Twin Earth

Chapter 17

"Okay, we've got about a two to three-hour window to get you guys up there before the next hurricane hits us," Trevor shouted as we walked in to Level 5. "I need you to put on these."

"I knew there was something else I hated about space travel," I mumbled as I took the skin-tight space suit that Trevor was now passing us.

"Your helmets are in the craft."

"Where's all this water coming from?" Rachel asked looking down to our feet and splashing the few puddles that had collected there.

"The rain hasn't stopped for nearly four days," Hayden replied walking over. "Our pumps have been working non-stop and are slowly burning out from the work load. This whole room will probably be under water by tomorrow. We need to get you launched now and relocate back upstairs."

Raising my eye-brows, I couldn't quite believe that my first trip into space was going to a botched job on an untested craft without the consent of the British government. It couldn't get more ridiculous.

"Is it safe to launch in these conditions?" I asked.

"We don't have much choice Tom. James, I want you back upstairs now with my colleague Doctor Felix for pre-launch testing and you two need to get changed."

Nodding, I pulled Rachel away from gawping at the pod craft and instructed her to use one of the side rooms for privacy. Finding my own room, I closed the door and placed the space suit on an empty desk and stared at it.

'What ever happened to the big chunky white suits?' I thought to myself sadly.

I had never felt comfortable wearing these newly designed skin-tight bio suits, as they always showed off my less than perfect physique with its pressurised shrink wrap technology and there would always be one tourniquet coil that would nip just a little too much in the wrong place.

I closed the blinds and stripped off the majority of my clothes and yanked on the ugly grey and orange suit. Zipping up the short zips I then hesitated before switching on the electrical current.

'Here we go,' I moaned as I pushed the switch and felt the mild vibrations spread around my body, pulling the suit swiftly into shape and tight against my skin. Twitching uncomfortably, I shoved my belongings into a nearby locker and made my way back out to Trevor and Hayden.

"Nice," Rachel smiled joining me. "It suits you."

"Shut up," I moaned, but I had to confess she looked a lot better in her suit than I did mine. It was nice to see her out of heels too and in something more casual, if you could call a space suit casual.

"Right, I need you both to study the controls quickly with Magnus before I launch the final phase countdown," Trevor announced.

"Don't we get some training first?" Rachel asked worriedly, as we were ushered down the stairs towards the craft. "I've not been in something like this before."

"No-one has," I mumbled bluntly.

We waited as Magnus silently fiddled with some controls and then we gasped in astonishment as one side of the craft vibrated and seemingly disappeared into nothing.

"Where did the door go? Rachel asked in surprise.

"The outer-shell of the ionohex is made using Nano-molecular self-assembly manipulation."

"I'm sorry what?" Rachel asked.

Sighing in annoyance, Magnus looked up at Rachel. "Think about what a door does. It needs to hold you securely and safely behind something right? Well, the usual doors you find on current space craft may work for such things, but it is extremely rigid and can be easily damaged, especially by space debris, but I am sure you know all about that Doctor Takahashi."