Matt Black - Book 1 of Re-Forge

Luna Trek

Matt asked: "Do we have everything we need to make the trek?"

Joshua answered: "Well, we searched the emergency kits and storage lockers. We put high energy liquid food packs in your carry bag. They won't leave you feeling full but will help you fight fatigue."

"In addition, one of the passengers found a reel of Nano fibre cord that will easily hold a hundred times the combined weight of you and Sharon. It's about five hundred metres long and may prove invaluable."

"Ahh... we added additional liquid oxygen cylinders that will give you an additional forty hours of air. You each have a high-powered torch and Tim put his 'jack-in' cables in the right-hand side pocket. Oh, there are extra energy cells the other pockets in case you need additional power to cut anything with your suit lasers... I think you are good to go."

Matt nodded and said: "We need to be connected for the EVA, so we don't become separated."

Joshua said: "Standard protocol. We'll remove the EVA inertia real from the airlock and clip it to the back of your utility belt and the front of Sharon's. It will allow some separation distance and autonomy of movement."

Matt and Sharon inserted a liquid food pack into the receiving port of their suit auto-dispensers as the tightly packed crowd outside the small airlock gave encouragement, then Matt looked into Sharon's eyes and said: "Let's do this."

Sharon flushed. She was not sure if it was Pre-EVA jitters or her proximity to Matt, then decided it was both as neither could move without touching the other. Her voice sounded strange to her own ears as she nodded and said: "I'm ready."

Their eyes remained focussed on each other, communicating apprehensive excitement as the collar and cuffs of their Impervium suits flowed to fully enveloped them. The airlock cycled and they became isolated from the noise and relative safety of the ship.

A puzzling thought suddenly surfaced in Matt's mind: "How is Sharon's suit able to gather in all her hair, and where does it go so it's not a hinderance to movement and comfort?"

He shook his head and thought: "Okay, I'm over thinking an item that has no relevance to our current predicament. That one can stay a mystery."

They now faced each other in the silence of total vacuum. Both felt a sense of complete isolation as they descended the ladder to the Luna surface. Matt looked back to see the outer airlock door close then checked his radio connection with Josh and Sharon. Then he sub-vocalised to Carl to monitor Sharon's condition through her AI.

Carl replied: "I read you like a book. I'm already doing it and let me tell you, Sharon's fitness level is probably better than yours. Oh, you have a private call coming on Joshua's channel."

Matt acknowledged: "Okay." Then said: "Hi, Josh, what's up?"

Joshua answered: "I just wanted to ask you to come back in one piece and wish you good luck."

Then Josh remembered what Tim had said as a joke, and repeated it for Matt: "Oh, Tim said to tell you that being intimate while wearing a spacesuit is impossible. You will need to take it off, and in your current situation, he would not advise it." Josh signed off, laughing at Tim's humour.

Matt said: "Joshua, you're reading too much into the situation because you want the best for me, thank you, but Sharon is just friendly and as for her earlier behaviour, I think she is happy to be alive, just like the rest of us and she knows she is a good fit for our team. It would be immature for me to think there is more on her mind than friendship?"

Before Joshua could answer, Matt said: "Oh, look at the time, we need to move... See you on the flip side."

Matt cut the link with Joshua and after a few minutes walking, he squatted and wrote a brief message in the thick Luna dust: 'Tune to channel 72.14.'