WHAT THE HECK - Flash Fiction

WHAT THE HECK!

What the heck am I doing here? I studied for three years on these systems and for what? To land on an asteroid flying by Mars. What a waste of money," mumbled words by the Captain rambles around in his helmet.

"You say something, Captain?" His radio crackled. "Sounds like your VOC activated, but I didn't hear anything."

"No, I didn't say anything." Not anything you want to hear. "Will you stop doing donuts on that thing and take my picture."

"Yes Sir, I was exploring."

"Exploring What? The damn thing is only 200 meters long and fifty wide. You can see everything there is from right here."

"Captain, do you want to wave or point for the picture?"

"No, for Pete's sake. Just take it. I want to get off this rock," Captain snaps at him.

"Okay, all set. Smile."

"Are you kidding me. Straighten up and fly right, Commander."

"Yes, Sir. Might I ask, did someone slip a firecracker under your thermo-plate or did you get up on the wrong side of the cockpit?"

"Don't worry about it. Just having a bad day. Get over here and pick me up."

"On the way."

"Going my way Captain? Climb in."

"You're starting to tick me off, Commander."

"You going to climb in Sir?"

"I can't. My boots are stuck to the ground." He jerks his legs which are hardly noticeable outside the suit. "Have you been on the surface yet?"

"No. You told me to stay in the rover."

"All right, don't get out. Take the lid off the equipment box and get out a shovel. Put the lid on the ground and step on it. See if you can dig me loose."

Twenty minutes later the second boot came free, and the Captain tumbled into the rover with six inches of asteroid clinging to his soles. "Get the lid and let's go."

"Can't Captain. The lid's stuck."

"All right, get in and leave it."

The rover pitches forward, and the two feel a pop reverberate through the frame. "Captain, Rover’s stuck."

Captain slumps as much as the suit allows. He looks at the Commander. "Just great, now we die stuck to an asteroid flytrap. Just makes my day."

#

Mission Control calling Explorer One. Mission Control calling Explorer One.

Silence.