The hour after orientation passed in the silence throughout the hallway, as most of the staff stayed in their quarters through the calls home.
Due to the soundproofing of each quarters, no matter how loud a person talks in their quarters, not even a muffle will escape out of the quartet's walls.
When the calls ended, the doors began opening again.
They drifted into the hallway in ones and twos, the same loose assembly as before the dining area, carrying the particular restlessness of people who had processed everything they could process sitting down and needed to move.
The data analyst was the first to approach one of the Synths standing at the hallway's end.
"The bay," he said. "The shuttle bay we came through. Is that accessible?"
The Synth looked at him. "Yes. Vac suits and magnetic boots are required before entry. The airlock won't cycle without them."
"What about the elevator? how do we use it?"
