Skyfall

“Enough!” Gregor shouted as the long arm seemed about to impale the ship. White gas spurted into the vacuum and the motion stopped. “I can reach them now. Coretta, hold my feet.”

Gregor leaned far out, floated out farther and farther from the open hatch. Coretta held his ankles in one hand, the edge of the hatch opening in the other, watching, holding her breath, as his fingers reached out towards the bulk of the swinging tanks.

“I have them!”

A swift slice of the blade cut the walk-arounds free and Coretta pulled him and the tanks through the hatch.

“Put yours on first,” Patrick said. “Then disconnect from the cabin oxygen. Then you can attach ours.”

Gregor clipped the tank to his belt, made the hose connection, then severed the link with Prometheus. His hands were steady as he fastened Patrick's tank to him, making the connections with sure movement. Coretta was slower, first her tank, then Nadya's. When she turned around she found there were just three pressure-suited figures in sight.

“Gregor?”

“I am outside, going to the engines. I should have stayed to help but there are only about ten minutes left. I have turned on the hydrogen flow. There will be enough time for you, but I have little to spare.”

“What are you doing?” she shouted, knowing even as she said it what was happening.

“HOOPSNAKE of course. You should be leaving now.”

“Affirmative to that,” Decosta said. “Get your people on the end of the manipulative so I can bring you in.”

“You don't have to do it, Gregor,” Patrick said.

“I know that, thank you, but I must.”

Coretta lifted Nadya, guided her, pushed her to the hatch.

“Open your hand,” Coretta said. “I have the rope in your palm, close quickly, do you feel it?”

“Yes, fine, please help me through the hatch then get Patrick.”

Coretta was doing the same for Patrick, helping him through the opening towards the end of the metal arm where Nadya waited, floating head down with her feet stretching out above. Then Patrick had seized the end effector and she grabbed the metal next to him.

“We're all here, “she said.

“Keep your grip secure, I'm bringing you in.”

As they swung out and away from the hatch Coretta could see Gregor for the first time. He was close to the engines, pulling at the loose plate of shielding he had partially detached before.

“Gregor…” she said, but there were no other words.

“It has been. . very good to serve with you all,” Gregor said, breathing heavily as he struggled with the shielding. “Thank you very much for the opportunity….”

“We have less than five minutes left,” Cooke said, the calmness of his voice more emphatic than any strain.

“We need the light to see by. I'm closing the doors as soon as these people are strapped down,” Decosta said.

“I can move out with the doors open. Let me know as soon as you are all secure.”

The long arm moved slowly, ponderously, bending in the middle now like the great limb of some giant insect. Turning, carrying its human cargo towards the waiting acceleration couches, slowing, slower, stopped. The instant Decosta locked the mechanism he kicked off towards the others.

“One of you can see, I can't tell which, sorry, lash yourself in. I'll secure the other two,” he said.

Coretta groped for the couch and as soon as she moved, Decosta grabbed one of the others, prying at the gloved fingers. “I have someone's hand, let go, I'll take care of you.” He could see the blind, bandaged eyes through the faceplate. The hand opened and he pushed the space-suited figure against the couch, held it there, locked the belt into place. Then the other one. There was still one empty couch.

“I'm getting the arm stowed now so the doors can close,” he said.

“Can you take any acceleration? We've reached zero. Any time now…” Cooke's voice was strained, tight.

“Negative. A few more seconds. Manipulator stored. Doors closing, controls locked in that position, I'm in the lock, door closed.. now!”

Gregor heard their words clearly, broadcast to Prometheus's radio and repeated on the intercom-radio circuit. He had the plate aside at last and he turned his head for a brief instant to look. Flames sprang from the Orbiter's engines, long tongues of it in space. The winged spacecraft began to move.

“Goodbye,” he said, pushing himself inside the shielding, the light before him. If they answered he did not know, because his suit radio did not work in this area. The light moved over the rows of plastic tubing.