A heavy thrum vibrated through the floorboards as warm, dense air flooded the small chamber. Amber warning lights bathed his frosted visor in a sickly glow, pulsing in rhythm with the roar

He hauled his trailing leg across the threshold and slapped his palm against the inner cycling panel. The outer hatch groaned as the hydraulic arms forced it shut, cutting off the shrieking tempest outside.

the mechanism to complete its sequence. He threw his weight against the heavy alloy door, forcing it wide enough to slide his trembling frame into the airlock.

He collapsed onto the cold deck plates

and finally snapped. A pressurized hiss cut through the howling wind, spraying supercooled air and ice dust across his visor. With a violent shudder, the hatch popped outward. He didn't wait for

he fumbled with the emergency release lever. Ice had calcified the casing, but desperation supplied a brutal surge of strength. He slammed his heel into the manual release until the metal groached