DECONTAMINATION IS PROCEEDING TO ITS SECOND STAGE.
The airlock was beeping instead of cycling him through, and Tobias couldn’t figure out why. His suit was in order, and so was the airlock diagnostics — but all he got was that stupid beep. It was damned loud, too: loud enough that he felt a headache coming on. He rubbed his head in mixed frustration and discomfort…
…and then he realized the problem. He had his helmet open! Of course the airlock wasn’t going to cycle him through. God, Tobias thought, I’m more tired than I thought. He sealed up his helmet, feeling an odd twinge as he did so, and keyed the cycling sequence again. This time it proceeded normally, which was a relief.
Still have that headache, though, he thought as he stepped out onto the Lunar surface. And there’s this odd taste in the canned air. Asenath, can you look at my suit information?
I am already monitoring it, Asenath immediately replied. Decontamination is proceeding to its second stage.
Decontamination? — And then Tobias suddenly couldn’t move. Well, he could move — but the joints in his suit locked up. He instinctively called out, “Mayday! Mayday!” on the radio, and got nothing. Not even the hiss of static.
Well. He’s either just been saved or just been put in need of saving and I’m not entirely certain which. We know he was in a bad way before this, though. Not only is “forgetting to seal your helmet” one of those “this should be so hardwired that it never happens” things, he didn’t even take his failure to do so as a reason to immediately start taking things Very Seriously Indeed. You don’t blow that kind of thing off with “I’m more tired than I thought” – not in that kind of environment.