Shadow Of The Past Trilogy ∞ THE DISPLACED

117 ∞ another small step

Day Twenty-one ∞ Thursday evening (PST)

THE FIVE STOOD inside Deymos' airlock, four of them with their helmets activated and sealed when the wall parted before them. A ledge expanded along the hull, some three feet out, and on the right side, grew a sloping side wing to the ground. They stepped out onto the ledge, taking in their surroundings.

Danny couldn't hear the camera anymore as he stared with awe. Despite the crater rim blocking the light from the sun, the bright areas behind the ships reflected enough ambient light for him to see details in the shadowed, alien landscape.

I'm on the moon! The irresistible urge to pinch himself was blocked by the spacesuit. All he could do was give his thigh a thump with his fist.

He felt the warmth of Mickmi's smile filling him. —It is not a dream.

—I know... It just feels that way.

A stone's throw to the right, Lora's ship—a shade lighter gray than their surroundings—opened up and a cluster of four more markers popped up on Danny's heads-up display.

"Daniel, would you like to do the honors?"

Danny looked at Mickmi in surprise. She was holding out her gloved hand as if to serve him the moon on a platter.

A hand patted his opposite shoulder. "Once in a lifetime, kid," Eckstein said.

"Yeah." Grinning, Danny stepped forward and looked down at the ground, judging the distance. Then he jumped. The suit activated instantly, controlling his descent to land him softly on the surface. For a moment, he stood still, drawing deep breaths to calm his excitement. The HUD registered his elevated heartbeat dropping a few notches.

He chuckled and stepped forward, right foot, then left. "Another one small step for Man..." He twisted to look up at the others. Muzzy stood halfway down the ramp, aiming the chest-mounted F2 at him at an angle that would also capture Paulux in the background. Mickmi and Eckstein remained on the ledge next to Artemae who, in contrast, still wasn't wearing any protective gear, let alone a spacesuit. Eckstein gave him a thumbs up.

"And Woman," Danny added at the spur of a thought, and looked down at his boots. He rubbed a sole against the ground, then kicked, stirring up moon dust. He just couldn't help it—he felt like a kid seeing snow for the first time.

"Hey! You're not finished yet!"

The green circle marked <<JAGGER>> blinked on Danny's visor. Danny looked up at Paulux, still grinning. He couldn't keep this moment to himself when they were all here as a team. But of the men Mickmi had recruited for this mission, only the black man came close to being a peer. After all, he had a similar role: he was Lora's boyfriend—despite having threatened to shoot him and Mickmi once. That bank visit felt like another lifetime ago.

"Hey, Jagg! You do it!"

The circle hopped a point away from the larger oval outline representing Paulux as Jagg jumped to the ground, then leaped forward.

"And another giant leap for Mankind. Yeah!" Jagg brought his hands together in one clap and laughed.

"Get out there," Muzzy said.

Huh? Danny spun his head as Muzzy continued.

"Eckstein, the rock at one o'clock. Remember, you have the videocam now—my workhorse gets in the way. Get both ships. Then all around. And don't forget to turn it on. But be conservative. I don't know how long that battery will last."