on, they’re keeping it hush hush. All I was told is that you were coming and to rush you through.”

  “All right,” Ed said. He turned and hurried to the air lock. It was already open, and he stepped into it. A moment later, the lock closed, and he waited.

  “Five minutes,” he muttered. Accident, he thought. What kind of accident? His thoughts raced, bouncing from one catastrophic scenario to another, each one becoming progressively more disparaging, until, at last, the outer lock opened and he rushed through the small tube into The Fifth Wheel.

  “Ed Granger?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m Deidre,” she said. “When you’re strapped in, we’ll be on our way.”

  She had already started the take-off sequence, so he decided to wait until they were airborne before he pressed her for information.

  “South Port, this is the cruiser The Fifth Wheel. Ready for departure,” Deidre said into the communicator. After a brief pause, Deidre nodded and said, “Thank you, South Port. Will do.” A few seconds later, the cruiser was airborne and making its way through the thin air of Mars.

  “Make yourself comfortable, Mr. Granger. We have half a planet to cross.”

  Ed nodded. “A two hour trip,” he said. “I’ve made it many times.”

  “Two hours under normal circumstances,” Deidre said. “We’ll be there in one.”

  “One?”

  Deidre nodded and smiled. “The Fifth Wheel is fast.”

  “I was told there would be details about the accident—”

  Deidre shook her head. “Not for my ears, Mr. Granger. I’m just the cabbie. That,” she pointed to the console, “is for you.”

  Ed looked at the console and saw that it had a biometric scanner. He put his finger in and felt the brief prick as it retrieved his DNA. A few moments later, the console came to life, and he saw the blurred image of the damaged Junket orbiting an asteroid like a wounded grasshopper. He stared for several seconds before turning his attention to the data.