10. Brandon

I felt an unusual pressure throughout my body as I stood up. The crushing gravity of the planet seemed to have a relentless effect, and I still didn't understand how Kyler had managed to reach the hatch without his body splitting in two under such weight. I hadn't even bothered to remind him of his promise to rest once he finished the last adjustment on the ship. But that was him, always pushing the limits of what's reasonable.

There are no words to adequately describe the emotion we felt when we landed on the planet. The oppressive atmosphere welcomed us, as if the world itself was crushing us with its presence, but as we opened the hatch, an unimaginable adventure unfolded before us.

"We should eat something," I wanted to suggest, but to hell with logic and my perfectionism. Kyler was already putting on the exploration suit, and if he was doing it, I would have to follow his example.

I picked up my suit, but as soon as I held it in my hands, it felt much heavier than it should be. Something that would normally weigh two kilos seemed to have transformed into ten. Maybe if I took off my clothes, I could feel lighter, freer, I briefly thought.

"What are you doing?" Kyler asked as he saw me start to unbutton my shirt. His gaze went to my bare torso, but I didn't care. I tossed the shirt aside as if it were a heavy rock.

"I'm taking off my clothes to put on the suit," I said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Kyler gave a half-smile but didn't say anything. He just adjusted his belt with his usual calmness, as if the situation were completely normal.

"Come on, Brandon, you don't think we'll leave the ship alone. It's best if I investigate on my own and return with the results."

"To hell with that," I said, mimicking his tone. "If anyone should stay, it's you. You wouldn't even know where to start."

Kyler chuckled as he secured the weapon to his belt.

"Look for supplies, as we agreed. Besides, look at yourself. You can barely handle your own clothes. How long will it be before the suit exhausts you? I bet you won't walk ten meters before having to come back."

"I know I can do it," I replied, not bothering to continue arguing. I finished taking off my pants while ignoring Kyler's words. Damn it, who did he think he was to underestimate me? Sure, his logic was crushing, but I wasn't going to stay behind while he made stupid decisions.

With my pants off, I began to put on the suit. At first, I felt a slight improvement in weight, but I could barely move. It was as if my body had been wrapped in a layer of dense jelly, making it difficult to even raise my knees or move my hands. I clumsily dragged myself around, like a poorly calibrated mechanical robot.

Kyler, on the other hand, moved with enviable ease. He observed me with an arched eyebrow as he adjusted his helmet. When he saw that I couldn't lift mine, he approached and took it from my hands. For a moment I thought he would tell me to leave everything to him, that he would handle the exploration. But to my surprise, he placed the helmet on my head and gave a few firm pats to make sure it was properly adjusted.

I walked heavily towards the exit, trying to press the door button, but Kyler did it first. He positioned himself behind me, always one step ahead, always faster. I felt useless. What must he be thinking of me? He probably thought I was the last person he'd want to be trapped with on an unknown planet.

The door opened, and all that was left was to descend the stairs to touch the ground for the first time. But it wasn't as I had imagined. Everything was... different. Through the helmet's grille, the colors of the landscape were vibrant, almost unreal. Each tone competed with the other for my attention: trees of strange colors, grass that extended under the ship like a living carpet. Even the sounds were unique, strange. A rhythmic creaking came from the trees, as if the branches swayed to the beat of a natural engine. Flowers fell and glided on the wind I could barely perceive.

Kyler, the madman, decided to take a risk without thinking twice. Before I knew it, he was taking off his helmet. I was left open-mouthed as I watched him throw the helmet towards the ship with irritating nonchalance.

"You're crazy!" I wanted to scream, but it was already too late. The air could be contaminated, or there could be radiation. Anything could happen. What the hell was he thinking?

Kyler, with his typical audacity, opened his arms and breathed deeply. His hair moved in rhythm with the wind, something we had never experienced on the space station. It was an almost poetic vision, as if it belonged to an old movie, but live, in person, it had an emotional impact difficult to describe.

I felt a pang of envy seeing his expression of pure freedom. I wanted to feel the same, but my rationality prevented me from acting so impulsively. While Kyler descended from the ship using his suit's engines, I clumsily followed him to solid ground. The sensation was strange. There wasn't a cold metal layer under my feet, but earth, alive and soft. I almost wanted to take off the suit and lie down right there, feeling the grass against my skin.

I tried to stay focused. I took a sample of grass and stored it in a bag to analyze later.

"You shouldn't have taken off your helmet," I told Kyler, who seemed to be enjoying his own moment of glory, completely oblivious to my concerns.

"I won't force you to follow my example," Kyler joked, though there was an implicit challenge in his tone.

"What if there's something in the air? We don't know if there are dangerous chemical compounds."

"The readings said the air was clean, Brandon. You don't have to worry so much."

I sighed, frustrated. "I don't have the means to cure you if something goes wrong. Besides, I need you to pilot the ship."

Kyler glanced at me with a mischievous smile. "Only for that?"

I felt a lump in my throat at his sincerity. I decided to ignore the comment and continue with my task. There was a rock nearby, of a peculiar color, and I also needed to take a sample of that. While collecting the stone, I noticed the texture of the earth. It was amazing.

But Kyler didn't take long to speak again. "If you keep collecting useless samples, we won't advance ten meters before it's time to return."

"If you're hungry, go back to the ship and eat something. I'll continue investigating," I replied without looking at him.

Kyler, always looking for ways to annoy me, tried to provoke me again. "Come on, Brandon, don't you want to see how edible those bugs are?"

I turned to look at him, ready to launch some sarcastic reply, but I found his mocking smile. Kyler always knew how to bring out the worst in me, how to make every situation feel like a personal challenge. I wanted to ignore him, but his attitude deeply irritated me. He was having fun playing with my patience, enjoying the open space where, unlike on the ship, he could run, jump, and act like an idiot without restrictions.

"Help me take samples," I said finally, trying to maintain control. "I'm going to keep exploring in the meantime."

Kyler raised his hands, as if surrendering in advance. "I wouldn't even know where to start. Besides, these gloves are crap..." he muttered as he began to struggle with the zipper of his suit.

"Wait!" I said quickly, but it was too late. Kyler was determined to get rid of most of his equipment, and before I could do anything to stop him, he had already lowered the suit's zipper to his waist.

I lunged at him, pushing him to the ground before he could completely strip off the suit. Kyler burst out laughing as I struggled to keep his hands away from the zipper. His laughter infuriated me. Why did he take everything so lightly? Why did he always have that stupid smile on his face, even when he was about to do something idiotic?

"Can you let go of me?" he said between laughs, pushing my hands outward. "Shit, Brandon, you're too serious. Relax a little."

"Don't do anything crazy," I said, trying to keep calm. "The suit helps us regulate temperature automatically. If you take it off, the ambient temperature could burn or freeze you, and we have no idea how your body will react."

Kyler let out an exaggerated sigh, as if my warnings were just an annoyance to him. "Don't worry so much. We're in spring, aren't we? The body can handle about thirty degrees without a problem," he said in a carefree tone.

I looked at him, incredulous. "Spring? What damn planet do you think we're on?"

Kyler hesitated for a moment before smiling with complicity. "Come on, it's just a joke. I won't take off the whole suit, but I need a bit more mobility to explore. I promise not to do anything too risky."

I snorted, unable to hide my frustration. I didn't have the time or energy to argue with him. Finally, I released his hands and stood up, letting him free. If he wanted to play with his life, let him do it. I had work to do. I couldn't afford to waste more time arguing with him. I walked away, focusing again on the samples.

Kyler straightened up and began walking towards the trees in the distance. "I'm going to investigate over there. I won't be long," he said as he walked away. His carefree tone set my nerves on edge, but I let him go.