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Exit 320
They could hear each other's breathing, hear sounds from Pettigrew's open mic, words of comfort poised for deployment.
Lori babbled for a second, meaningless words to keep her fear at bay.
"I want to go on record as being really glad we don't have to wear all this crap every day!"
Nervous laughter from Aggie beside her, a humorous crackle from Eileen.
They were facing the 316 exit now, Manny beside the bulkhead to 317, where the sea of frozen corpses began.
Tilueia had his gas chamber guard smile on, the one which said "It's okay, come on."
They were tethered together already. Aggie moved towards the door, and Lori was startled when she felt the physical tug, the umbilical to her lover.
At least it worked.
Tilueia himself was nervous. The hatch to 317 hadn't been opened since Wally O'Brien had come down to do his damage assessment. Given what lay beyond the cold steel, Manny was in no hurry to open the door at all.
Aggie glanced at the lights on the wall near Tilueia's waist. Green. She felt a hand in her back, but couldn't tell if it was Lori's or Eileen Pettigrew's.
Lori was starting to feel her own rush towards death, if death were coming. Suddenly everything was moving too slowly, fuck, we have a green, let's go!
Whether Tilueia sensed that or not, his hand reached for the bulkhead wheel precisely as Lori's mind screamed "Go!"
Three turns, just as the wrench would take. Hard work, too, by the looks of it.
"Wait until the door is wide open." Pettigrew, crackling in their ears.
Manny pulled the hatch wide open.
"Keep breathing, move forward at your own pace. Lori, watch Aggie, move with her."
Lori sensed Aggie had steeled herself, she was ready. Knowing that gave her strength. They stepped carefully into the corridor between pods.
"Closing the door now. Ignore the red light on 317."
"Copy that." Lori watched a lot of television. Pettigrew was glad. The small laugh broke the tension.
Agnes & Lori felt the door close behind them.
"First shot at turning the wheel."
Tight quarters, stiff wheel, two full minutes to enter 317.
"Tough stuff coming up. Take a breath, look at each other, check on each other, get used to it. When you're ready, put your shoulder nav lights on."
Aggie & Lori turned towards each other. Lovers alone in Universe, in the dark, in the cold.
"Ready?" Lori, not too surprisingly.
"We've seen it all before, right?" Aggie, taking a break from leading.
"There's gonna be a shitload of them, Agz, that's all."
Lori sensed her partner's smile, heard the small snort of breath.
"I know."
"Ok, we're gonna turn the nav lights on, Sergeant."
"Understood."
Manny & Eileen watched the camera display, saw the lights go on, the helmets turn.
"Geezas!" Lori.
"What's up?" Pettigrew figured on a a rocky opening.
"S'ok, it's just Mrs. Keniwoke, she was the ruptured inguinal call, I couldn't remember ... " Lori tailed off.
"Wow, so it is! Small world, huh?" Aggie, succeeding in being funny without realizing it.
"She had a lot of gold & platinum jewelry." Manny, pissing Pettigrew off. The women in 317 had missed it.
Aggie, her voice stronger. "These center posts are ... I think people tried to grab them when the decompression hit."
Lori now, easing forward on Pettigrew's monitor." I say we take the left side, looks clearer."
"Yep." Aggie & Rails, their professional cool kicking in.
Six minutes to the end of 317, seven to 318, eight to the end of 319. Fatigue.
"Take some water, ladies. Catch your breath."
"Ok, mom!" Railsback, no doubt. Pettigrew smiled. She actually meant it when they did as they were asked.
Eileen could hear the women firing the water in their mouths, breathing, their bodies slowing, adapting.
Aggie turned her head so her lights pointed into 320. "Ok, Sarge, I can see the ladder to the exit bulkhead."
"Understood."
"We're goin' in." Lori in the moment.
"Copy."
"Next time I do an EVA, no cabbage rolls for me." Aggie, no doubt suffering mightily.
Pettigrew made a horrible facial expression & Manny started giggling as quietly as humanly possible.
There was an unexplained silence, followed by Lori's voice.
"You don't have to stop to fart, Agnes, the only one who can smell them is you."
"I know, I so get that now!"
It never became public knowledge, but the first woman to pee herself on the mission was Eileen Pettigrew.
Manny Tilueia took her secret to his grave.
"At the ladder, moving up." Aggie leading the way just so she could get out of her suit quickly.
Another minute to get to the hatch.
"Ok, so there's no light at all, right?"
Pettigrew smiled. "No, it's pretty much a cylinder. It fills and empties pretty quick."
"Ok, here we go."
A minute to open the inner bulkhead.
A minute after that Agnes Brooks and Lori Railsback were in outer space.
Lori babbled for a second, meaningless words to keep her fear at bay.
"I want to go on record as being really glad we don't have to wear all this crap every day!"
Nervous laughter from Aggie beside her, a humorous crackle from Eileen.
They were facing the 316 exit now, Manny beside the bulkhead to 317, where the sea of frozen corpses began.
Tilueia had his gas chamber guard smile on, the one which said "It's okay, come on."
They were tethered together already. Aggie moved towards the door, and Lori was startled when she felt the physical tug, the umbilical to her lover.
At least it worked.
Tilueia himself was nervous. The hatch to 317 hadn't been opened since Wally O'Brien had come down to do his damage assessment. Given what lay beyond the cold steel, Manny was in no hurry to open the door at all.
Aggie glanced at the lights on the wall near Tilueia's waist. Green. She felt a hand in her back, but couldn't tell if it was Lori's or Eileen Pettigrew's.
Lori was starting to feel her own rush towards death, if death were coming. Suddenly everything was moving too slowly, fuck, we have a green, let's go!
Whether Tilueia sensed that or not, his hand reached for the bulkhead wheel precisely as Lori's mind screamed "Go!"
Three turns, just as the wrench would take. Hard work, too, by the looks of it.
"Wait until the door is wide open." Pettigrew, crackling in their ears.
Manny pulled the hatch wide open.
"Keep breathing, move forward at your own pace. Lori, watch Aggie, move with her."
Lori sensed Aggie had steeled herself, she was ready. Knowing that gave her strength. They stepped carefully into the corridor between pods.
"Closing the door now. Ignore the red light on 317."
"Copy that." Lori watched a lot of television. Pettigrew was glad. The small laugh broke the tension.
Agnes & Lori felt the door close behind them.
"First shot at turning the wheel."
Tight quarters, stiff wheel, two full minutes to enter 317.
"Tough stuff coming up. Take a breath, look at each other, check on each other, get used to it. When you're ready, put your shoulder nav lights on."
Aggie & Lori turned towards each other. Lovers alone in Universe, in the dark, in the cold.
"Ready?" Lori, not too surprisingly.
"We've seen it all before, right?" Aggie, taking a break from leading.
"There's gonna be a shitload of them, Agz, that's all."
Lori sensed her partner's smile, heard the small snort of breath.
"I know."
"Ok, we're gonna turn the nav lights on, Sergeant."
"Understood."
Manny & Eileen watched the camera display, saw the lights go on, the helmets turn.
"Geezas!" Lori.
"What's up?" Pettigrew figured on a a rocky opening.
"S'ok, it's just Mrs. Keniwoke, she was the ruptured inguinal call, I couldn't remember ... " Lori tailed off.
"Wow, so it is! Small world, huh?" Aggie, succeeding in being funny without realizing it.
"She had a lot of gold & platinum jewelry." Manny, pissing Pettigrew off. The women in 317 had missed it.
Aggie, her voice stronger. "These center posts are ... I think people tried to grab them when the decompression hit."
Lori now, easing forward on Pettigrew's monitor." I say we take the left side, looks clearer."
"Yep." Aggie & Rails, their professional cool kicking in.
Six minutes to the end of 317, seven to 318, eight to the end of 319. Fatigue.
"Take some water, ladies. Catch your breath."
"Ok, mom!" Railsback, no doubt. Pettigrew smiled. She actually meant it when they did as they were asked.
Eileen could hear the women firing the water in their mouths, breathing, their bodies slowing, adapting.
Aggie turned her head so her lights pointed into 320. "Ok, Sarge, I can see the ladder to the exit bulkhead."
"Understood."
"We're goin' in." Lori in the moment.
"Copy."
"Next time I do an EVA, no cabbage rolls for me." Aggie, no doubt suffering mightily.
Pettigrew made a horrible facial expression & Manny started giggling as quietly as humanly possible.
There was an unexplained silence, followed by Lori's voice.
"You don't have to stop to fart, Agnes, the only one who can smell them is you."
"I know, I so get that now!"
It never became public knowledge, but the first woman to pee herself on the mission was Eileen Pettigrew.
Manny Tilueia took her secret to his grave.
"At the ladder, moving up." Aggie leading the way just so she could get out of her suit quickly.
Another minute to get to the hatch.
"Ok, so there's no light at all, right?"
Pettigrew smiled. "No, it's pretty much a cylinder. It fills and empties pretty quick."
"Ok, here we go."
A minute to open the inner bulkhead.
A minute after that Agnes Brooks and Lori Railsback were in outer space.