Rocket

The untrue, but possibly more exciting version:

the deafening, staccato bursts of the alarm reverberated throughout the building as the workers and supervisors all joined in the search for the one person who could deactivate the bomb!

Frantic shouting could be heard in between each BEEWHAP! BEEWHAP! BEEWHAP! he could hear scampering feet clattering across the metal walkways ⁃

His eye caught a glimpse of the countdown clock, 22 more seconds and at least the 601 Stravuski Rocket would be safely away...

Flashing through his mind in between intermittent waves of relief & anxious nausea was the past 30 years! He’d just seen come through to fruition his life’s dream! Proving the viability of settlement on Mars... all of what would be needed to convince the counsel that phase 2 could now be implemented! Medical and scientific personnel could be deployed to section 352, to begin their quarantine!

They still had 10 minutes! 10 minutes to find her!

10 minutes to convince her to give them the needed codes and the exact location of the bomb that would blow it all up!

All 30 years!

All the hopes of the continuation of mankind!

Just as the support scaffolding fell away from each side, and the initial rocket boosters 🚀 began to fire... he was jerked back to reality, and too in a fresh breath of hope that he’d found still alive in his heart!

But for the worker who came running up breathless, and white as death 💀 ⁃ “She’s on that 601!!!”