Orpheus

42

"Ammonia, ammonia, bloody ammonia!" Connor ripped off his helmet as he thundered in. Riley sat upright, slightly startled.

"Another unsuccessful probe?" she asked gently.

He didn't bother replying; he stomped towards the central console and leaned forward on the desk, his head low in dejection.

"Day after day after day, I send probes, yet I find nothing." He seethed with sweat, looking over the map he'd crudely drawn on a huge piece of paper. Over the weeks he'd mapped most of the surface and divided them into sectors which they could scout out. "We've been through fifty different sectors, in search of organics yet we always end up with the same thing: bloody ammonia!"

Riley felt sorry for him; the mission had turned into an obsession for him. "Connor maybe..." she spoke up.

"Maybe what?" he snapped.

"Maybe it's time we stop."

Connor just stood there, glaring at her. "Stop?" his voice seethed.

Riley uneasily shifted her feet. "You- You said it yourself." Her confidence draining with each syllable. "We've been searching for months now, and on a planet like this there's only so long before we run out of resources..."

He stood there, his facial expressions unmoving. "So what do you want to do; just die?" 

Riley couldn't bring herself to respond.

"No." he shook his head "No, we can't stop; I've come too close to give up..." he muttered to himself, his eyes rolling frantically over the desk. "No... no..."

"Connor..." Riley tried sounding as reasonable as possible. "This is affecting you; can't you see?"

"Can't I see?!" his eyes flared as they snapped back onto Riley. "Can't you see: this was my legacy; I was destined for this, I was meant to save humanity!"

Riley stared at him in disbelief.

'This guy is going crazy... It's finally getting to him; the isolation.'

"Connor please." Riley tried to reason. "You're not thinking rationally!"

"Rationally? You're the one suggesting we die, and you ask rationally?!"

"We're already dying!" Riley burst. "Can't you see?! There's nothing here for us! We've sent probe, after probe, after probe, yet we've found nothing! Can you not see this is useless? This planet is inhospitable!"

Connor glared at her in silence. Riley could feel the seconds slowly loiter around. "I came back to refill supplies." Connor finally muttered. "You can mope around all you want while I'm gone." He began striding towards the door.

Riley just stood there, feeling miserable. Things were no longer in her hand; she felt completely powerless against fate. 

Outside, the harsh white was unmoving, like Connor's resolve. It wasn't a pleasant metaphor to think about.