(no subject)

[bzarcher]

Every time he suited up, it was like stepping into a golf ball.

White walls (to show dust and particulate matter better), no windows, just a few white benches next to the racked arrangement of suits, with a light over each of the doors that capped the chamber.

Dressing was simple and automatic, just like it had been for the 20,000 times he'd done it since he left Missouri. Lower body goes into leggings - feet go into boots. Snug the connectors at the calves, the ankles, the waist. Check your movement and make sure nothing's too tight or too loose.

Then, before reaching for the upper sections of his suit, he moved to kneel down and look at the occupant of the other bench, struggling a bit with her leggings.

"Angel, you need some help?"

The little girl gave the sort of smile that he must have given his father at age six, when he helped him put together a puzzle or a toy, but he couldn't remember looking that energetic even while sitting down.

"Yeah, Daddy - I think my foot's stuck!"

"That's OK. Just scoot up a little bit, and put your weight on your hands. Good, just like that. Now, slip your feet forward until you feel your toes press the floor...good girl!"

He slipped her boots onto the legs and helped her lock them down - powder blue, as opposed to his simple white utility. It made her feel like she was dressing up, and in the back of his mind, he knew that if something happened to either of them, she'd be easier to find that way.

"Do you remember how to do the rest?" Picking up the top to her suit, he set it on its' side so she could squirm into it, slipping her arms through, and then pulling herself up the rest of the way. Beaming as she sat up all on her own, he handed her the gloves, and nodded with approval as she slipped each on, locking them in, and three of the four status lights turned a healthy green.

"That's my big girl! Go ahead and see to your helmet while I get finished dressing up, and then try to walk around a little bit." She did as told, and he pulled his suit, sealing up carefully, and keeping an eye on her to make sure that last light went green as she twisted the helmet into place. Getting it lined up had been hard for her, and it was the most important piece of the puzzle.

He heard the click as her helmet locked in, saw it go green, and heard the slight hiss as her suit finished pressurizing itself. Settling his own helmet in place a few moments later, he yawned a bit as the pressure came up.

He made a careful walk around the prep room with his daughter, making sure both of their suits were allowing them to move comfortably, then walked to the keypad next to the outer door.

"OK, Angel. I want you to open the inner lock, just like you practiced."

Walking to the lock, she carefully hit a key sequence to confirm that no unprotected humans were in the room, followed by a slight hiss of air as the pressure equalized, and the light above the door turning from red to green. Using both hands, she turned the red and white candystriped handle, and the door swung open for her. Then, she proudly stepped through and turned to wait for him. Except for the cleaning gear tucked into the side of the wall, and the lack of benches, it was almost exactly the same as the room she'd left. Smiling a bit, he walked to through, stopping behind her to put a hand on her shoulder.

Free to continue, she moved to the first panel's twin, and reversed the handle's match, leading to the door shutting itself, and a series of clicks as latches returned home.

"All set, Daddy!"

"Nervous, Angel?" She shook her head, as best as the suit would allow. "Excited?"

"Yeah!" Bouncing a little, he laughed and gave her a hug despite the slight nervous itch in the pit of his stomach. She was almost too young for this. But it was either let her see what was outside now, or worry more and more about what would happen later.

"Remember, this is your first time, so I want you to stay close, and be careful. Don't run off too fast or too far, and make sure you can see me wherever you go. Understand?"

"I unnerstand."

"Ok, Angel. Go ahead and cycle the outer lock." This took her a few moments. The outer lock required a pass code, and that took her a second to put in. He could hear her softly singing the passcode to herself like a lullabye she'd listened to. Then, another hiss as the atmospheres were matched, and the light above the inner door turned bright red, while the outer changed from red, to amber, to green. Finally, the door swung open, and a light not made by any flourescent shone through the opening. Gloved fingers sought his, and he took a careful hold.

"Just like we practiced in the gym. Big, slow steps!" Leading her out, they moved slowly so she could get adjusted to the gravity differential, and how it felt for her boots to dig into the loamy soil. He felt her breath catch as she saw the pea-green sky, and the seed of fear in his gut started to bloom, but she didn't try to run or scream. Instead, she let her breath out slowly, and her grip eased.

"Daddy, can I play now?"

So many worries died in him at that question. Fears about what the children born inside the Colony would do when they went Outside. If agoraphobia was going to be inevitable, and the concerns from the pshrinks about the spikes in cases from the children who had been born back on Earth and then adjusted to life Inside until they tried going Outside as teenagers. The irony of people who loved wide open spaces and the chance to explore new ones giving birth to children who were terrified of leaving carefully sculpted walls, and a world made to mimic a planet they'd likely never see. But maybe, just maybe, the secret was to show them the world they'd be helping to remake, as their parents struggled to tame and shape it, so that they'd be ready for a day when Inside and Outside wouldn't mean E-suits and airlocks, but doors and houses.

"Yes, Angel. You can play."

And as her father kept careful watch on her, she bounced across the surface of her new world, and did just that.

Comments

[chaoticgoodnik.livejournal.com]

Ever read The Sky So Big and Black by John Barnes?

[bzarcher.livejournal.com]

No, actually - is it something like the finished bit?

[chaoticgoodnik.livejournal.com]

Two of the characters are a father and a daughter who are part of efforts to terraform Mars. Just the basic situation reminded me of it a little. (The daughter in TSSBAB is older, and the interaction in general is a lot ... not rougher exactly ... coarser.)

[bzarcher.livejournal.com]

A bit blunter?

Honestly, I've been trying to figure out where this came from (it's been trying to get written for the past 2 or 3 days), and I think it was a picture from an old issue of Odyssey or Omni that had a father showing his daughter how to put on a spacesuit helmet that started this.