As the elevator reached the surface, I wished I could go under the base. Even if it was more dangerous because of all the cooling systems, it would’ve been shorter. But there were all kinds of alarms under there, and I couldn’t alert anyone to what I was about to do.

The black surface crunched under my feet as I stepped out of the elevator, and I said a little prayer.

Please, God. If there is anyone listening, help me do this.

One foot in front of the other. That’s how I went. I sprayed the 320zpd before I stepped anywhere. Slowly but surely making my way around the base.

The shift went by painfully slow. I tried to think that every step away from the safety of Bay One meant that I was one closer to Bay Four. To the test. To my freedom. But I hated this.

Terror made it hard to grip the hose as I sprayed down the hardened lava. I watched for any cracks or sulfur plumes, but there wasn’t a damned thing that I could do if my suit failed me again. I was too far away from Tyler.

Walk slow, spray as you go. Over and over in my head I chanted Tyler’s words to me from my first day out here. Each minute that passed felt like hours.

“How you doin’?” Tyler’s voice came through my helmet for one of his routine check-ins.

“Sweating my ass off as usual.”

“You watching the time?”

I wanted to roll my eyes, but I knew he was almost as nervous as I was. The test started in fifteen minutes. It was going to be tight.

“I’m working as fast as I can.” I picked up my pace, hoping I made it to Bay Four in time.

“Ain’t good to hurry out there.”

“I have to.” I couldn’t miss the test.

“Where are you?”

I came around the side of the base and could finally see the bay door. The elevator was down. Ready. “Feels like the middle of nowhere but—”

The alarm went off in my suit. I froze. My gaze went to the temp panel.

101.

Not bad, but that would change.

105.

108.

I tried not to panic, but the temperature was going up faster than it did yesterday.

I dropped the hose, letting it hang from my hip, and started running.

This wasn’t part of the plan.

No. No. No.

“Tyler!” I didn’t care about the error code in the suit or wasting precious time trying to figure out why my suit was failing. I had to hurry.

“Alerted Javier. He’s putting on his suit. How far are you?”

“I don’t know. Not far. Thirty meters. Give or take.” It didn’t seem like that much, but when the suit failed, it went fast.

112.