Oxygen Series Box Set: A Science Fiction Suspense Box Set by John Olson & Randy Ingermanson

Author:John Olson & Randy Ingermanson [Olson, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781937031169
Publisher: DitDat, Inc.
Published: 2015-11-04T23:00:00+00:00

* * *

Friday, July 4, Year Three, 11:20 A.M.

Valkerie

Valkerie relaxed, letting the stability rack hold up most of the weight of her suit. What could be taking Bob so long? How could talking to Sarah McLean be important enough to delay the big broadcast? Something twisted in the pit of her stomach. What if Sarah still had a thing for Bob? What if—

Bob hurried into the EVA locker room. His eyes looked red and puffy.

“Bob, are you all right? What happened?”

Kennedy stormed into the chamber. “Okay, Bob, Nate wants you ready by eleven-forty.” He spent the next fifteen minutes stuffing Bob into his suit.

“Bob, are you okay?” Valkerie caught his eye and smiled.

“Fine.” Bob shrugged and let Kennedy fasten his suit at the waist.

Nate’s voice sounded in Valkerie’s Snoopy cap and started running through the flags-and-footprints routine while Bob went through prebreathing. Valkerie tried to catch Bob’s eye. What was wrong with him? What had Sarah said? Surely he wasn’t still in—

“All right, boys and girls,” Nate’s voice growled in her ear. “Go earn us some gigabucks.”

“And y’all remember to stay where I can see you from the window.” Kennedy stepped to his spot behind the camera. “Nate says if we don’t keep the TV people happy, we don’t get to go back home.”

Bob hefted his shoulder-mounted minicam. “We’ll be fine, Hampster.”

Valkerie waved to Lex. “We’ll bring back lots of rocks.”

Lex smiled weakly and lay back on the couch.

Valkerie stood up, clutching at her ribs.

Bob stepped to her side. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “But you’ll need to hammer in the flag.”

“Okay, we’re ready to roll.” Bob switched Valkerie’s comm link to the broadcast channel, then toggled his own to the same. “Bob, comm check.”

“Valkerie, comm check.”

They moved toward the airlock.

“Loud and clear on both of you. We’re going live ... now.” Kennedy flipped a switch and adjusted his mike. “Okay, Houston, this is CDR Kennedy Hampton calling from Mars. MS1 Valkerie Jansen is stepping into the airlock followed by MS2 Bob Kaganovski ...”

Bob closed the airlock and Valkerie punched the button. The needle swung slowly down to eight millibars, the ambient pressure outside. Valkerie turned and waved to the camera on Bob’s shoulder.

She twisted the handle, swung the door open, and ... Mars! It hit her like a blast of cold water. Alien. Bizarre. Breathtakingly beautiful. A whole world for her to explore.

“Dr. Jansen is now preparing to exit the Habitation Module,” Kennedy’s voice sounded in her head.

Valkerie turned to make sure Bob was still behind her.

He aimed the camera at her face and gave her a thumbs-up.

Valkerie stepped slowly down the metal staircase to the bottom rung, mentally rehearsing the line NASA had sent her. It was horribly unimaginative, but Dr. Perez thought it was important and Valkerie just didn’t care to argue.

She took a deep breath and stepped down onto the tan-colored dust.

“That’s ... one small step for a woman—one giant leap for humankind.” Valkerie walked forward and turned to look at Bob. He was zooming the camera in on her footprint.

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