The heat on his suit didn't work. He thumbed the control fruitlessly, regretting the second-hand purchase. His mother had warned him about buying important for cheap, but--well. He hadn't had the money for anything better. He shook his hands and feet to stimulate his metabolism. Scanning the dome, he bit his cheeks. Still no sign of Bet.

He eyed the dark-line creeping across the moon, only a quarter-click away. Thirty minutes left to get inside to safety before the hemisphere edged into night; he'd never survive the near-kelvin temps.

A slight creak startled him. Whipping his head, he saw a large spiderbot skittering across the rocks. The orange light of its sensors reflected oddly against its steel and clashed with the red landscape. It waved an antenna in his direction, paused, then moved on.

"Slim?". Bet stood between the double doors. She made no move to open them, and his gut tightened. "They said no."

His skin broke into goosebumps. "Didn't want to live in a place called Chance anyway.". Grimacing, he trudged away.

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