The door slid opened into a converted airlock, presumably to account for
the lack of oxygen outside. It was lit with a red light, which turned green
when it was ok to take off their masks.
Pris gratefully slid hers off, and took in a lungful of air. It was stale, artificial air always was, but it was still better than covering her face. She readied her pistol as the inner door opened into the main hallway.
It was a long corridor, with a dull metal shine that most of these places had. Every ten meters there was a junction, each marked with a different letter, and the whole thing was about 50 meters.
There was a tense silence hanging in the air. Pris looked over her shoulder to Lennier, who had a PPG drawn. She could see his breath, and realized that the corridor was cold. Not as cold as outside, but enough to suggest the heating was off.
Lennier motioned to the floor, which she saw an impressively thick layer of dust. Like a tomb, she thought with a shudder.
She looked up to Greer, who was visibly shaking and pale. Pris was hoping she could keep from fainting, at least until something worth fainting for actually happened.
"Do you know where they could be?" she said, very, very quietly. For some reason, she was loathe to break the silence.
Greer roused herself, "the mess hall?" she said, uncertainly.
Pris moved quietly up to the first junction, which had a directory. Mess hall, junction C to the left. Okay...
She followed these directions, moving very quietly, not even daring to breathe. She moved her head, very slightly, from side to side, trying to pick up any snatch of noise which could indicate life. At one point she turned to Lennier, thinking maybe his ears were somehow sharper and he'd heard something. He shook his head.
A door on the left had the words "Mess Hall" in large red letters, which had faded with time. On the side of the door was a panel with the opening mechanism, which was flashing as if nothing was wrong.
Pris took a deep breath, swallowed and pressed the button. The door slid open with a slight groan which barely pierced the silence.
The ear-splitting scream which followed on the other hand...
Pris gratefully slid hers off, and took in a lungful of air. It was stale, artificial air always was, but it was still better than covering her face. She readied her pistol as the inner door opened into the main hallway.
It was a long corridor, with a dull metal shine that most of these places had. Every ten meters there was a junction, each marked with a different letter, and the whole thing was about 50 meters.
There was a tense silence hanging in the air. Pris looked over her shoulder to Lennier, who had a PPG drawn. She could see his breath, and realized that the corridor was cold. Not as cold as outside, but enough to suggest the heating was off.
Lennier motioned to the floor, which she saw an impressively thick layer of dust. Like a tomb, she thought with a shudder.
She looked up to Greer, who was visibly shaking and pale. Pris was hoping she could keep from fainting, at least until something worth fainting for actually happened.
"Do you know where they could be?" she said, very, very quietly. For some reason, she was loathe to break the silence.
Greer roused herself, "the mess hall?" she said, uncertainly.
Pris moved quietly up to the first junction, which had a directory. Mess hall, junction C to the left. Okay...
She followed these directions, moving very quietly, not even daring to breathe. She moved her head, very slightly, from side to side, trying to pick up any snatch of noise which could indicate life. At one point she turned to Lennier, thinking maybe his ears were somehow sharper and he'd heard something. He shook his head.
A door on the left had the words "Mess Hall" in large red letters, which had faded with time. On the side of the door was a panel with the opening mechanism, which was flashing as if nothing was wrong.
Pris took a deep breath, swallowed and pressed the button. The door slid open with a slight groan which barely pierced the silence.
The ear-splitting scream which followed on the other hand...