Free Deeper Into the Void by Mitchell A. Duncan Page A

blood-shot from the massive force of the incessant coughing. The dry coughs are completely unsatisfactory to him and provide him no relief from the pervasive burning in his lungs and throat.
     
Cardiff:

What is wrong with you? Do you need a drink or something?!
    Long looks up at her through his excruciated eyes and can only nod as he leans on his other arm for support. Long stumbles to the floor as Cardiff rushes out the door to get him a drink. What seems like minutes pass as Long suffers through his tortuous coughing spell on the floor. Cardiff finally returns with a glass of water, and helps him to the seated position on the floor. With a vigor unmatched, he presses the glass to his lips. The thick taste of smoke washes away in the cleansing water. His itchy throat finds a small measure of relief in the drink.
    Long removes the glass from his lips as he gasps for the cleansing air within the control room. The sound of boots running down the short hallway does not even distract Long from his focused breathing. Ghent enters the room, slightly short of breath, and makes a simple statement through his breaths, “The pond is at least 110 meters deep!”
    Long hears none of this announcement, and quite frankly appears to be unfazed by Ghent’s presence at all. His eyes look at the wall behind the control computer. Terror and confusion fill every ounce of his body as he looks on at the ashen pile of wood that was once the toy car.
    Dust swirls up from under the rolling wheels of the heavy rig as it slows its approach to the airlock. The red dust continues to swirl up into the air as boots kick it around. Lawrence and Mendez walk to the outer door of the airlock together. No discussion, no small talk; Mendez holds the old and heavily worn glass tablet that they had retrieved from the old ship. Lawrence stands outside the closed airlock door. His palm rests on the heavy metal door as he looks down at the small print on the door below his hand. Three streaks of what looks like dried blood appear as blemishes upon the heavy metal door. Mendez walks up to his left, and watches his careful study of the door.
     
Mendez:

Is something wrong with the door?

Lawrence:

I wonder where this bit of blood came from. Out here it would be difficult to get blood out of your suit without it evaporating or without dying in the process.

Mendez:

Blood?

Lawrence:

Yeah, this bit on the door here.

Mendez:

Uh, the door is clean. I don’t see anything on the door at all, including blood. Are you okay?
    Lawrence returns his gaze from Mendez to the door in front of him. His puzzled expression illustrates to Mendez that he can no longer see the blemish upon the door.
     
Lawrence:

Hardly, our solar rig goes missing; there are skeletons in the closet everywhere you look around here. It is almost surreal.

Mendez:

I don’t know about skeletons in the closets, mine was empty.

Lawrence:

I guess I should just be grateful you’re not asking me about my childhood right now or something.

Mendez:

Would you like me to?
    Lawrence presses the control and the door begins to open before them. After a moment of repressurizing in the airlock, Mendez places her gloved hand on Lawrence’s shoulder. “I am sorry for your loss; you know that”, Mendez’s smile shines through her mask as she addresses the dejected Lawrence. The inner airlock door begins to groan as it slides away from the opening to the airlock. Doctor Mendez removes her helmet with her free hand and slowly walks over the door threshold. Lawrence remains in the airlock for another moment or so.
     
Mendez:

I don’t know about you, but I am curious to see what might be on this tablet here. Let’s go, I am sure that the control center will have an interface for this thing.
    Hesitantly, Lawrence steps over the threshold and joins Mendez as she starts up the pathway to the control center. The outer door to the control center is wide open as they approach the control center. Long, sitting on