Free Fractured Earth Saga 1: Apocalypse Orphan by Tim Allen Page B

over the area.
    “Syn, rotate the shuttle for landing and initiate landing sequence.”
    “Yes, Commander.”
    The shuttle moved like a spatial glider as it turned upside down. Rotating tail first, its engines fired as it started its deorbital burn and descended, decelerating to 160 miles per hour. The shuttle then turned nose forward, in an upright position, and began its descent into the upper layers of the earth’s atmosphere. Ten minutes into the descent, Wolf raised the nose to forty degrees to correctly orient the thermal shield protecting the ship.
    “Syn, initiate the landing sequence and align us with the creek bed. We will use the shore as our runway.” Moving the nose up to nineteen degrees, Wolf declared, “We’re going too fast, Syn. Fire the thrusters at fifty percent and deploy flaps.” The shuttle slowed as its flaps and thrusters engaged. Its speed dropped to sixty miles per hour and then twenty. Wolf maneuvered the shuttle down in the creek bed, sending wildlife scurrying in all directions. He touched down, turned off all lights, and placed the shuttle into its cool-down phase.
    “Good job, Syn. Are we intact? Any damage?”
    “Nothing worth reporting, Commander. A few tiles are loose, but we did not lose them. We’ll need to repair them before we can take off and re-enter orbit again.”
    “Can we still fly in this atmosphere?”
    “Yes, we have unlimited fuel with the IFLEX engines, and the thrusters can get us in the air.”
    “Keep the ship ready to lift off at all times, and I want a password put on the controls for anyone other than myself. Keep the force field up in a three-meter radius around the exterior of the ship.”
    “Yes, Commander, deploying the force field now.” After a few seconds, Syn confirmed, “Force field deployed. The ship is prepped and ready for takeoff. What will be the password?”
    Wolf answered, “Santa Claus.” He unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up, banging his head so hard on the roof of the shuttle that he saw stars. “Syn, what’s going on?” he demanded. “Is the artificial gravity malfunctioning?”
    “No, Commander. The planet’s mass was reduced by Nomad’s impact to the South Pole and some other anomaly I cannot identify. The gravitation pull has been weakened by about fifty percent. Your muscles are attuned to Earth’s original mass. You will be two hundred percent stronger than you were before, and the higher nitric oxide content in the air will further augment your body’s muscle mass.
    “Really? I thought nitric oxide was laughing gas. I guess I’ll have a healthy sense of humor here,” Wolf joked. “I do remember you saying Earth had lost mass, but I didn’t realize I would gain strength from it. Will I acclimate to this planet’s gravity?”
    “No. Your cellular code is fixed from your old earth. Many generations of humans on this world have had tens of thousands of years to evolve. It is still unclear how you will age here—I am not sure you will. You may not be able to adjust to these new surroundings, Commander. It seems most life on the planet has changed to accommodate the diminished mass of Earth One. And your sense of humor will not be affected by the nitric oxide—it is not concentrated enough.”
    “Syn, can you give me that in simple language?”
    “You will be bigger, faster, and stronger than any man alive on this planet, Commander.”
    Wolf laughed. “Syn, I didn’t know a computer could lie, but you do it pretty well. I am no superman…I’m just an ordinary man in need of human companionship. Divert water to the shower and make it ninety-nine degrees. I want to wash up and shave. Also, charge my M21 laser pistol and get the M1A1 MINIMACK operational.”
    The M21 laser gun resembled a small starter pistol. It had a five-inch muzzle and fired a pencil-thin laser blast that could cut steel or burn a hole through living tissue. It had a standard charge of four hours. Once depleted, the battery required