December 12, 2015

Mike buttoned up his cold suit, making sure to check his thermal regulator had enough charge to keep him warm for the three hours he would be on the surface.

He stepped into the elevator, nodding to the half-awake guard at the security station. The elevator lurched upwards, groaning slightly.

The twin doors whisked open, and Mike walked out into what used to be a busy street in Geneva. Now eerily dark and empty, Mike looked up at the sky, still expecting to see the familiar constellations he had stared at his whole life. An unfamiliar sky dotted with nebulae and strange constellation patterns stared back.

Mike’s helmet radio comes to life.

bzzzt “Mike, do you copy? Over.”
“Roger, this is Mike.”

“Mike this is Bill, we’re over in the park setting up the portable observatory. Do you have the new software for the star mapping and triangulation?”

“That’s affirmative Bill, I’m about 15 away, see you shortly.”