A solitary astronaut on a return mission from Mars discovers a nearly invisible hull leak—small enough to evade detection, but deadly enough to seal his fate. With limited oxygen and no mechanical solution available, he drifts through the quiet routines of a doomed voyage, reflecting on Earth, family, and the fragile line between survival and surrender.
As the hours pass, hope narrows to a single, untested option: a classified experimental drug designed to amplify human consciousness beyond known limits. What follows is a harrowing inner journey where perception, imagination, and awareness expand in terrifying ways. The astronaut gains insights no computer could calculate, yet discovers that not every problem has a logical solution.
Stephen Bartholomew was an American science fiction writer whose work frequently appeared during the Golden Age of the genre. He was known for blending hard scientific concepts with deeply human dilemmas, often placing ordinary individuals in extraordinary circumstances where intellect alone is not enough.
Bartholomew's stories are remembered for their psychological intensity and philosophical reach. His fiction explores the cost of progress, the limits of rationality, and the unexpected power of the human mind when pushed beyond conventional boundaries.
