—Evelyn's POV
Hummmmmmmmmmmm
The fan hummed in my ears—constant, rhythmic, alive.
I'd been staring at the settings for five minutes now.
Swipe
HUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Oh damn that's cold.
Swipe
hummm….
It was barely audible now, It took around 20 seconds for me to realize that the cold against my skin wasn't as strong. I thought to myself as I rolled my right shoulder
Roll Roll
It still felt comfortable.
exactly 40 seconds later…
…
It felt—Warm now.
I could see the front of my helmet fog slightly, my body felt warm, so does my helmet, but other then that, everything else felt the same, just warm.
Swipe
HUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Ahhhhh, much better~
I thought to myself, as soon as I turned the fan to max, the rush of cold air was almost instantaneous, but at the same time it made me wonder a really simple question.
I wonder what happens if I turned it off?
…
Hehe~
Swipe
HUMMMMMM—Silence
…
Huh.
It was quiet.
Really quiet.
I could still hear my own breathing inside the helmet.
...Hhh...
...Haaa..
Tap Tap
Perhaps it was due to the silence but, instinctively I placed one of my hands on to the helmet, the other tapping the helmet. Nothing else had changed. The HUD was still normal.
[OXYGEN: 98%]
[TEMP: 21°C]
[COMMS: ONLINE (Muted)]
Everything looked fine.
Just an eery quietness that I couldn't explain.
10 Seconds later
It still felt alright, other then the fact everything felt warm instead of cold. I could breathe. I wasn't choking nor suffocating. Honestly, it was kind of peaceful. Just—The air felt stale.
Hhh… Haaa… Hhh… Haaa…
30 Seconds Later
The coolness against my skin was gone—Well not completely. Just…
Barely
Thud
Instinctively I place a hand to my helmet. The inside of the visor felt a little warmer than before,
Glance
[OXYGEN: 98%]
[TEMP: 21°C]
[COMMS: ONLINE]
The temperature still showed the same number, yet it felt increasingly warm
45 Seconds later
Hhh… Haaa… Hhh… Haaa… Hhh… Haaa… Hhh… Haaa…
My breathing became faster, my body warmer.
[OXYGEN: 98%]
[TEMP: 22°C]
[COMMS: ONLINE (Muted)]
1 Minute later
Hhh… Haaa… Hhh… Haaa…
...
My breathing wasn't heavy now felt...
noticeable.
Every breath seemed louder inside the helmet now.
Hhh… Haaa…
I swallowed. The inside of the visor had begun to mist again.
Glance
[OXYGEN: 98%]
[TEMP: 22°C]
[COMMS: ONLINE]
"...Huh."
The numbers were still fine. I could feel the air filling my lungs, yet my body seemed to want another breath immediately afterward.
So this is when the carbon dioxide starts building around my face eh~?
Hhh—Haa… Hhh—Haa…
Then again this feels…
Fascinating.
1 Minute 30 Seconds Later
The air around my face felt...
thick.
Not literally. I knew that It wasn't harder to inhale. It just didn't feel fresh anymore. Meanwhile the oxygen in my HUD still displayed a 98% the temperature still showing 22 degrees..
Hhh—Haaa…
I took another breath.
Ba Dump Ba Dump Ba Dump Ba Dump
I could hear my heartbeat really clearly now, it was loud like really loud***.***
Glance
[OXYGEN: 97%]
[TEMP: 23°C]
[COMMS: ONLINE (Muted)]
Twenty- three degrees. The air inside didn't just feel thick anymore; it felt heavy. Every time I exhaled, the mist on the visor stayed a little longer, blurring the edges of the HUD numbers into a soft, hazy outline.
I know this, It happened to me a couple times during work after all. My fingers lingered over the interface, hovering just above the fan settings. I knew I should swipe it back on. I knew I needed that rush of cold air to clear the visor and restore proper circulation.
But…
I just needed to know how far I can take this…
2 Minutes Later
Hhh—Haaa… Hhh—Haaa… Hhh—Haaa…
...
Okay.
This wasn't as comfortable anymore. I shifted slightly, trying to find a cooler position inside the suit. There wasn't one. The air simply wasn't moving.
Glance
[OXYGEN: 97%]
[TEMP: 24°C]
[COMMS: ONLINE (Muted)]
Still fine. Everything was still fine. According to the HUD at least, yet my chest started to feel tight? Not painful. Not yet. Just—
Hhh—Haaa…
I inhaled again. The breath filled my lungs completely. Yet the moment I finished exhaling, my body immediately wanted another.
Hhh—Haaa… Hhh—Haaa…
My breathing was getting faster. I could hear it now. Clearly. Much clearer than before.
Ba-Dump. Ba-Dump. Ba-Dump.
My heartbeat followed.
"...Okay."
I glanced at the fan setting, my finger hovering over it. I could turn it back on. One swipe. That's all I needed to do.
...
But I hadn't reached my limit yet.
At least—
Hhh—Haaa…
I wasn't sure anymore.
2 Minutes and 30 seconds later
The visor fogged againm but unlike before the mist didn't disappear. It lingered. My hand slowly rose toward the helmet, trying wiping at the visor out of habit before remembering that there wasn't anything physically there to wipe.
"Ah..."
My breathing had become noticeably deeper.
HhH—HaaH—Hhh… HhH—HaaH—Hhh…
I swallowed. The air didn't feel thick anymore. It felt—Stagnant
Glance
[OXYGEN: 97%]
[TEMP: 25°C]
[COMMS: ONLINE]
My eyes narrowed, and I thought to myself
Well~ that's enough playing around for now, anymore and I might actually lose consciousness
Swipe
HUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
HAAAA—
I sucked in a breath as cold air rushed over my face.
Haaa...
My entire body relaxed almost instantly.
"Ohhh..."
The warmth disappeared. The fog on the visor began clearing. My breathing slowed.
Hhh... Haaa...
I should probably never do that again.
…
Maybe one more-?
[Evelyn?] Gaby's voice echoed to the com
Oh shoot.
"Yeah?"
[What's wrong? you were quiet for the past 2 minutes and so?]
"Oh just admiring the view~" Thank god I turned off my comms…
[Anyways, Firefly went with Mahiru and Amane over there, should go somewhere else?] She said, with Nicole trailing right behind her. I was still recovering from my little "experiment" when my eyes drifted toward them
Gaby was floating nearby, her attention focused on explaining something to Nicole—probably about the stars, or the moon's surface, or some other cosmic detail I'd missed while I was busy playing with my fan settings.
Nicole was listening quietly, arms crossed, her posture relaxed in the weightlessness.
They were both completely unaware of what I'd just done.
Hehe~
The thought came naturally.
They were both wearing the same suit I was—the same wrist display, the same fan settings, the same HUD.
What would happen if I—
No.
I stopped myself.
I'll just ask for permission~
—Bronya Zaychik
"Cael's wife seems to have some quite… interesting thoughts." Klein said while sipping his tea nonchalantly.
???
"What are you talking about?"
Sippppppppppp
"Why don't you go check their settings."
Swipe
As I swiped my hand at the air a blue HUD appeared where I swiped, filled with vital information,
"What—You allowed her??? "
"As long as it's not life threatening I see no reason to interfere?" Spoke Klein as he continued to sip his tea
"…"
"Curiosity is after all. something every humans have no?" He said as he gave me a wink
…
"Ehhh I guess you're right…"
Tap Tap Tap Tap
As I went back to writing on my laptop, finishing some things here and there—And at some point…
PFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Cough Cough Cough
"Klein?!??!"
Cough Cough Cough
—Evelyn
[—What?] Both Gaby and Nicole looked at me with this flabbergasted expression showing through their visors, their definitely thinking 'What the hell is wrong with her head'
"Please—?"
[No.] Yet the answer I got was cruel indeed, huhu.. Of course…
"You guys didn't even tell me about your adventures here…"
[…] At those words, I could see them both freezing in action. Hehe~ just one final push…
"The least you can do is follow this one request right~? Besidessss Klein and Bronya would never let anything bad happen to us~?"
It was obvious they were contemplating quite hard on this… And finally—The Ultimatum
"Amane, Mahiru and Firefly wouldn't notice a thingggggg, there won't be any shameful memories with them in it yeah?"
[Fine…]
YESSSSS
"Alright alright~ Let's go~" I said with as I pushed them forward using my palm
Push Push
[Hey?!?!] They both said in unison, now this would normally be impossible on earth, one is a noble red the other an enhanced human but—Hey we're in space right now <3 There's no gravity nor friction to help them
Hehe~
—15 Seconds after turning it off together
[Oh?] Nicole was the first one to spoke before continuing off [That's... warmer than I expected.]
[I thought it would take a full minute or so] Gaby replied
[It's kind of weird.]
[Yeah.]
[I can see why you were curious.]
"Hehe~"
[Oh btw long did you last?] Then suddenly Gaby asked a random question
??
"I lasted around 2 to 3 minutes I think? Why?"
[Nothing.] They both said in unison
—2 Minutes after turning it off together
…
[Hhh… Haaa…] I could hear both of them breathing through the comms. Not heavily.Not yet. But definitely more noticeable than before.I glanced between them. 33Gaby was slowly rubbing the side of her neck while Nicole had one hand resting against her chest.
…
"Still fine?"
[Fine.]
[Yeah.]
They both answered almost immediately. Instinctively I narrowed my eyes.
"Really?"
[Really.]
Gaby gave me a thumbs up while Nicole simply nodded.
…
They were absolutely lying.
…
Push.
My hand pressed against the surface of the Moon beneath me.
And I slowly drifted forward.
Wooooosh…
As I reached Gaby first. Her visor was slightly fogged now. Just slightly. Nothing alarming. 6But enough. I raised my hand toward her wrist.
"6Okay, turn it back on."
[…]
Gaby looked at Nicole. Nicole looked at Gaby. Then they both looked at me.
[No.]
"…Excuse me?"
[We haven't beaten your record yet.]
…
They were competing with me.
"Fine."
[Really?]
[Two more minutes]
"Absolutely not."
[Come on.]
"No."
[You did three minutes.]
"It wasn't exactly three minutes, probably 2 and a half minutes"
[Exactly.]
"Exactly what?"
[We haven't even gotten uncomfortable yet.]
…
I stared at her through the visor. she had a point and somehow I hated that.
"Fine."
—3 Minutes after turning it off together
Hhh—Haaa… Hhh—Haaa…
My breathing was getting louder—Much louder. I could hear every breath inside my helmet now, each inhale taking slightly more effort than the last.
HhhHhH—Haaa…
My chest rose and fell.
…
Okay.
I could feel the warmth around my face, the stagnant air pressing against my skin. My visor had begun fogging again, and this time it was thicker.
Glance
[OXYGEN: 96%]
[TEMP: 25°C]
Still within acceptable limits. Technically. But my body certainly didn't seem to care about what the numbers said.
"Okay…"
I looked at Gaby. She was still breathing normally—Mostly. Nicole, however…
[Hhh… Haa…]
Her breathing had become noticeable too. Not nearly as bad as mine. But noticeable.
"…Nicole?"
[Hmm?]
"You feeling it?"
[...A little.] There was a short pause before Nicole answered that question to which Gaby looked toward her.
[Really?]
[Yeah.]
Nicole placed a hand against her chest.
[I can still fight like this] She said confidently
[It's true.] To which Gaby replied
I stared at Nicole. Then at Gaby.
"That's not the point."
HhhHhH—Haa—HhhHhH—Haaa…
My breathing was getting louder again. I could feel my chest rising and falling rapidly, my heartbeat pounding against my ears.
"Just turn them back on…"
[Nuh Uh~]
"Please?"
I pushed myself toward them trying to reach them, to obviously no avail
Push
Whoosh.
Gaby immediately moved backward.
"Gaby—!"
[Hehe~]
"Stop moving!"
[I didn't do anything~!]
"You literally just moved!"
[I pushed myself away.]
"Why?!"
[Because you were trying to turn my fan on!]
"Haha very funny now" I said as I pushed myself forward towar
Push.
This time I reached out to Nicole but obviously—It was a miss.
My fingers passed just beside her wrist.
"Come here…"
HhhHhH—Haa—HhhHhH—Haaa…
My vision blurred for just a second.
Glance
[OXYGEN: 96%]
[TEMP: 26°C]
"…"
Okay.
That wasn't good.
I tried pushing myself forward again.
Push.
But instead of moving toward them—
Whoosh.
I drifted sideways.
"…Fuck."
[Evelyn?]
"I'm fine."
[You don't sound fine.]
"I said I'm—"
Thud