THE TITAN EXPERIMENT

CHAPTER 35 - A Forgotten Place

Phoenix had never used an X-3 Spacesuit before, but as with flying the ship, he found himself more than knowledgeable about how it worked. The streamlined suit was the latest design from NASA, form fitting and easy to maneuver in, maintaining pressure and atmosphere. And by latest, the Research and Development Division had yet to release the X-3 version to astronauts traveling from the Earth to the moon, or even to Mars. But Admiral Jax, with his top-level connections, had acquired the spacesuits for this mission.

Phoenix twist-locked the gold helmet with white trim onto the neck of his suit and did the same for the gloves. The gold and white theme held true for the entire pressurized outfit, making the suit easier to locate in the event of a spacewalk emergency. Under the glow of floodlights, and even the sun, the gold would sparkle. The face shield spanned from ear to ear, allowing for a wide peripheral view. He checked a system display on his left wrist. Selected a tab for Air Supply. The screen showed seven full cartridges. Based on normal exertion, he had seven hours of oxygen to breathe before having to reload. That meant walking, talking and light work detail. Anything heavier than that and he would burn through his air faster. The system automatically updated, recalculating oxygen usage continually.

That was reassuring. But then he thought about leaving the safety of the ship.

He surveyed the rest of the crew, all awake and accounted for.

Across from Phoenix, Callisto appeared preoccupied with his surroundings, ducking to look through the hatchway into the bridge. Jupiter had his attention. That was good for now, but Phoenix was sure Callisto would find the time to blame him for Nova's death and resurrection, and, likely, her amnesia at some point.

As for Nova, she seemed to gravitate toward Sarah—a.k.a. Dr. Lawson—looking to her for answers, asking her questions about hibernation, the space station, and the grand question of why they were there. Apparently, she'd had enough of Phoenix's queries about what she remembered regarding their past.

Luna looked like she couldn't care less about petty domestic issues. She seemed curious about what was going to happen next, yet a little cautious. Since Phoenix had met her on the cargo plane after their abduction by the robot Navy SEALs, he had grown accustomed to her suspicious eyes and pinched brows. She hated being kidnapped, drugged, and transported into deep space. Come to think of it, Phoenix couldn't think of anyone who would like such a thing.

As for Dr. Ariel Fairhaven, after waking up from cryo sleep, she seemed more concerned about Phoenix and Nova, since they had gone through the trauma of waking up too fast from hibernation. Phoenix's body still quaked on the inside because his core temperature hadn't stabilized yet.

And then, of course, there was their leader.

Phoenix might be the highest-ranking member of the military onboard, but he was smart enough to know who was really in charge, at least for now.

"So, what's next, Doc?" Phoenix said, an edge in his voice. "We're suited up and ready to storm the Death Star. Any encouraging words you'd like to tell us?"

Sarah peered at him through the spacesuit's visor, her lips pursed together like a teacher showing disapproval of a pupil. Without replying, she disappeared through the hatchway leading to the bridge. "Get ready," she said, her voice sounding clear and calm through Phoenix's helmet comm system.

"For what?" Ariel asked.

"Zero g's."

Phoenix's boots released from the floor, and he rose like he was full of helium.

Sarah returned, gliding, angling for the airlock. "There's no gravity in the station for the time being, so we might as well get used to it." She extended her arms and stopped at the top hatch.