Free Luna by Rick Chesler Page B

to—”
    “Right here, people!” Blake exclaimed, cutting James off. “This is what I want you to see. Gather around, come on.”
    A couple of minutes later, all six of them stood huddled around Blake on the other side of the outcropping. Blake stood proudly, feet planted firmly apart, head held high, pointing into a chasm of some kind.
    “Is that a cave?” Asami asked.
    “It is,” Blake said, “although it’s more like a tunnel system than a cavern. There’s an extensive network of passages underneath our feet.”
    “Extraordinary,” Asami said. “I’ll have to check for anomalies in the strata signatures on our satellite maps when I get back. It’s possible that—”
    Blake cut her off with a wave of the hand. “I do apologize, Dr. Imura, but we have a schedule to keep here. We’re following a very carefully planned itinerary,” he finished, deliberately turning to face James Burton, who said nothing as he stared transfixed into the geological aperture.
    “Flip on your helmet lights, please,” Blake said, a beam originating from atop his helmet slicing into the blackness of the tunnel. They could see a tight rocky throat that wound quickly out of sight down and to the left. One by one, piercing rays of light emanated from xenon bulbs as the group activated their helmet lamps.
    Caitlin watched as Blake’s lips moved without her being able to hear. He’s telling Dallas we’re about to go underground.
    The entire group stood facing the tunnel except for James, who was kicking at the soil for some reason with his right foot.
    Blake looked at the group. “Are we ready?”
    “Hold on,” Suzette said. She was typing into a handheld electronic device, one with an input interface large enough to accommodate her spacesuit gloves. “I need to update the Outer Limits social network feeds…” A series of grunts and under-breath remarks made it clear the group was not happy about this. Even Blake tilted his head to one side while staring at her, a gesture of impatience.
    Suzette spoke as she typed. “On…super…cool…moonwalk…now…over&out!” She packed the device away and replaced it with her running video camera. “Ready!” she proclaimed.
    “Let’s go, people.” Blake led the way into the tunnel, ducking his head as he stepped inside. A few feet in, he stopped. Turned.
    “Suzette, shut the camera off.”

 
     
    14 | Mission Control
     
     
    Back in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Flight Controller Ray McCullough wiped the guacamole from his chin as he reentered the control room. The scruff on his face left several long white lines across the deeply tanned skin of his forearm.
    “Missed a little,” fellow Flight Controller Jerry Ableton said as Ray passed his station.
    Ray swatted his lower lip with his fingers and then ran them across the arm of Jerry’s starched white short-sleeve shirt, eliciting a choice epithet from him as Ray lifted his headset and scanned the monitors for updates.
    With the passengers finally off on their EVA tour, Ray hoped he could finally have a few words alone with Caitlin. He spoke into his headset. “Hey, sweetheart.”
    “How’s it going, honeybunch?” came the reply, a falsetto impersonation of a female voice.
    “That’s slap-on-the-knee funny, Dallas. You learn that one in medical school or astronaut school?”
    “Clown school, Bozo. Now, what may I do for you?”
    Ray smiled despite himself. “You may patch me through to Caitlin, that’s what you may do for me, Dallas.”   
    There was a pause before Dallas responded, “Sorry, no can do, Ray. Caitlin was ordered on the EVA tour by Big Boss Blake. I can put you through, but you’re going to be whispering sweet nothings into seven pairs of ears instead of one. And that’s assuming I don’t eavesdrop, which is one mighty risky assumption.”
    Ray swallowed hard, wishing he hadn’t had that pint of Dos Equis with his meal. Now he was as parched as he was anxious. What the hell did Blake bring