The Ruins of Mars: Waking Titan (The Ruins of Mars Trilogy) by Dylan James Quarles Read Free Book Online Page B

pebble and probably moving faster than a bullet, the dome had a long thin crack that dissected the glass into two halves. Knowing that the laser within wouldn’t be able to focus properly with the crack obstructing its view, Julian would have to replace the entire dome with a new and unblemished duplicate.
    Taking the drill from its holster on the duffel sack, he set to unbolting the eighteen large-bore fasteners that attached the damaged dome to the hull of the ship. A magnetic socket head kept the bolts from drifting away, and after removing each one, he had to slip them into a mesh pocket on the duffle sack. Careful yet quick, he worked his way around the cracked dome until he was at the last fastener. Placing the head of the drill on the bolt, Julian applied pressure to the trigger and waited for the thing to come loose. It held. Trying again, he pulled the drill’s trigger harder and still nothing happened.
    “It’s stuck,” he grunted with frustration. “I’m going to up the torque.”
    A beat passed before Aguilar responded, and when he did, his voice was heavy with concern.
    “Do you really think that’s a good idea? That bolt is near the crack. Too much torque could create vibrations and shatter the glass.”
    “ Merde, man,” swore Julian defensively. “I know that. But what choice do I have?”
    Ignoring Aguilar’s apologetic reply, Julian increased the drill’s torque and squeezed the trigger.
    Like a muted bomb, the dome exploded in a silent shower of jagged shards. Crying out with surprise, Julian fought the instinct to jump back, knowing full well that doing so would cause him to careen away from the ship until his safety line brought him slamming back down.
    A red warning light blinked in the corner of his visor, and he cursed profusely as chunks of razor sharp glass swarmed around his pressure-suited body in the vacuum of space.
    “Julian,” Braun warned. “I am registering four small tears in the outermost layer of your pressure suit.”
    “Is it serious?”
    “Not at the moment. Silica pressure foam is already filling the tears but operating the Tactical EVA Skin Suit under these conditions is highly dangerous. Any further damage , and you could lose pressure. A loss of pressure could mean—”
    “I know what it fucking means!” Julian interrupted savagely, feeling warmth blossom where the silica foam was leaking from his suit like blood to scab over the wounds. “Can I finish my work? Yes or no?”
    “Yes,” replied the AI. “But be extremely careful not to stress the tears. Silica pressure foam was not designed for pure vacuum.”
    Focusing his attention back on the remaining bolt, Julian was careful to avoid the larger pieces of glass that seemed to be stuck in some kind of orbit around him. With the increased torque, he soon had the bolt off and stowed with the rest of its counterparts in the mesh pocket of the duffel sack. Holding the drill under one arm, he worked the Velcro straps that secured the main compartment of the sack until it was open. Gently removing the new dome, he batted away some drifting shards of glass then placed it over the body of the laser. Fishing the bolts out one at a time, he slowly screwed them back into the hull, securing the new dome.
    “Okay, I’m done,” he said at length, he voice sounding shaky and foreign in his own ears. “I’m coming back.”
    Turning around, he started to move from handhold to handhold, angling back to the anchor line. Once there, he clipped the empty duffel sack and drill onto the motorized trolley and sent them up the line to the Lander. This time making the entire trip, the little trolley came to a halt in front of Aguilar in the open hatch, where he quickly detached it.
    “The line’s open,” reported the pilot. “Come up when you’re ready.”
    Bending with some awkwardness, Julian reached down to unclip the safety line that secured him to Braun. As the carabineer floated free from the cable, a strange shiver