The Project Gutenberg EBook of Rescue Squad, by Thomas J. O'Hara

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: Rescue Squad

Author: Thomas J. O'Hara

Release Date: August 27, 2009 [EBook #29822]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RESCUE SQUAD ***

Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

_When Mr. O'Hara won the prize story contest recently conducted by
THE FANTASY WRITERS' WORKSHOP at the College of the City of New
York, in conjunction with FANTASTIC UNIVERSE, it was the unanimous
opinion of the judges that a second story by Mr. O'Hara, RESCUE
SQUAD, deserved honorable mention. We think you'll agree with that
decision when you've read this documentary-type science-fiction
yarn, which so excitingly combines realistic characterization with
the mystery, suspense and terror of the near future's exploration of
space and a lone pilot's struggle to survive._

rescue
squad

_by ... Thomas J. O'Hara_

Stark disaster to a brave lad in space may--to the
mind that loves--be a tragedy pridefully concealed.

The mail ship, MR4, spun crazily through space a million miles off her
trajectory. Her black-painted hull resembled a long thermonuclear
weapon, and below her and only a scant twenty million miles away burned
the hungry, flaming maw of the Sun.

The atomic-powered refrigeration units of the MR4 were working full
blast--and still her internal and external temperatures were slowly and
inexorably rising. Her atomic engines had been long since
silenced--beaten by the inexhaustible, fiery strength of the invincible
opponent waiting patiently a narrowing twenty million miles "below."

Hal Burnett twisted painfully on the narrow space-bunk, his tormented
body thrusting desperately against the restraining bands of the safety
straps that lashed him in against the dangers of non-gravity.

He moaned, and twisted sideways, while his half-asleep mind struggled on
an almost instinctive level against a dimly-remembered, utterly
intolerable reality.

It was a losing battle. He was suddenly wide awake, staring in horror