He didn’t dwell on it any further and stepped straight into the shower pod. The device had three primary functions: water rinse, quick cleanse, and deep cleanse. He activated the quick-clean mode. Cool streams of water and bubbles swept over his body at once, gently washing away not only grime and sweat, but also the murky memories that clung stubbornly to his mind.

  Once finished, Tuan stepped out and put on his IVA space suit. It fit tightly against his body like a second skin, providing thermal insulation and shielding him from harmful cosmic radiation. When paired with a specialized helmet, the IVA became an IEVA suit – gear flexible enough for use both inside and outside the spacecraft for a reasonable duration.

  Thanks to its excellent elasticity and soft pneumatic padding, the IVA offered both comfort and solid protection, making it a popular choice among astronauts on long-duration space missions.

  After suiting up, Tuan pulled on a thin hoodie, slipped into a pair of shorts, and put on lightweight sneakers. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to smile once more.

  “I have to live.” He murmured to himself. “No matter what.”

  He glanced at the atomic clock mounted beside the door. It was now 18:05, the evening of March 3rd, 2150. Naturally, this was still Earth time. L.A.B had chosen the zero meridian as its temporal reference, or more precisely, the Greenwich Observatory in England, using it as the standard time base for all spacecraft operations.

  "In outer space, does time even matter anymore?” Tuan wondered silently, then stepped out of the room.

  The door slid open. Following Valentina’s directions, Tuan turned right. The medical bay was located on the upper deck of the spacecraft, on the same side as the dining area, with the men’s and women’s quarters positioned opposite it. This deck wasn’t very large; only a few steps were enough to reach any of the other rooms. The dining hall door opened automatically, revealing Valentina already seated at the table, waiting. In front of her were two warmed pouches of liquid food and a functional supplement pill designed to replenish missing vitamins. When she saw Tuan, she immediately stood up and helped him into a chair.

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “Do you feel better now? Is walking still difficult?” Valentina asked.

  “It was a bit rough at first. But I’m fine now.” Tuan replied.

  After days of emptiness, his stomach wasted no time. Tuan devoured everything on the table. As soon as he finished, Valentina stood up to clean up, then quickly led him toward the control room – where their last remaining teammate was waiting. The two of them walked in silence, not exchanging a single word, and the atmosphere gradually grew awkward. Having known her for so many years, Tuan understood that Valentina’s mind was currently overflowing with tangled emotions – most of them worries and pressures she had placed upon herself.

  By nature, Valentina was a shy, fragile girl with a pessimistic outlook on the world around her. The brutal experiments had forced her to withdraw inward, isolating herself from the other children. No one befriended her, and no one paid much attention to a strange, eccentric girl like that.

  Everything changed the day Tuan appeared.

  Thanks to his boundless optimism and genuine warmth, Valentina slowly began to open her heart, allowing her emotions to surface. The world through her eyes gradually filled with color. She clung to Tuan like a drowning person grasping a lifeline, like a lost ship guided back to its path by the beam of a lighthouse.

  To her, Tuan was both a friend and a family member she could never afford to lose. Tuan, in turn, saw Valentina as a precious little sister he cherished deeply. He was always ready to stand up for her whenever she was bullied, always patient enough to stay by her side, joking and comforting her whenever she felt down. The two treated each other like true siblings, enduring a harsh childhood together and holding hands as they passed through the darkest tunnels of their lives.

  Then everything happened far too fast. In a single night, everything familiar to them dissolved into nothingness, and their lives were violently reshaped. Just days ago, they had been bracing themselves against pain that seemed endless – yet now, they were taking their first steps toward the light at the end of the tunnel.

  What awaited them at that light? A vast, fresh green plain – or yet another abyssal tunnel, deeper and darker than before? No one could know in advance.