Lincoln almost dropped the stun gun in his hand. He felt light-headed and instinctively grabbed onto the stair railing. Earth. So close, yet always beyond reach. Growing up, his history classes had been full of stories about the toxicity of Earth, how where life once had been possible, death now reigned and life itself was impossible. Evacuating to a cosmic dump made no sense.

"Lincoln? Are you there?" Hamil said, having detected a longer than the usual moment of silence.

"Why would these modules be programmed to go to Earth? It's uninhabitable. Everyone knows that."

Another long silence followed. Lincoln thought he lost the connection to the Operations Center when Hamil spoke again.

"Listen, Lincoln, it's a long story, and I'd love to fill you in on the details. For now, let me just say that we have a presence on the surface for situations like this. Anyone evacuating with a module would be perfectly safe on the surface."

"A presence? What does that mean?" Lincoln felt overwhelmed. Was Earth not the toxic dump they had taught him it was, after all? A presence on the surface had to mean personnel, right? Habitats, vehicles?

"The important thing right now is Marie," Hamil said, ignoring Lincoln's question. "Your mission remains the same. You must apprehend her."

"Apprehend? How? I'm stuck here, she's on her way to Earth."

"You must follow here," came the immediate response.

Lincoln couldn't help himself and let out a laugh. "Follow her? With a module?"

"Exactly. Get into any of the modules, strap yourself in and press the launch button. The hatch will close and you'll float down to the surface. There's nothing there you can't handle."

Lincoln stepped back into the circular room and peered into one of the modules. Hamil was right. An evacuation module had to be easy to operate in order for its user to escape whatever they needed to escape from. He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Captain," Halim said more sternly, "Do you acknowledge?"

"Sir, I understand, yes."

"Is there a problem?"

Besides the fact I'm about to set my foot into a machine that will take me into what I thought was an uninhabitable wasteland just moments ago? Lincoln opened his mouth to say something but decided it was for the best to keep his mouth shut, as his father often had told him. He knew that he didn't have an option. If he wanted to save Marie, he had to follow her. Hamil had also given him a direct order. Disobeying would have severe consequences for his future. That wasn't an option either.

"No, no problem, sir," he said.

"Good. In that case, there's no time to waste. Once you launch the module, you will lose radio contact. You will be on your own until you land. Each landing site is self-contained and stocked with provisions to ensure survival for an extended period. There is also a communications center. Once you land, find it and report back. By then, I should have a solution to retrieve both you and Marie and bring you back here as soon as possible."

"Roger that, sir." Lincoln sighed and stepped into the closest module. "Strapping in now, sir."

"Very well. Godspeed, Captain Graber, and good luck."

Lincoln shook his head, sat down in the chair inside the module and strapped himself in. His heart was beating faster than a drum inside his chest and he wiped sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. A few deep breaths did little to calm him, so instead, he reached for the launch button mounted on the wall to his right. After a moments hesitation, he slammed it with the palm of his hand and held his breath.

The hatch in front of him closed and some locking mechanism locked it into place. A voice somewhere above him counted down from ten.

Eight.

Lincoln couldn't help but wonder what he was getting himself into. Launching down to the surface of the Earth?

Seven.

What would he even find when he landed?

Six.

He had never been closer to Earth than the orbit of the settlements around the planet.

Five.

What if he got stuck down there?

Four.

What if the help Hamil promised never came?

Three.

What if he couldn't find Marie?

Two.

Had she even survive the landing?

One.

The module shook as a small explosive dislodged the module from its docking station. Lincoln felt his body push against his restraints as the engine provided forward thrust for a few seconds before going quiet. He grabbed hold of the arm rests and squeezed as he sensed the craft rotate, then another burst of thrust.

With no information displays to help tell him what was going on, he had to rely on the audible voice updates that had turned from counting down to announcing that the launch was in progress. Lincoln closed his eyes and tried to think of something else. He had no idea what to expect during the descent to the surface. From the force applied to his body, he guess that the craft was accelerating towards the planet, but beyond that, it was anybody's guess.

A few minutes into his flight, the craft started vibrating, at first barely noticeable, then more intense as the seconds ticked away. They were entering the atmosphere. This is it. Lincoln squeezed the armrests harder and tensed his body as everything shook around him, drowning out the robotic voice announcing what he already knew. As the shaking continued, Lincoln felt nausea creep in and his empty stomach made itself known. The sour taste of his stomach fluids burned as they made their way up to his mouth, and it was all he could do to avoid throwing up.

After what seemed like an eternity, the shaking faded, replaced by the buffeting experienced by an object flying through air. Lincoln breathed a sigh of relief as both his body and the craft settled in for the rest of the ride to the surface. A few minutes later, the overhead voice announced the landing sequence was now in progress and Lincoln should prepare for landing. Prepare how? Lincoln looked around the spartan cabin but saw no clues that could help him understand what was expected of him as a passenger prior to landing.

The sound of an explosion sounded above him and shook the craft, followed by a violent jerking motion in the opposite direction of travel. His body strained against his seat restraints as he held on while he swung back and forth like a pendulum at the end of a chain. The swinging motion subsided after a few minutes and moments later it was replaced by the sound of an engine that increased in intensity as it forced the craft to slow down. Then, a loud metallic crunching was followed by the shutdown of the engine and everything went quiet. He had landed.

Lincoln breathed a sigh of relief and reached for the restraining belt across his chest as he laughed out loud. I made it, I'm alive. He couldn't believe it. Commander Hamil had been telling him the truth. Or had he? Lincoln realized as he rolled out of the chair and onto all four that it was too early to tell where he was. Had he landed where Hamil had said he would land, or was he somewhere else? There was only one way to find out.

After gathering his strength for a few more minutes, he stood up and slapped a button flashing green next to the hatch. A cloud of steam showered the opening as the hatch swung open. A blast of stale air greeted Linconl and caused a burning sensation in his throat. Panic gripped his mind as he instinctively covered his mouth and coughed. He blinked as he stepped through the steam and onto a solid surface, straining to see where he was going in a short tunnel lit only by the dim light from inside the evacuation craft. A door ahead of him slid open in a cloud of dust and as he crossed its threshold, lights in the ceiling turned on, one by one. Another door slid open to reveal a room the size of a small bedroom.

On his right, a small kitchenette and a table for one occupied most of the space, together with a few cabinets. To his left, an untouched, recessed sleeping area provided an attractive alternative for Lincoln. For a fraction of a second, Lincoln considered laying down on the bed and relaxing for a moment. His body could use the rest and mentally, he felt very tired. No, he corrected himself, he was exhausted all around and his body screamed for rest.

He resisted the bed and instead looked through the cabinets in the kitchenette area. They were well-stocked with daily rations for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He tore off the wrapper of a random ration package and walked over to the door on the far side of the living space while he chewed on a crunchy mix of nuts and fruits. A control panel on the wall came alive as he approached, revealing climate controls for the unit, a camera with a view of the immediate area outside the space and controls to operate the door itself.

The door slid open when Lincoln pressed the button on the screen labeled Open Door and as he stepped out into the corridor outside, lights above him came to life. The corridor was shaped in a vague circle, Lincoln noticed. Both directions looked the same, so Lincoln set off towards his right, walking the circular corridor in a counter-clockwise direction.

As he walked, the lights above him lit up, illuminating the spartan environment he was in. It didn't take long before he reached another door similar to the one he had just exited out of. He stopped and tried to access the room within from the access panel but was greeted by a red, flashing Access Denied message.

Lincoln passed one more door before he encountered a door on his left, the outer wall of the circular corridor. As he approached it, the door slid open, and he found himself in a straight corridor, stretching out to both his left and right. Just like the area he had just left, the lights came on as they sensed his presence. Immediately in front of him, on the wall, arrows pointed both left and right. Dining and entertainment needs could be fulfilled to the left, while communications and the garage were both to the right.

So far, there was no sign of Marie. He heard a faint humming he assumed came from equipment related to the facility itself, but otherwise, he saw no sign of life. To both his left and right, beyond the lights that had activated as he entered the corridor, there was only darkness. She's got to be here somewhere.

The scale of the facility meant that to find her, he'd have to be methodical. But first, he needed to call home and check in with Commander Hamil. Resolute in his decision, he turned right and followed the sign down the corridor towards the communications center. At the point where the corridor made a ninety-degree turn, he followed the signs and, after passing through another door, found himself at the heart of the facility.

A large screen occupied the far wall. Three half-circles of desks and terminals expanded beyond the wall in larger and larger diameter half-circles. Lincoln estimated that there were around twenty or thirty work stations in the room. A rectangular table complete with chairs occupied the area within the half-circle closest to the wall.

The layout of the comms room was familiar to Lincoln. He had seen similar rooms in orbit and at various military facilities. Considering this was also likely a military installation, it wasn't surprising that the layout was the same as other facilities.

The central station used by the comms director was in the center of the middle half-circle of terminals. Lincoln sat down and powered up the screen and then pressed a few buttons to dial orbit. Although the equipment was showing its age, it still worked well and mere moments later, Commander Hamil's face appeared on the wall.

"Captain, you made it," he said, his hands on the table in front of him as he leaned forward.

"Yes, sir, I did. It was a rough ride, but I'm here."

"Good news. Let me get directly to the point. Have you found Marie yet?" Hamil said and paused before he continued. "It is, as you know, of vital importance that she is located without delay."

"I understand, Commander. I just exited the craft. I figured it would be best to check in with you first, to let you know I made it."

"Yes, of course, of course."

"What do I do when I find her?"

"When you locate Marie, secure her and wait for reinforcements. I have dispatched a squad to your area and it is en route to your location. Once they arrive, transfer custody of Marie to the commanding officer. They will provide ground transportation for you back to their base. You can catch a ride with any of the scheduled transports heading to orbit from there."

"What will happen to Marie?"

"That is being discussed by the council. It is nothing you have to worry about, Captain."

"Of course not, sir."

Hamil looked at Lincoln in silence for a few moments before he continued. "If there's nothing else, I suggest you get busy. Marie used shuttle eight. Start with her landing area. She could still be there. You have a four hours until reinforcements arrive."

"Roger that, sir."

"Oh, and Lincoln?" Hamil said after a pause, seeming to stare directly at Lincoln through the video connection.

"Yes, sir?"

"Don't fail me."

Lincoln saluted as Hamil cut the connection, then sat down on the chair by the station and took a deep sigh. Four hours. That should be enough for him to search through the base. He returned his attention to the terminal in front of him. There had to be a map of the facility somewhere that he could use. Running around blind would only waste time and he knew that if he could find Marie before reinforcements arrived, it would look better for him.

After navigating around the various menus of the facility computer, he found the map he needed. It was only then he realized that the whole facility was constructed in the shape of a big square with a circular area within it. The twelve landing modules were housed throughout the building. Marie had landed in one, he in another. He realized as he looked closer at the module locations that he had been just a few doors down from Marie's module when he himself landed. If he had turned left instead of right when he exited his own module, he would have run into it just two doors in the other direction. He frowned as he got up from the terminal and exited the comms room. The door closed behind him with a hiss and for about a minute, he stood still, listening for any sound within the facility that might give him a hint of where Marie might be.

When he heard no sounds, he followed the same path back to his module he had taken to the comms room. After reaching his module, he paused as he realized that he no longer had the stun gun he had carried in orbit. How am I supposed to subdue her without it?

One problem at a time. He had to find her first. Leaving the door to his module behind, he advanced step by step, back against the wall. The first door he reached showed no signs of being disturbed, as expected. The next one, according to the map, was Marie's.

Lincoln felt his heart rate increase as he decreased the distance between himself and the next door. As he approached, he noticed a rhythmical sound from within Marie's module. It came and went, almost as if someone was turning the volume up and down on something. He furrowed his brow and bent his knees further as he scooted closer. With his sleeve, he wiped sweat that was forming off his forehead and took several deep breaths to calm himself.

The door into Marie's module was closed, yet something inside was causing the sound he still heard. The control panel next to the door came alive when he touched it, and he found the unlock and open commands. He executed both in rapid sequence and held his breath as the door slid open. The sound coming from the module increased in volume but otherwise continued without interruption.

Lincoln stepped across the threshold and tried to convince himself he was ready for anything. He had his fists raised and knees slightly bent as he walked into the module as quietly as possible. As he entered the module itself, he saw food wrappers all over the table in the kitchenette area. Two empty water bottles lay on the floor. He couldn't help but smile when he saw the shape of a human body under the covers in the sleeping area and the sound he now recognized as human snoring emanating from that general area.

Lincoln smiled to himself. He had found her.