The Last Asteroid Mining Job

May 2023’s short story of the month

I wanted to believe him. I really did. But I had trusted him before, and it hadn’t worked out that well. So now when he assured me that this was the last job, I didn’t believe him. We’ve been here too many times for me to count. Despite my feelings, he keeps talking, maybe he’s trying to convince himself.

“This is it. I’m telling you, Mavis. We are done after this.” He pauses long enough to lean up and stretch his back.

If nothing else, you would think our age would start to factor into the need for retirement.

After a slow stretch and grunt, he bends back over and starts the drill again. “Definitely it. Beaches and sand. That’s what’s in our future.”

“Yep,” I say despite my disbelief. I’ve learned it’s easier to let him talk than to argue. I roll my eyes and watch while the laser drill cuts slowly through the rock. I pick up each of my feet and shake them. The pins-and-needles feeling slowly dissipates. I’ve never gotten used to how heavy the boots are for mining on asteroids. They have to be tight on the ankles, and they always make my feet tingle. Just one more reason I wish this really was our last job.

My brother pauses again, not standing up this time. “What do you want to do first?”

I shrug, but he doesn’t resume drilling. I realize I haven’t said anything and he’s not looking at me. I sigh. I hate this conversation. We do this all the time. Every time we take a job. Every. Single. Time.

I still haven’t answered.

“Hey, what’s with you today?” He glares at me without standing up.

“Nothing,” I snap. “Why don’t you let me do that? You’re taking forever.”

He raises his hands and surrenders. “Fine.” He steps away from the drill, but as he moves away, he mumbles, “Grouch.”

“I’m not grumpy,” I answer as I turn the drill back on. I keep the drill running until it starts to overheat. When it needs a break, I lay it on the ground gently.

I glance around for my brother, but he’s gone.

Great, I think. He is playing a joke on me. Probably thinks he can jump out and scare me. I’m really not in the mood for this nonsense.

I pack the drill up and the other equipment we’ve been using. I start to move the hover cart back to our ship, but there’s still no sign of my brother. This is getting old, really fast. If I look for him, he will find it hilarious. I refuse to participate today.

After I load everything and have the ship ready for launch, he still hasn’t returned. I’m losing my patience because he has over committed to this gag. I don’t want to, but I want to get back to the station. It’s meatloaf day at my favorite café.

The ship is set to launch as soon as we are back on the ship. I step off the ramp and back onto the asteroid. I scan around. I don’t see him or any signs of which direction he might have snuck off to.

I take a few steps away from the ship.

“Dylan, where are you? This is getting really dumb.” I wait, knowing he’s probably grinning from ear to ear just because I’m yelling. I wait for as long as I can stand it, and I start yelling again.

“If you don’t come out from wherever you’re hiding, I’m leaving you on this rock. I’m too tired for this. Dylan!” I yell so loud it hurts my own ears.

Still nothing.

I won’t actually leave this rock without him, but I want him to think I will. I get back on the ship and raise the ramp, seal the hatch, and make my way to the front. My plan is to watch out the window until he shows up, then fire up the ship, like it’s going to leave. I want to see the panic on his face when he realizes his prank has backfired.

The ship is hovering, not quite taking off, and still nothing. I take my time and scan slowly out the windows. Nothing. Where is he? Why does he think this is so funny?

I consider leaving and flying around for a bit and then returning. That would be taking it too far though. Plus, his wife might kill me if she found out.

I sigh, land the ship again, and press the release for the smaller ramp.

Back on the rock, I walk back to where we’d been drilling. I scan around again. There is nothing to indicate where Dylan went.

I yell his name over and over. I pace in circles around the drill site. I don’t see anything. What is happening?

I look behind anything in the area that is big enough for him to hide behind. He is nowhere. He can’t have disappeared.

We don’t use radios when we mine because we’re always together, well except when he pulls these little stunts and jump scares me.

I hear the warning beep in my suit that my oxygen is low at the same time I’m trying to decide if I should be angry or scared.

I’m past angry, and now I’m worried.

I scream, frantically running. This can’t be happening. He can’t be gone. This doesn’t happen. I mean it can’t happen.

This is an uninhabited bit of rock floating in space. It’s mined for metals and other resources, but nothing lives here. And there isn’t a way someone could have snuck up on us. This particular rock is too small for anything like that.

There is another beep in my suit. I can’t keep searching for him. I run back to the ship. I throw myself through the hatch.

I spend less time than I should getting a new canister. I hurry back out there. With a fresh oxygen tank, I can cover the entire asteroid. I don’t slow down, and I don’t think about it. I search every inch.

Dylan is gone.

But Dylan can’t be gone. He just can’t.

I stop with my hands on my hips, tapping my foot, thinking what I’m missing. I scan the horizon again.

As I’m trying to decide how to proceed, I look at the ship again.

How could I be so stupid? Dylan must be in the ship. He is still trying to pull a prank. That must be it.

Back in the ship, I huff as I flop onto my seat in the cockpit. I hit the scanner that checks for signs of life in the ship. The only blip on the screen is the spot that indicates where I’m sitting. Nothing else lights up. I’m alone on the ship.

The same thought as earlier returns, Dylan is gone.

But at the same time, my brain is screaming, Dylan can’t be gone.

I need to radio for help. To tell someone, something, anything, but I can’t bring myself to do it.

What would I say anyway? Dylan just disappeared into thin air? No one will believe that. They’re going to think I did something to him. And who would blame them for thinking that? I would think that. If only two people are alone and one ends up dead, the logical conclusion is that the one who lived killed the other.

But I didn’t. I didn’t do anything but mine the asteroid while Dylan stood there watching. The same thing we’ve done every day for the past twenty years.

This was going to be our last job. Didn’t he just say that? As I think more about it. Maybe he knew something. Maybe he was trying to tell me something.

But what?

And more importantly, how? How is he just gone?

I feel like I’ve been sitting for too long. The longer I go without radioing, the worse it’s going to look. It will look like I was covering something up.

I silently pray for Dylan to just appear, but he doesn’t.

I call for help. I tell them I’ve lost my crew member, my brother, my friend. They tell me to sit tight.

Someone will be there shortly to help.

When they arrive, they search the asteroid just like I did. It only takes the two a few minutes. I explain that I’ve already done that. He’s not out there. They tell me to stay in my ship.

Before I know what’s happening, they take me into custody. This isn’t happening.

Dylan is gone.