Infinite

Chapter 6- Is this your card?: Part 1

The International Space Station, Tuesday, June 25th, 2030 at 7:00 pm (Houston Time)

Lucas

My MP3 player started floating in front of my face as I neared the end of my work out. I hadn't realized that I had already been running for forty-five minutes. When you were on the ISS, you had to spend at least 2 hours a day exercising so your bones and muscles didn't get too weak.

"Man, you were on there for a long time!" Cooper said to me as I untied the strap from my waist that was holding me to the treadmill. It was connected to two posts on either side to prevent you from floating away while you ran. I grabbed onto the bar on the other side of the treadmill to pull myself towards where my water was. We didn't use open containers when we were on the ISS, otherwise the fluid would float away. We drank all of our liquids from a pouch. I sucked on the nozzle and finished the remainder of my water.

"Yeah, sorry you can have it now," I apologized.

Cooper strapped himself into the treadmill. My head was just centimeters away from the ceiling in every room on this thing. I am six foot four, which is the maximum height requirement for astronauts. Moving around this place wasn't that much more difficult, though. You just had to watch your legs when you kicked around a corner to make sure no one was there. Although, it wouldn't hurt much because it's hard to exert force up here.

"Everything okay, man?" Cooper asked me as he started running. "You seem a little down in the swamp today."

I was trying to hide my somber mood from the rest of the crew, but obviously I couldn't keep anything from Cooper.

"I'm alright," I answered him as I wiped off my face with my gray t-shirt. "Today is Rachel's birthday, that's all." I sighed heavily as I thought about missing her day.

Cooper turned off the treadmill and stared at me.

"Ahh, shit, man. Have you talked to her since we left?" he asked as he sucked down some of his water pouch. He just started running so I knew he wasn't thirsty, but Cooper has similar anxious tendencies to Rachel. Neither of them could sit still for very long.

I shook my head at him. He nodded slowly and furrowed his brows at me.

"Well, why the hell not? I thought you wanted to make things work?" he shook his water pouch at me, and the fluid inside sloshed around slowly.

"I do. I just haven't been able to figure out what to say to her," I clarified.

Cooper shook his head at me again.

"You've gotta say somethin', man." His southern twang always made him sound energetic and positive. If someone was listening to us right now they wouldn't think Cooper is as pissed at me as he actually was. "It's her birthday for God's sake," he growls.

He's right. I should say something to her.

Normally for Rachel's birthday we would go out to dinner with just the two of us, and then she did something separate with her friends.

I know that she wishes I would hangout with them more, I'm just not as social as she is.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. I'll figure something out tonight." I pulled myself over to the doorway. They were square shaped and not tall enough to stand upright in; you had to move horizontally from room to room in here.

"I'm supposed to chat with my parents soon," I said as I started to leave. Cooper turned the treadmill back on.

"I'll come say howdy when you call!" he shouted to me as he blasted his music on and started running.