By the time they reached the final ten percent of the wall, nearly seven hours had passed, way faster than Cissel and Lanmar even imagined.
During the long hours of cooperative labour, Cissel had finally managed to push past her earlier embarrassment. She returned to looking at John normally, her work focus acting as a bridge over the awkwardness of the morning.
Back at the heart of the base, the rest of the team had finished their internal wiring tasks much earlier. After checking on the lake, which was now more than half-filled and shimmering under the fading light, their attention was captured by the long metallic line that had suddenly appeared at the edge of their base, covering the horizon.
"Let's go and check it out!" Elena shouted, her excitement infectious.
