Deeper Into the Void Read Online Free PDF

expression. Anyway, why would someone bring a bottle all the way out here, just to throw it in the sand back behind the dome?
    Ghent walks over to the brown glass bottle, lying in the sand, and picks it up. He inspects the bottle for a second, rubbing his other gloved hand over the faded label. With his right hand, he pulls the bottle back over his shoulder and flings it out into the distance. The bottle shatters as it collides with a black rock. Glass shards coat the rock, giving it a sparkly appearance.
     
Lawrence:

Why did you break that bottle? You never know when you might need a bottle, especially out here.

Ghent:

Oh, I don’t think we’ll need that one. We have plenty of containers. Dust to dust.

Lawrence:

Well, this is the north side of the dome. Where are the others?
    Lawrence looks on, toward the east side, and can see Cardiff and Mendez rounding the corner. The large hill behind them, where they are walking from, creates a beautiful backdrop to the dome. Shadows from jagged rock and outcroppings on the hillside add variety to the noonday view. As the women approach, Lawrence calls out to Cardiff over the radio.
     
Lawrence:

Did you find it?

Cardiff:

Find what?

Lawrence:

That thing that you were looking for. You know, the reason we walked all the way around the dome.

Cardiff:

If you mean problems, I didn’t see any.

Lawrence:

In that case, neither did we.

Cardiff:

Okay, well let’s head back the way you guys came. The way we came provides a solid workout.
    Lawrence holds his hand out, with palm up, to beckon the others to head back the way that he had come. Each of the four walks in a tight cluster, avoiding the jagged rocks that threaten to tear their suits. Without uttering a single syllable, the team returns to the south side of the dome. A light breeze whips up some dust as they round the last bit of the dome.
    Long has occupied himself by throwing a rock high into the air, and running to catch it as it falls. The rest of the team catches a last glimpse of this game as he notices their return; the rock that he had just thrown falls toward the rover, striking one of the solar panels.
     
Lawrence:

Long, you’re lucky that you didn’t just break that solar panel just now. Don’t tempt fate.

Long:

Sure, that coming from the man who lives on the edge all of the time.

Lawrence:

You don’t know anything about me, don’t pretend like you do.

Cardiff:

Alright, everyone has their own opinions.
    Don’t let them get in the way out here. Stay away from making judgments; they will be the biggest obstacle you’ll face in reaching where you want to be.
     
Mendez:

Captain, I am pretty sure that you are asking the impossible. People cannot avoid judgment; we like or dislike absolutely everything. Anyone that tells you that they are being completely objective is lying to you, or they just don’t know any better.

Lawrence:

Fair enough. Just to be honest, I don’t like you Mendez, and I don’t care much for you either, Long. Ghent, I don’t know about you yet.

Cardiff:

Alright, whatever. Lawrence how do you feel about getting that heavy airlock door open? Oh, wait; I really don’t care about how you feel about it, just do it. Don’t be so pretentious.
    Lawrence chuckles a bit over the radio. A “sure thing” is the only response that she’ll get from him on the matter. The airlock hard-lock indicator light is barely visible beneath the heavy layer of dust on the control panel. Accessing the main airlock controls proves to be quite difficult as the outside is plastered in thick dust.
    After several long minutes, Lawrence manages to free the controls of the Martian dust long enough to manually open the outside airlock door. The sand stacked up against the outer door is difficult to remove; that is until the door seal is released, sending the sand flying out violently in all directions as the pressurized air rushes out.
    Infinitesimal as the airlock appears in contrast to the rest of