I held up a hand and waited for the crowd to settle. When the din had died, I spread my arms wide. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for coming to see our warrior off on her journey. As many of you know, I involved in releasing Odysseus. I can’t say that I got to see a lot, but what I saw out there gave me hope beyond hope. Athena will transmit photos to us live of the outside world. Just as Odysseus had, she has also been injected with a tracking chip should she run into trouble or cannot return to the shelter. When she returns safely, we will begin preparations for a human exploratory team. Any volunteers for the job can see me in my office. Now, how about a round of applause for the men and women who have worked day and night to make this endeavor a success?”
The crowd went wild, clapping and roaring. Jason, Nicole, and the rest of the team bowed to the crowd with huge grins on their faces. Instead of the two of them suiting up, I saw Nicole gesture to Allison, who stepped forward. I suggested to the team that they might want to rotate out who got the opportunity to go outside. This way everyone could experience it equally, and the experience would provide valuable insight into each team member’s respective duties. I was glad to see they had taken my advice. She donned the protective suit slowly, and I could see her hands shaking a little as she buckled her boots tight. I couldn’t blame her, I was pretty scared when I went outside. I’m sure my hands were shaking too, and I just hadn’t noticed.
The gathered went silent as the seal of the inner door hissed and the huge barrier was swung back. I kept an eye on the team but I payed the most attention to the people. This was the first time in most of their lives that anyone had seen the door breached. Maybe I was imagining, but I could have sworn I saw George flinch a little. Allison and her comrade disappeared into the darkness separating the two doors and disappeared. I counted the seconds off.
“All right folks, we’re getting the outer door unsealed now,” the man who had accompanied Allison radioed. “Can’t wait for you to see it out here. It’s one hell of a beautiful sight.”
I counted off the seconds. It took something like three minutes to get the door open, release the mouse, and close it again. Four minutes if you were running slowly. The next radio call came approximately two minutes in.
“Athena is on her way.” That was Allison. There was a quaver in her voice. She was a little younger than me, so she must have been too young to remember the outside world before shelter life. This must have been one hell of an experience for her. I checked the camera feed from the mouse. Athena was off like a shot, just as Odysseus had been when we turned him loose. I mentally wished her well. She and Odysseus were the keys to our future.
“Roger that, team two. Come on back home as soon as you’re ready.”
I felt, rather than heard, the outer door shut. When the inner door opened again, the crowd burst into applause. Cheers echoed around the hallway as the gathered gave a hero’s welcome to the second team to have left the shelter. Allison and her companion waved.
“Okay folks, for your safety and theirs, we’re going to ask you to disperse now.” I yelled to the crowd. “We’ll keep you updated as frequently as possible, and we expect Athena to return in around a week’s time. Thank you for your attendance today!”
Most of the assembled were happy to disperse, but a few hung around at a distance to watch the decontamination process. The suits were nearly off when Allison erupted in a coughing fit, her body wracking with each spasm. Nicole rushed forward to stand her up, and Allison bunched up her shirt to avoid spraying Nicole with spit and mucus.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Nicole searched her face nervously. “You all right? Need a sip of water?”
Allison nodded and Nicole stepped back, her gaze still fixed to Allison, ready to leap back in at a moment’s notice to support the older woman.
“I am so sorry.” Allison clenched her jaw tight as another round of coughing threatened to appear. “I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately, and it’s just making me feel like crap.” She stepped out of the rest of her hazard suit. The other team members present closed a ring around her, but I motioned them back. As sure as I was that Allison was suffering the effects of too many nights of lost sleep, we had to be careful.
“Come on, Allison, we’re going to the infirmary.” I swept my arm to gesture down the hallway. “I don’t care if it’s just a few rough nights of sleep, we’re going to see the doctor. Right now.” Her eyes widened, and it occurred to me I was probably being a little overly blunt. “I just want to see you get checked out, okay? Humor an old man.” Allison managed a small smile at that, and we proceeded down the hall together. I directed her to walk in front of me, keeping at least six feet of distance between us. My mind flashed back briefly to when Fiona had been sick as a youngster. I stayed up with her for two straight nights, holding my little girl in my arms as her tiny body shuddered with coughing. She had spiked a fever too, high enough that my wife and I took turns wetting cloths to freeze so Fiona could keep cool. I
