Kuang tightened his fist remembering how Sie went behind his back and informed the Americans their astronaut had been rescued. They needed answers. He sat for awhile before gradually rising and walking over to the window. An uncomfortable silence filled the room. He stared out the window for a second before wheeling around on the balls of his feet with a determined look. “Say he died. State a problem occurred during re-entry, which led to the spacecraft entering ballistic. State a fire broke out in the cabin and without a spacesuit he was unable to be saved. Explain there were no remains.”
Ming stood to attention. “Yes, sir. I will have this communicated immediately.”
Kuang sternly walked back to his chair. “I want this man caught, dead or alive. Our jobs depend on it.”
Ming bowed slightly before leaving the room.
PETER WIPED THE sweat off his forehead as the forty-six year old trudged across an open field toward a wooded area. Though he was tired, his senses were on full alert as he crossed the barren landscape. He hated being out in the open where he could be spotted, but he had no choice. He needed to go west, and this was the most direct route.
For the last twenty minutes he had heard helicopters flying in the distance, which unquestionably were the Chinese militia looking for him. He needed to get to the border of Kyrgyzstan as soon as possible, and from his memory of the map on the spacecraft’s display, he estimated he had around thirty miles to go. Suddenly something appeared in the distant sky in front of him. He put his hand to his forehead to block out the sun’s glare as he squinted. His heart sank when he realized it was a helicopter coming right toward him, probably a half a mile away. Shit. He quickly took off running toward the nearest trees, which looked to be a hundred yards straight ahead. He felt like he was running in slow motion due to his body still reeling from the effects of gravity.
The helicopter was soon blocked by the treetops but still fast approaching, the roar of its chopping blades increasing in intensity. He reached an opening in the wooded area and quickly darted in. He worked his way through the heavy brush as flashes of bright sunshine shot through, occasionally blinding him. Before he knew it, the chopper sounded like it was on top of him. He dove under a large bush and quickly covered himself with surrounding brushwood. Through the cracks in the branches and trees above, he caught glimpses of the chopper as it flew precariously close overhead, its sound deafening. As the massive machine flew on and the reverberation started to subside, he let out a big exhale. As he started to get up, the noise increased. Beyond the crowded trees, the helicopter went up into a steep high bank before turning back toward him. Oh shit. Did they see him? He crouched back down as he studied the chopper through the tall brush and watched it level off before settling down in the field. Instantly the doors opened and several soldiers jumped out with guns strapped over their shoulders. The men started jogging right toward him. This isn’t good.
He swiftly jumped up and brushed off the branches before taking off and racing deeper into the woods. He continued to struggle with the Earth’s pull as he jolted through the thick brush, twigs snapping under his feet with each feeble stride. He quickly looked back to see the soldiers entering the wooded area at a fast pace. Come on, Peter. You can lose these guys. He powered through a large clump of trees into a small clearing and to his surprise saw a young Chinese woman sitting alone on a large rock next to a creek. She was obviously startled by his intrusion. Her eyes widened and she quickly bolted up to a standing position. She slowly shimmied backward in her worn straw shoes as she moved up the rock, never turning away from him. With timid fingers, she straightened her tattered gray dress before clasping her hands together. Peter was going to continue on past, but instead stopped. He needed help, and maybe this Chinese peasant girl could assist him.
Breathing heavily, he slowly turned toward her with his hands raised, palms showing. He gradually approached. As he got closer, he was surprised to see tears running down her face. Fortunately, he knew how to say hello in Chinese. “Ni hao.”
She tilted her head slightly before saying with a heavy Chinese accent, “You American?”
Shocked she spoke English, Peter put his hands down to his side as he smiled. “Yes, and I need help.”
She wiped the tears from her face. “Why?”
In between deep breaths he said, “I’m an astronaut, just back from space. Your government is trying to capture me.”
She tilted her head farther to the side, apparently not understanding.
Peter pointed to himself. “I American taikonaut.” He then pointed to the sky. “From space.”
Rustling noise caught Peter’s attention as he turned to the direction of the sound. He faintly saw movement through the heavy bush. Alarmed, he turned back and in a frantic tone asked, “Can you hide me?”
She looked toward the rustling before jumping off the rock and grabbing his hand. A determined look appeared on her face as she gave a slight smile. Without saying a word she turned and started running holding on to him. Peter’s arm was outstretched as he struggled to keep up. Soon she let go of his hand as she started zigzagging at a surprisingly high speed through the woods, Peter fought to stay right on her tail.
DMITRI HUNG UP the phone before dropping his head deep into his hands. He closed his eyes. Peter, I hope you’re in a better place. He rubbed his forehead as he shook his head. Damn, he was so close.
The terrible news had come from NASA that his longtime friend perished during landing. The worst news he could have gotten. Although Peter’s death was tough on him, it would be devastating to his sister. She had experienced a rollercoaster ride of emotions over the last week, and now the ride was ending with the most dreadful news possible. The love of her life was dead.
He lifted his head and looked in Anya’s direction to see her fidgeting with her necklace. A sudden sinking sensation filled him at the look of hope on her face. Everyone in the control room was hopeful Peter would survive. Anya caught Dmitri staring and raised both hands, questioning if he had heard anything. What was he going to say? He smiled at her and slightly shook his head no.
Dmitri put his head back down, burying his face in his hands. Should he tell her now? What effect would this have on her pregnancy? He tried to think of how to soften the blow, but no matter how he worded it in his head, the news was still going to crush her. A nudge on his shoulder broke his train of thought. He looked to see his sister towering over him.
“So, no news yet?”
With a sickening feeling of certainty he said, “Let’s go to my office.”
A flash of disappointment crossed her face. “Why? You know something?”
Dmitri kept his face expressionless. He got up and without looking at her started to walk to his office.
Anya hurriedly caught up and grabbed his shirt. “What do you know?”
Dmitri turned and saw his sister’s eyes starting to well up. “Let’s go to my office.”
Anya let go of his shirt as he turned and walked on. Not hearing her footsteps, he looked back to see her standing with a sorrowful look, a tear running down her face. His heart dropped as he opened his office door and motioned for her to enter. She hesitated for a moment, as if not wanting to hear the news. He waited. Finally, she put her head down and trudged past. He put his arm around his little sister as he escorted her in, closing the door behind them.
PETER FELT LIKE he had been running for miles when the Chinese girl finally slowed down to a walk. She looked back past Peter into the woods before looking at him with a smile. “You safe.”