the answer to her question. The pair inched down the hallway, both wishing the light from the inside of the tank were a little brighter. Gradually, the view on the other side of the open doorway spread open. Three-quarters of the water were missing from inside the tank. The missing water, however, wasn’t all that was absent from their view. A few more steps found them inside the room, alone with the empty tank.
“Where is it?” she whispered, clutching his shoulder and looking around the room.
He shrugged her off, wanting his body free to turn at a moment’s notice. He glanced at the empty tank, then down to the floor.
“Look,” he muttered, pointing the gun at the floor.
Sandra turned her gaze to where Julius pointed, noting the foot shaped puddles on the floor. She took a step back, putting her shoulder lamp on the tiny puddles of orange and green tinted water. It was awkward, but she managed to make the beam of light follow the footprints, realizing that they led down the hall from which they’d just came.
“Shit,” he groaned, raising the gun and storming down the hallway.
“Let’s just leave!” she pleaded. “Just get back to the Hopper and get the hell off this rock while we still can.”
They reached the end of the hallway quicker than Sandra wanted, the creepiness of the main chamber sending chills down her spine. She could stay here for days and never get over the uneasy feeling the hollow place crammed into her chest. Quaid had slowed his pace, holding his light in one hand, his gun in the other, and placing his hands over one another to work in unison.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what we’re doing,” he hissed. “If that thing has any senses, it’d make a ‘b’ line right to its only way off this station.”
Sandra’s eyes opened wide, fear and regret forming in her throat. She’d spent this entire expedition without giving a single thought to her little sister, sitting on the ship all alone. She pictured the bald Cyber, his glass covered eyes seeing Jenna as unnecessary cargo. Even if it left her alone, and simply took the ship, they’d have no way of getting off the planet themselves. She had a few bars of protein in one of her pockets, but there wasn’t any water. Her stomach quivered as she realized there was water all around her, nearly emptying onto the floor at the thought of having to drink it.
“Jenna!” she stammered.
Before Quaid could stop her, Sandra had pushed past him, jumping over the beams and cables in the middle of the floor. He chased after her, unable to keep his gun out in front of him and catch her at the same time. He squeezed through the open doorway, ducking the cables that hung from the ceiling in the outer hall. He could see her light shaking back and forth, thirty paces up ahead of him. This only confirmed that he needed to get more exercise. She was younger than him but not so much to warrant the distance between them.
The door to the air lock was slowly swinging shut as he rounded the corner. He knew she hadn’t closed it on him as all air locks were designed to return to a closed position when nothing was keeping them open. He crashed into the door with his shoulder, barely catching it just before the latch could catch. He jogged down the corridor, opting to lower his gun so he could move quicker. The other airlock to the Hopper opened with ease as it was used more recently than the door to the facility. He locked the door behind himself, holstering the weapon and heading towards the cockpit. He passed the common room in the middle of the ship, noting that neither Sandra nor Jenna was sitting in any of the chairs. He passed through the open room quickly, down another narrow corridor, and jumped over the protruding frame of the cockpit door.
“Why the fuck was you running?” he asked, trying to catch his breath. “I had the ignition key in my pocket the whole time. They weren’t going anywhere without us.”
His narrow eyes caught the
“Where is it?” she whispered, clutching his shoulder and looking around the room.
He shrugged her off, wanting his body free to turn at a moment’s notice. He glanced at the empty tank, then down to the floor.
“Look,” he muttered, pointing the gun at the floor.
Sandra turned her gaze to where Julius pointed, noting the foot shaped puddles on the floor. She took a step back, putting her shoulder lamp on the tiny puddles of orange and green tinted water. It was awkward, but she managed to make the beam of light follow the footprints, realizing that they led down the hall from which they’d just came.
“Shit,” he groaned, raising the gun and storming down the hallway.
“Let’s just leave!” she pleaded. “Just get back to the Hopper and get the hell off this rock while we still can.”
They reached the end of the hallway quicker than Sandra wanted, the creepiness of the main chamber sending chills down her spine. She could stay here for days and never get over the uneasy feeling the hollow place crammed into her chest. Quaid had slowed his pace, holding his light in one hand, his gun in the other, and placing his hands over one another to work in unison.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what we’re doing,” he hissed. “If that thing has any senses, it’d make a ‘b’ line right to its only way off this station.”
Sandra’s eyes opened wide, fear and regret forming in her throat. She’d spent this entire expedition without giving a single thought to her little sister, sitting on the ship all alone. She pictured the bald Cyber, his glass covered eyes seeing Jenna as unnecessary cargo. Even if it left her alone, and simply took the ship, they’d have no way of getting off the planet themselves. She had a few bars of protein in one of her pockets, but there wasn’t any water. Her stomach quivered as she realized there was water all around her, nearly emptying onto the floor at the thought of having to drink it.
“Jenna!” she stammered.
Before Quaid could stop her, Sandra had pushed past him, jumping over the beams and cables in the middle of the floor. He chased after her, unable to keep his gun out in front of him and catch her at the same time. He squeezed through the open doorway, ducking the cables that hung from the ceiling in the outer hall. He could see her light shaking back and forth, thirty paces up ahead of him. This only confirmed that he needed to get more exercise. She was younger than him but not so much to warrant the distance between them.
The door to the air lock was slowly swinging shut as he rounded the corner. He knew she hadn’t closed it on him as all air locks were designed to return to a closed position when nothing was keeping them open. He crashed into the door with his shoulder, barely catching it just before the latch could catch. He jogged down the corridor, opting to lower his gun so he could move quicker. The other airlock to the Hopper opened with ease as it was used more recently than the door to the facility. He locked the door behind himself, holstering the weapon and heading towards the cockpit. He passed the common room in the middle of the ship, noting that neither Sandra nor Jenna was sitting in any of the chairs. He passed through the open room quickly, down another narrow corridor, and jumped over the protruding frame of the cockpit door.
“Why the fuck was you running?” he asked, trying to catch his breath. “I had the ignition key in my pocket the whole time. They weren’t going anywhere without us.”
His narrow eyes caught the
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