The first thing Zoe thought about when she woke up in her tiny bedroom Saturday morning was the CO2 scrubber. She’d been worrying about it ever since they got that email from Mission Control last night. She couldn’t believe she and the other colonists hadn’t thought about the damage the Crunchies crumbs might do.
Zoe climbed out of her bunk, got dressed, and walked through the short tunnel to the common room. She checked the stats on the hab’s atmosphere. The carbon dioxide levels were fine — for now.
She sat down in front of a monitor to check her email. Nothing official from Mission Control, but there were messages from other S.M.A.R.T.S., cheering the colonists on. There was also an email from Mr. Pegg:
To: zoebranson@marscommission.com
From: timpegg@marscommisssion.com
Hi, Zoe!
I hope you’re enjoying the experience of being a Mars colonist. Traveling to Mars, you would have already spent more than six months with your three crewmates.
One of the difficulties of being a colonist is living in such close quarters — even with your friends. To make our simulation as realistic as it can be, I have a request. It may sound strange, but I’d like you to crack your knuckles at least twice an hour. Many people find the sound irritating. These kind of minor annoyances can become a huge problem on Mars.
I hope you’ll help me out with this, Zoe. I’m so pleased to have you as one of the first people to live in our habs.
Sincerely,
Tim Pegg
Zoe stared at the email for a few moments, then closed it. She’d read tons about life as an astronaut, and she knew Mr. Pegg was right about how hard it was to live in a small space with other people.
Still … Zoe nibbled her lip. She didn’t want to do anything that would bug Goo, Dylan, and Samuel, but it would make the simulation more realistic. Maybe it could help the Mars Commission better prepare the real colonists. She decided she’d do it.
“Hi,” came a voice.
Zoe looked over her shoulder and saw Goo. “Hi,” she answered.
Keeping her eyes locked on Goo, Zoe cracked her knuckles. The sound didn’t seem to bother Goo. She had the right kind of personality for a colonist — she didn’t get upset much.
“First thing on our schedule is breakfast,” Zoe said. “Want to go rehydrate something?”
“Sure,” Goo said. “I just want to check my email first.”
Zoe nodded while she logged out. “See you in there.”
When Zoe reached the small galley, she found Dylan and Samuel going through the foil packages of food.
“I’m going for the Mexican scrambled eggs,” Dylan announced. He moved out of the way so Zoe could look at the choices, then slid the top of his package into the rehydrator. He selected the number of milliliters of water needed, chose hot, and then started the machine. “My mom should get one of these,” he said when he pulled the package free and tore it open.
“You aren’t supposed to open it right away,” Goo told him as she joined them in the galley. “The package tells you how long to wait. Didn’t you read the directions?” Zoe noticed that Goo’s voice was sharper than usual.
Dylan frowned as he looked into the package. “Gross. I’m throwing it away and starting over.”
“You can’t. The food is rationed. We only get to eat a certain amount a day,” Zoe reminded him. “There’s no mini-mart to walk to on Mars.”
“I’ll go hungry then,” Dylan snapped. “It smells terrible anyway.”
“I thought dinner was good last night,” she replied, cracking her knuckles. Samuel flinched.
Uh-oh, Zoe thought. She’d forgotten how much Samuel hated that sound. And she had to crack her knuckles twice an hour!
“You can have my food,” Samuel told Dylan. “I’m not hungry.” He glared at Zoe, then stomped out of the galley.
He’s a lot more than just irritated, Zoe thought, staring after Samuel and feeling worried. To win the competition, she, Samuel, Dylan, and Goo needed to work as a team. But could they do that when it was obvious that Samuel couldn’t even stand to be in the same room with her?