Pushing The Limits

She glanced through the one small, heavily tinted window, trying to see the sun, and decided to put up some posters of outdoor scenes. It was the only way she’d tolerate being inside for any amount of time.

“Because of the nature of what I’m teaching you to react to, there will be times when you will be...well, surprised is the best word I can think of. And you’ll be forced to react to a situation,” Jessie said. “I can’t tell you when that will happen, but over the next six weeks there will be a number of unexpected activities that will test a myriad of skills. Some of them will be the ones I’ve taught you but they will also include standards from some of your other classes, as well.”

“Let the fun begin,” Hemi said, and the candidates in the room grinned.

“Don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m ready for something to happen,” another candidate chimed in. From her files, Jessie knew she was Isabelle Wolsten, call sign “Bombshell.”

There were mumbles of agreement.

“Great. We are going to start with extreme cold. In case you aren’t familiar with me, I’ve been on several climbing expeditions to Everest and the other nine highest peaks. Today our topic is what to do when the unexpected happens. NASA has already provided you with the training for what to do in the capsule and on your ship, but what happens when something goes wrong? How will you survive when the temperature drops unexpectedly and you are trapped without the tools you thought you had?”