Infinite

Before the Storm- Part 2

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The sounds of drilling and metal clanking fill the prep room as my team and I hustle around to get the module ready. I look over at Cooper who is tightening the last of the straps on the habitat. The room we are building the habitat in is about twenty feet tall and has black metal panels along the curved walls. Behind the metal is several feet of concrete, making this the safest place to perform our test.

Anxiety starts to wash over me as I think about the last field test; I'm never going to let anything like that happen to Rachel ever again. I know Cooper feels the same way about Anne, and that's why we are both on the floor of this room covered in sweat trying to finish this right.

"Alright, that's the last one!" Cooper shouts as he hops up from the floor and slaps the woven ball of straps. "Let's see if she's ready!" Cooper tosses me a towel to wipe my face off with, and we head up the stairs into the control room. Tran is waiting for us, making sure all of the systems are ready to go before we start to inflate the habitat.

"Okay, crew. Let's see if this thing will hold," Tran says as he begins the pressure test. The habitat begins to inflate, filling the bottom of the room as the straps expand over each other, creating a rock solid exterior.

170 PSI.

This is where it burst last time. The pressure is slowly climbing, and so far the straps are holding. The crew waits in anticipation as the meter continues to climb.

180 PSI.

"Come on, we're almost there," I mumble under my breath. This needs to hold, or we are going to be here all night repairing it again.

182.1 PSI.

Snapping sounds begin to echo through the room.

"Turn it off!" I shout at Tran, who quickly shuts down the test before too many of the straps are damaged. The mood in the room deflates along with the habitat. We watch it crumple to the ground in silence.

"Shit," Cooper says from my left.

I sigh heavily, trying to figure out how I'm going to tell Rachel that I can't come tonight. Some of the crew defeatedly walk out of the control room and back downstairs to get back to work. I sit down against the back wall and put my knees up. I rest my elbows on my knees and drop my head into my hands.

"What am I gonna tell Rachel, man?" I ask as Cooper slides down the wall next to me. He plops on the ground and makes a grunting noise, like he didn't mean to sit down that hard.

"You don't think she'll understand?" Cooper asks me as he stretches, trying to reach his toes.

"I know she'll understand," I say bluntly. "That's the problem," I sigh heavily again. Cooper gives up after a few failed attempts to touch his toes and leans back up against the wall. "I'm never there. I promised her I would be there, Coop," I look at him, my eyes burning.

He looks at me sympathetically and slaps me hard on the side of my thigh.

"Ouch, why did you do that?" I glare at him.

"Wake up, champ!" he shouts at me. "That is not the attitude you need to have if we're gonna fix this thing up before this evening," Cooper jumps up and holds out a hand. "Get up and stop whining. Show her that she can rely on you," the pit I felt in my stomach begins to fade as I look at Cooper's goofy smile. I take his hand and hop up next to him.

"You're right," I nod at him confidently and he gives me an even bigger grin.

"That's my boy!" he says as he pats my shoulder.

I shake my arms around, trying to relax my muscles. I need to prove to Rachel that she can rely on me. I'm going to get this done, I have to.