pressurization sequences. He looked around at the growing crowd. Some were fumbling with the unfamiliar suit packs. Others were simply hanging onto hand-holds set in the wall or ceiling, staring at nothing, waiting for someone to give more direction.
Three crew members were rushing from person-to-person, attempting to prod each of the passengers into action and helping those who had managed to at least break the EERS pack seals. They were having limited success – either their audience was stunned or simply did not grasp the urgency the situation warranted.
“We’ve got to help,” Jennifer said.
Ian looked from the hatch to Jennifer to the nearest other passenger. The older woman was holding her EERS pack like it might bite her.
Ian exhaled, reached out, took the egress pack from the woman and ripped it open. With one snap of his wrist, he unfurled the tightly packed suit. Moving swiftly and wordlessly, he forced her legs and arms into the suit and was soon zipping up the front. Ian finished by snapping the woman’s helmet in place. He made eye contact for the first time after ensuring the air flow meter on her wrist display was set properly.
The woman stared back at him, her mouth hanging open.
“You’re welcome.” Ian said dryly. He gave a half salute and moved on to the next passenger, a man fumbling with a suit while spinning slowly in the middle of the room. Ian managed to stop the man from spinning and began suiting him up one limb at a time. He looked over and was impressed to see Jennifer was doing quite well herself, having quickly adapted to movement in zero-gee. She moved from one of her self-appointed charges, now fully suited, to the next, always managing to keep one point of contact and carefully planning each of her moves. She smiled sweetly at an older woman, and tried to convince her it was okay at times like this to leave her handbag behind. The woman seemed unwilling to relinquishing the massive bag slung over her shoulder and clutched in a death squeeze under her arm. Jennifer tried to a new tact; explaining how the suit would not fit over the bag.
Convinced if anyone could get the woman into a suit today, it was Jennifer, he moved on to the next passenger.
A few minutes later, everyone had managed to get a suit on. The only exception was a pair of businessmen who reacted violently anytime they were told to don to their suits. One crewman was still trying to persuade them this was indeed a real emergency.
“You’re not getting me into one of those things just so you can throw me out an airlock!” a man with styled salt-and-pepper hair shouted. Ian noticed he was wearing enough mousse to keep his locks in place despite the absence of gravity.
Another man, younger than the first, dressed in a very nice dark suit agreed, “Exactly! I demand to speak to the Captain!”
Another crew member brought over two extra EERS packs to Newton. The unsuited Newton ignored him, focusing his attention on the passengers. “I’m the Head Steward, there is no Captain on this mission,” he said. “Wemay be about to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. These,” Newton snagged the packs from his partner, “are proven safe. Now, as I have said before, it is essential you…”
“I do not want to hear this again!” Salt-and-pepper shouted, swatting the pack away. “I must speak to someone in authority!”
The snappy dresser joined in with renewed vigor. Ian ignored them both and concentrated on running a final check over his last passenger. It was not until he looked through the man’s helmet that he noticed the bloody nose. The man smiled sheepishly.
“See,” Ian said, grinning, “you made it into the lifeboat.”
The man laughed and moved away to help gather up the contents of a spilled purse.
Ian turned to see Jennifer had finished up on the other side of the room. He felt a new vibration building in the car, transmitted through the bulkhead to his hand-hold.
Screens set around the room
Three crew members were rushing from person-to-person, attempting to prod each of the passengers into action and helping those who had managed to at least break the EERS pack seals. They were having limited success – either their audience was stunned or simply did not grasp the urgency the situation warranted.
“We’ve got to help,” Jennifer said.
Ian looked from the hatch to Jennifer to the nearest other passenger. The older woman was holding her EERS pack like it might bite her.
Ian exhaled, reached out, took the egress pack from the woman and ripped it open. With one snap of his wrist, he unfurled the tightly packed suit. Moving swiftly and wordlessly, he forced her legs and arms into the suit and was soon zipping up the front. Ian finished by snapping the woman’s helmet in place. He made eye contact for the first time after ensuring the air flow meter on her wrist display was set properly.
The woman stared back at him, her mouth hanging open.
“You’re welcome.” Ian said dryly. He gave a half salute and moved on to the next passenger, a man fumbling with a suit while spinning slowly in the middle of the room. Ian managed to stop the man from spinning and began suiting him up one limb at a time. He looked over and was impressed to see Jennifer was doing quite well herself, having quickly adapted to movement in zero-gee. She moved from one of her self-appointed charges, now fully suited, to the next, always managing to keep one point of contact and carefully planning each of her moves. She smiled sweetly at an older woman, and tried to convince her it was okay at times like this to leave her handbag behind. The woman seemed unwilling to relinquishing the massive bag slung over her shoulder and clutched in a death squeeze under her arm. Jennifer tried to a new tact; explaining how the suit would not fit over the bag.
Convinced if anyone could get the woman into a suit today, it was Jennifer, he moved on to the next passenger.
A few minutes later, everyone had managed to get a suit on. The only exception was a pair of businessmen who reacted violently anytime they were told to don to their suits. One crewman was still trying to persuade them this was indeed a real emergency.
“You’re not getting me into one of those things just so you can throw me out an airlock!” a man with styled salt-and-pepper hair shouted. Ian noticed he was wearing enough mousse to keep his locks in place despite the absence of gravity.
Another man, younger than the first, dressed in a very nice dark suit agreed, “Exactly! I demand to speak to the Captain!”
Another crew member brought over two extra EERS packs to Newton. The unsuited Newton ignored him, focusing his attention on the passengers. “I’m the Head Steward, there is no Captain on this mission,” he said. “Wemay be about to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. These,” Newton snagged the packs from his partner, “are proven safe. Now, as I have said before, it is essential you…”
“I do not want to hear this again!” Salt-and-pepper shouted, swatting the pack away. “I must speak to someone in authority!”
The snappy dresser joined in with renewed vigor. Ian ignored them both and concentrated on running a final check over his last passenger. It was not until he looked through the man’s helmet that he noticed the bloody nose. The man smiled sheepishly.
“See,” Ian said, grinning, “you made it into the lifeboat.”
The man laughed and moved away to help gather up the contents of a spilled purse.
Ian turned to see Jennifer had finished up on the other side of the room. He felt a new vibration building in the car, transmitted through the bulkhead to his hand-hold.
Screens set around the room
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