James sighed. The ship sailed silently and smoothly through space. But he couldn't see it. There were no windows on the ship. He'd have liked to see the stars and the moons.

'Why so gloomy?' Rebecca asked from her bunk bed.

'I wanted to look out, but all I can see here's the steel walls.' He waved a hand around for emphasis.

'There's a camera outside the ship. You can look on the monitor,' Bill offered unexpectedly.

James almost flew to his feet. 'Really? That's great!'

Bill pointed up to the top right screen and pressed some buttons. The screen came alive. Everyone gathered in front of it, watching expectantly. But it soon became apparent the only colours were hues of green. Not exactly what James had hoped for. But he could see the approaching moon.

'Which moon are we going to?' Dakarai asked.

'Experimentation,' Bill said.

'That's number forty-one, right?' He grinned, maybe proud to recall that detail.

'What's it like?' Rebecca wanted to know.

Everyone looked at Bill who kept his eyes on another screen.

Was he gonna keep them in the dark, James wondered. Really? They had to know what they could expect. 'You gotta-'

'It's the least hostile moon,' Bill cut him off. 'But you still have to be very careful. So, whatever you do, don't play some hero or run off on your own.' He turned to face them, looking grim. 'You must do as I say when I say so. There are many dangers lurking around, both outside, and inside the buildings.'

'Sure thing, man,' Dakarai said. 'We're not dumb.'

'Maybe. But you don't know what's coming for you. If I say we're going back to the ship, we leave immediately. If I say run, you beat it. If I say quiet, I don't wanna hear a breath. Got it?'

'What kind of dangers will we face?' James asked, trying to understand more.

'Got. It?' Bill snapped.

They all nodded.

'Good.' He pointed at the large computer monitor. 'You can read about the creatures we find there. But you have to scan them first. In the right pocket of your suits, you all have a scanner. It'll send information to the ship about creatures you find, and the position and approximate value of nearby scrap. Use it often.

'As we earn money, we can buy better equipment like flashlights and walkie-talkies. Until then, we have to stick together, work tightly as a team, and keep our eyes peeled. We will move together. Without the walkie-talkies I can't stay on the ship and tell you where to go.'

'Wait, we don't even get flashlights?' James asked. Ridiculous. This company really cut corners, eh?

Bill shook his head. 'You gotta buy them yourself.'

'Why would you stay on the ship? Isn't it more efficient if we all go hunting for scrap together?' Rebecca asked.

James and Dakarai nodded in agreement.

'No. It's more efficient to use the ship's scanner. I can tell you where to go and if there are any... creatures out there.'

'Tell us about them,' James said.

'Well... There are quite many. Some are harmless, others are extremely dangerous. You just have to listen to me when we spot them. There's no point in me going through them all now. You don't know what's what anyway. Just assume the worst if you're unsure.'

The shuttle shook suddenly, and the roar of the engines increased. And so did gravity. The sudden weight had James' knees buckle, and he almost fell. But then he caught his balance and looked up at the green screen. Cliffs and valleys swiftly approached, showing a sandy, rocky place filled with large boulders. Some dead or dying vegetation stood in sparse clusters here and there. He saw nothing moving.

'This is gonna be such fun!' Dakarai exclaimed and grinned.

'I'm ready,' James agreed, excitement tingling through his entire body. He hadn't been anywhere other than Gordion before. The endless sea, flat man-made platforms with their tightly stacked, tall buildings, and few floral arrangements and small trees planted in large round pots in the squares were his only real experiences as far as geography went. This looked vastly different. Uneven, vast, varied. And no water in sight. Gordion was a fully water-covered planet. The platforms had been build where the seas were shallow. Plagued by strong winds and near constant rain, it was a dismal place to live on. This, Experimentation, looked much more inviting despite the arid climate. Why didn't people live here instead? Clearly they'd tried at some point.

'Don your helmets, and don't take them off until we're back in and safe,' Bill ordered.

James grabbed his and put it on, wrinkling his nose at the smell of the suit. Had they forgotten to wash it? Or was the material just this stinky, he wondered. Terrible.

'This shit stinks,' Dakarai commented happily.

'Yeah, they're quite awful,' Rebecca agreed.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

'Oh? I thought it was just mine,' James said. 'I guess we're all getting The Company perfume then.'

They laughed. All but Bill. He just watched the monitors and pulled the red lever. The ship shook a final time and came to a standstill. The camera showed nothing but sand and rocks around them.

'But really,' James muttered. 'It says something about how much The Company values their employees, right?'

'Yeah, man.' Dakarai nodded and made a face.

'I mean... you've seen the commercials, right?'

'No?' James said. 'I haven't had...'

'Life is unexpected, death is assured!' she said in an exaggerated positive voice. 'Adventure!'

'What, really?'

She snorted and shook her head.

'We're close to a facility,' Bill inserted. 'About eight-hundred meters from the ship, to the north. Shouldn't be too much trouble getting there. If you spot any creatures, scan them if you're able and notify me, then keep your distance. They're generally not afraid of humans as we're not part of the natural fauna here.'

'What if they attack?' Rebecca asked, and folded her arms, her eyebrows drawn into a worried expression. 'What do we do then?'

'You run.'

James excitement was dulled by all this talk of danger and assured death. He hoped they wouldn't meet any of the animals here. He wasn't sure what he'd do if something weird approached. He wasn't used to animals, especially not hostile ones. He glanced at the green screen. Nothing moved outside. He exhaled.

'We're ready, let's go!' Dakarai said, already by the door. 'Can I open it? I'm opening it.' He pressed the green button before anyone had the time to answer.

The doors flung open and a sudden gust of wind blew in sand over the floor. Dakarai didn't even hesitate before stepping out of the ship. 'Awesome!' he shouted, his voice muffled by the helmet.

Bill sighed, eyebrows knitted. 'He won't live long, doing things like that,' he stated and walked past, following Dakarai out.

James and Rebecca shared a look, then they followed.

'It'll be fine,' James reassured her. Or maybe he was trying to reassure himself? Either way, he soon forgot about his worries as he stepped out into the bright sunlight of Experimentation and felt the sandy surface of the moon under his feet. Wide-eyed he looked around. Clear skies, hills, boulders as large as buildings, the sun. And then he saw it. The facility they were headed for. A large, square, complex sitting on a tall hill some way off, light glinting off glass and metal pipes.

'Adventure,' he whispered to himself and set off. He wanted to get over there as soon as possible, find out what this place was.

Panting as he climbed up the hill to the complex, James had to admit that he needed to exercise more. He wasn't used to climbing hills, especially not in heavy hazmat suits. Sweat ran down his face, and he automatically tried to wipe it away, smacking a hand into the visor. He chuckled at himself.

'This was much harder than I thought,' he commented.

'Yeah, I'm melting here,' Dakarai answered from a few steps ahead. 'But it's still fun though.'

'Yeah. I mean, I wonder what's up there?'

'Scrap?' Rebecca said.

James snorted. 'Possibly.'

Dakarai laughed, then he added, 'How the hell is Bill already so far ahead?'

'I don't know. He's an ironman. Been doing this for, God knows how long,' Rebecca said.

James looked up the hill. Almost there. The building rose above them on the cliff. It seemed much bigger up close. And in much worse condition than he'd first thought. Peeling paint, broken, boarded up windows, fallen roof panels lay strewn on the ground. Bill stood by a ladder leading up to the entrance, waiting. His posture made him look unfazed by the climb.

He must be jacked, James thought, impressed against his will.

When they had all managed to get up the rickety ladder, Bill stopped them from going in.

'Alright, remember what I said. We go together, and you will do exactly as I say when I say it.'

James and the others nodded.

'Ready?'

'Hell yes,' James said, accompanied by the other's agreements.

'Alright. Let's go. Pick up anything you find that the scanners indicate as valuable.'

The heavy metal door squealed as it opened, revealing a dark interior, dotted with a few flickering lights here and there.

It was still powered. Odd.

The entrance space split into three corridors, each leading off to darkness and mysteries.

James pulled out his scanner and turned it on. It only had one button. He pressed it. The scanner emitted a low buzz. Nothing showed on the small screen. He assumed it meant nothing of value was to be found in the entrance. They moved together into the right corridor. As they passed doors, they'd take turns to open them, even though Dakarai visibly twitched with impatience whenever he couldn't go first.

James opened the next door. A large open room with mostly empty racks and shelves came into view.

'Oooh, I bet we can find something here!' Rebecca chirped.

'I already found something,' Dakarai said and lept into the room, scanner held high. 'There!' He pointed as he walked up to something on the floor some way in. He picked up a piece of metal. 'Is this right?' He turned to Bill.

'Yeah, it's good. Put it by the door, we'll grab it on the way out.'

Dakarai did as instructed.

James looked around, pressing the scanner. Something on top of that shelf. He reached up and got a hold of something. A dusty glass beaker.

What was the value in this? He supposed it was better than dust and sand. This place was almost entirely scraped clean already. Maybe he'd understand more later. He placed it by the door and look around some more in the gloom.

'Oh, look at that,' Dakarai shouted from the far corner.

'Get it, it's valuable,' Bill ordered.

James walked over. A large axle of some kind. He could see why that'd be worth something. He grabbed one side and helped Dakarai lift it.

'What was that?' Rebecca said then, her voice tense. 'I heard something. Did you hear it too?' She pointed to the door.

James hadn't heard anything.

'Yes. I did.' Bill basically teleported to the door and carefully peeked out, Rebecca standing behind him, twisting her gloved hands.

A slurping noise, or maybe a bit like clucking waves, came from the corridor. What was that?