Gravity Well Read online

spirit, Val," said his mother.

  Lieutenant Gilman stirred and coughed more blood. "Radio... "

  "Of course," said Val's father. "We have to call Europa. Maybe they can send a ship. Let's find the radio."

  "Right here, Dad," said Val. "But I think we're too far into Jupiter's gravity well for a rescue."

  "Faith, Son," said Val's dad as he pressed the mike button. "Europa, this is the Argosy. Can you read me?" The speaker grill crackled static. "Europa, do you read? This is the Argosy."

  "Argosy, Europa colony here. We can read you, but your transmission power seems to be low. We've been waiting for you. Hope you're on trajectory for Europa spaceport. We need that vaccine."

  "Actually, we have a problem, Europa." Simon explained what he knew, then turned the radio over to Val.

  "Europa, Val Archer, here. My dad summed up our situation pretty good. Our problem now is that we pulled the plug on the main thrusters with the emergency cutoff. We didn't really have a choice, but it looks grim. The main engines can't be restarted. I'm sending you the computer data on our coordinates, velocity, heading, and etcetera. Please advise ASAP on sending a ship to intercept us."

  "Roger that," said the radio. "Give us a second."

  Val and his parents waited what seemed like an eternity, but it was more like five minutes until the radio crackled to life.

  "Argosy, our fastest ship could intercept you in seven hours, forty two minutes, but... "

  "But," said Val, "we'll burn up in the Jovian atmosphere in three hours and ten minutes. I have the computer projection right here."

  "Sorry, Argosy. Sorry for you and for us. We're going to work on the problem, see what we can come up with. Meanwhile, we'll send our fastest ship and go from there."

  "Roger," said Val. "Thank you and out for now."

  Val hung on to a handhold and was very still for almost a minute as he stared out the wrap-around view port. His mother pushed off from a bulkhead and floated close to him.

  "Val, Simon, we can't just give up."

  "We won't, Mom. I'm getting an idea. I have to talk to Lieutenant Gilman."

  Val bent close to the dying man and they exchanged comments in a whisper. Val floated to the maintenance locker behind Gilman and removed space suits and several other items.

  "Val," said his father, "if you have a plan, tell us. We'll help any way we can. By the way, what is that thing you're fiddling with?"

  "It's a cutting torch, Dad. Look out the view port. There's more than Jupiter out there."

  Both his mom and dad moved closer to the view port.

  "Is that Europa?" asked his mother.

  "No, Mom. That's Io, the closest moon to Jupiter. It zips around Jupiter in only 1.8 Earth days. Our ship is moving even faster, so we'll be passing almost directly between Jupiter and Io within two hours."

  "Interesting," said his father. "But how does that help us?"

  "I have a high-risk plan. It's never been done before. But Lieutenant Gilman thinks it's worth a shot. To do nothing is not an option." Val took a deep breath. "All modern space drives rely on black hole technology. There is an artificially created black hole that is the power source of this ship. That's how the main drive works, even though we can't restart the main drive."

  Simon looked at Debra, who nodded. "We're aware of the general idea because it's part of the popular press on space ship engineering," she said. "Go on."

  "The black hole's gravity at the center of the ship's drive is shaped by quantum plasma shield plates. The black hole could never be contained without that technology. The main drive works by tearing apart atoms from our hydrogen tank and accelerating the elementary particles to relativistic velocity. This is what I studied in high school."

  "Oh, oh," said his father. "We're going to... "

  "You're beginning to see, Dad. From outside the ship, we're going to cut away one of the shield plates on the side facing Io. I've already checked ship's design on the computer to make sure we cut in the right spot. The huge gravity field of the black hole will attract us to Io on that side. All other sides will still have their gravity shields, which nullify pull in all other directions. The pull towards Io may keep us from intercepting Jupiter. That's as simple as I can put it."

  Val's father didn't hesitate. "Let's do it."

  "Lieutenant Gilman," said Val, "if we can get you back into your sling chair, can you work the computer and stay in radio contact with us to see what effect our plan is having?"

  Gilman nodded.

  Val and his father maneuvered the weightless pilot into the sling chair. Gilman passed out from pain for a few seconds. When he came to, he whispered to Val, "Pain ampoules in the locker... keep me going."

  Val found the ampoules and a cache of hypodermic needles. He and his father shot a needle full of narcotic into each of the Lieutenant's arms. As the drug took effect, Gilman blinked at them and gave them a thumbs-up.

  "One more thing," said Val. "Mom, I hate to ask you, but we're going to need all the help we can get out there."

  "I wouldn't dream of staying behind unless Lieutenant Gilman needs me."

  Gilman smiled and shook his head.

  "Okay," said Debra, "let's roll."

  They suited up quickly and cycled through the airlock.

  Val wasn't prepared for the look and feel of an EVA. Jupiter seemed to gobble up a quarter of the sky. Even Io was imposing with its ruddy yellow bulk to his right. His father, who'd once trained for EVAs as a young man, moved ahead of them, playing out a tether as he pulled them around the ship with short bursts of his suit jets.

  When they had spiraled to the side of the ship away from Jupiter, Val's father looked back as Val pointed to the spot where he wanted to cut. Sure enough, just as all his courses had taught him, there were hand- and toeholds scalloped into the ship in every direction. Val latched his boots into a set of toeholds and reeled in his cutting torch from where it had been floating a few feet away. There were numbered registration marks all over the ship's skin for black hole calibration purposes. Val picked out the numbered marks he had seen in the computer display, adjusted the torch to its lowest setting to avoid cutting anything beyond the skin and the quantum plasma shielding, and set to work.

  Soon he had cut a rectangle approximately one meter by two meters. The cut plate, with inside shields intact, floated in the opening.

  "Mom, Dad, here's the plan. This panel I cut out has gravity shielding on the inside, so it will seem weightless. Don't let that fool you. When we expose the black hole, we will be at the edge of a huge gravity field. Whatever you do when we move the shield plate, don't lean over the opening."

  "Do we just lift the shield out and toss it away?" asked his dad.

  "I think we can do better. I think we should lift the plate just enough to get it over the outer skin, then turn it ninety degrees. That way, we can have an adjustable gravity field, depending on how we move the plate around."

  "Right," said Simon.

  "Good thinking, Val," said Debra.

  "Okay, Dad, you get on the far end of the rectangle, Mom and I will get on the other end."

  "I see your reasoning, Son. It's too risky to be on a side because when we turn the plate, that person would have to reach out over the unshielded hole."

  "Exactly. Shall we?"

  They gently lifted the plate a few inches above the hole.

  "Here's the hard part," said Simon. "We have to move our feet to the next toehold one foot at a time. Let's take our time without any sudden movements."

  "I just thought of an easier way, Dad. The plate is now floating just above the hole. It will stay there, more or less. If you and Mom would position yourselves at the 90-degree marks, then I'll spin the plate, gently, of course. You guys just stop it and lower it to the ship's skin."

  "Brilliant, Val. Let's do it."

  Val torqued the plate and his parents caught it perfectly. Even as Val leane
d back from the hole, he couldn't help peeking into the mysterious void. The entity within the bowels of the Argosy drew his attention with a psychic gravity Val never expected. But there was nothing to see, only the inky blackness of the profoundest puzzle in the universe, a possible door into other universes. He had to force his attention away.

  As Val's parents lowered the plate to the ship's skin, Debra cried, "My hand, my hand!"

  Her hand had slipped over the edge of the hole and was threatening to drag the rest of her with it. Simon grabbed her other hand and levered his boots against the ship. He looked like he was losing the tug of war for a few seconds, then her hand popped from the hole and the two of them somersaulted away from the ship.

  Val's heart raced as he watched his parents tumble into the blackness. But soon his father's expertise with the suit jets stopped their tumble and guided them back to the ship.

  "Sorry," said Debra.

  "Mom, Dad, I thought I lost you."

  "We're fine, Son. Let's get on with it."

  "Right. Lieutenant Gilman, are you there?"

  Silence.

  "Lieutenant Gilman, please respond."

  "I'm here."

  The strain in the voice alarmed Val. "Sir, our plate is shielding the black hole by fifty percent. Is the computer showing any changes in our trajectory?"

  More silence followed.

  "Sir?"

  "Yes... trajectory changing. Wait. Something... wrong." Val winced as Gilman began a bout of coughing that ended in a choking noise."

  "Sir? Are you all right?"

  "Can't move my arms... old... "

  "Sir?"

  Silence.

  "Dad, Mom, did you understand him?"

  "It