Read Virus-72 Hours to Live for Free Online Page B

station, its rotational velocity was the
same as the station and the onboard computer would slowly alter its
rotation to match their orbit as they moved away from the
station.
    When they entered Beta docking station, the
four-person crew for RD33A was in their pressure suits and ready to
move into the vehicle. They were stationary with respect to the
port so they appeared to be slowly rotating to Joan and Tom, who
were moving through the weightless environment.
    "Hey guys you ready to launch off to your
new home?" Joan asked as Tom and she adjusted their orientation so
they were all heads up with the crew.
    Depending on which center access tunnel you
came out of, you had to rotate to align with anyone else in the
docking port. It was one of those funny things with people, you
couldn't stand head to foot and talk. Once they aligned with the
departing crew, they could stay stationary to each other. Oasis
would rotate around them and the portal into RD33A would rotate. It
was a little disconcerting when one of the technicians was attached
to Oasis preparing for the launch and they would rotate around the
stationary crewmembers while they talked.
    "Yup, we're ready. We've been prepping for
this mission for a long time and now we're hot to get going. I wish
I had gotten a little more sleep last night though," said John
Silver, who was the new environmental engineer for the Mars colony
and the mission commander.
    "Do you feel ok?" asked Joan.
    "No problem just pre-launch nerves."
    "Well, you've got the first watch, so you'll
have time to recover before you have to wake up Mary for your sleep
period."
    "If you wake me up and you complain about
sniffles, I'll just go back to sleep," said Mary Silver, who was
John's wife and the Mining Engineer for the Mars colony.
    "Don't worry I'll save some tissue for you,"
he said with a false sniffle and a grin.
    "You're not saying anything Phil?" Joan
mentioned as she looked at the one person who was smiling but
staying out of the banter between the couple.
    "When a married couple is fighting over
issues, I think it's best to remain neutral," replied Phillip
Washington who was the new structural engineer for the Red Dirt
colony.
    Phil's wife Joyce, the new Mars soils
engineer, elbowed him and said, "Ya when we fight it's over more
important things; like the entertainment control."
    Any crew heading off for a mission to Mars
had to be close and have good personal relationships; it was a
trip, which would likely be for the remainder of their lives.
Generally, those that elected the one-way trip to Mars were at a
point in their lives where they could make such a large commitment.
Some were young and adventurous, but most of them had reached a
point in their lives where they could see where they were going and
could make the decision without any regrets. With the VSIMR engine,
a return trip could be made to Earth but it was so expensive the
corporation encouraged a long-term commitment. They expected anyone
going to Mars to be willing to 'stick it out' and not expect a
return trip.
    "Ok guys, I know this is a big step which
you've been preparing for, for a long time. I can't say much except
I hope things go well on the trip and your time on Mars. I'd love
to go there someday, but I'm not willing to make it my last
assignment yet. I guess I'll let you go and I hope you get along
well enough for six weeks together," said Joan.
    "I wish you would call it something else
then our last assignment," John said with a smile.
    "You know what I meant, perhaps not the last
but at least the longest one," Joan added with a smile.
    "We better get along. We have 40 days
together in a small metal tube," John said. "After we get there,
we'll be in bigger metal tubes for the rest of our lives."
    "Ok, enough bragging, time to button up,"
Joan pointed out. "We don't want you to be late getting to Red
Dirt."
    "If any of you have a snoring problem I've
got extra earplugs," said Tom with a smile.
    "You have earplugs...; you