has refused me access to the port pod.”
Her chest began to burn, and not from the coffee.
“Did Chief Nishtha give you a specific reason?”
“He believes that we should remain focused on our current mission profile while on the outside, and that I wait to implement my plan upon our return.”
“And you disagree?”
“No, Captain, I agree that we are in great danger here. That is all the more reason to use every tactic at our disposal.”
“We have eight missiles on this ship,” Elena said, “and if we go down to seven it’s going to be because we blew someone up with the other one. You and I will go down to the missile pod together. You may visually inspect one while it remains on the rails, and when you are finished we will go from there. How about it?”
“Thank you, Captain.”
They exited into the port corridor together and headed aft—the missile pod was one compartment back.
“I apologize in advance if this matter brings you difficulty with Chief Nishtha, ma’am.”
“Just know that if something blows up while we’re in there, I’m blaming you.”
Elena felt it before she heard it. The outer walls vibrated, and the hairs on her neck tingled. She turned just in time to see a column of black smoke shoot up the corridor. The shock and the noise hit her at the same time, and a wall of hot air wrapped itself around her body and threw her, choking, through the hatch.
She tumbled along the corridor and struck a wall, and careened into the deck. Elena reached out blindly and caught a pipe. She held tight. Her eyes and throat burned, and her head ached from whatever it had struck. The exposed skin of her face and neck felt singed. Smoke swirled before her eyes, and Elena could barely see the pipe she was holding onto, but she knew exactly where she was—halfway down compartment P-12, along the inner bulkhead, her head pointed topside. The emergency helmets were two meters to her left.
Elena shut her eyes tightly and held her breath, and pulled herself along the pipe to grab one. She put it on, and the magnetic latches tugged at her uniform collar as it automatically sealed and locked itself. Cool oxygen flooded her nose and mouth, and she pulled the second helmet from its hook before she turned to search for Ikenna.
The corridor around her was a tunnel of oily black smoke. It had spread free of gravity to every corner of the compartment, and the light panels had been enveloped in darkness. Elena squinted in the dusk, and tears squirted from beneath her eyelids and spilled into the helmet. She waved her hands in front of her face, and the smoke coiled around them and flowed back and forth across her vision. Her right hand struck a tiny shard of twisted black metal. It was hot beneath her glove.
Ikenna lurched into her and knocked her grip away. The two of them bounced across the corridor into the opposite wall. She shot one leg through the ladder on the fly and wrapped it around the rung. She needed both hands to catch Ikenna and hold him still.
His face turned to her, and she could see that his eyes were bloodshot and watering. He had shut his mouth tightly against the smoke. Elena thrust the helmet over his head and latched it for him, and watched him gasp for air on the other side of the faceplate. The rebreathers inside their helmets could keep them supplied with oxygen for hours, if necessary.
She took Ikenna by the shoulder and tapped the side of his head three times. He focused on her.
“The emergency locker. Go!”
Ikenna nodded. She didn’t know if he was even capable of speech right now. He took off down the corridor, and the sea of black smoke closed up around him.
The forward bulkhead was locked shut when she got there. Elena blinked to shake the last of the tears from her eyes, and pushed her helmet close to the atmospheric monitor. The ammonium levels in the air were dangerously high and the temperature had shot up to over three hundred degrees Kelvin. But there was no breach
Her chest began to burn, and not from the coffee.
“Did Chief Nishtha give you a specific reason?”
“He believes that we should remain focused on our current mission profile while on the outside, and that I wait to implement my plan upon our return.”
“And you disagree?”
“No, Captain, I agree that we are in great danger here. That is all the more reason to use every tactic at our disposal.”
“We have eight missiles on this ship,” Elena said, “and if we go down to seven it’s going to be because we blew someone up with the other one. You and I will go down to the missile pod together. You may visually inspect one while it remains on the rails, and when you are finished we will go from there. How about it?”
“Thank you, Captain.”
They exited into the port corridor together and headed aft—the missile pod was one compartment back.
“I apologize in advance if this matter brings you difficulty with Chief Nishtha, ma’am.”
“Just know that if something blows up while we’re in there, I’m blaming you.”
Elena felt it before she heard it. The outer walls vibrated, and the hairs on her neck tingled. She turned just in time to see a column of black smoke shoot up the corridor. The shock and the noise hit her at the same time, and a wall of hot air wrapped itself around her body and threw her, choking, through the hatch.
She tumbled along the corridor and struck a wall, and careened into the deck. Elena reached out blindly and caught a pipe. She held tight. Her eyes and throat burned, and her head ached from whatever it had struck. The exposed skin of her face and neck felt singed. Smoke swirled before her eyes, and Elena could barely see the pipe she was holding onto, but she knew exactly where she was—halfway down compartment P-12, along the inner bulkhead, her head pointed topside. The emergency helmets were two meters to her left.
Elena shut her eyes tightly and held her breath, and pulled herself along the pipe to grab one. She put it on, and the magnetic latches tugged at her uniform collar as it automatically sealed and locked itself. Cool oxygen flooded her nose and mouth, and she pulled the second helmet from its hook before she turned to search for Ikenna.
The corridor around her was a tunnel of oily black smoke. It had spread free of gravity to every corner of the compartment, and the light panels had been enveloped in darkness. Elena squinted in the dusk, and tears squirted from beneath her eyelids and spilled into the helmet. She waved her hands in front of her face, and the smoke coiled around them and flowed back and forth across her vision. Her right hand struck a tiny shard of twisted black metal. It was hot beneath her glove.
Ikenna lurched into her and knocked her grip away. The two of them bounced across the corridor into the opposite wall. She shot one leg through the ladder on the fly and wrapped it around the rung. She needed both hands to catch Ikenna and hold him still.
His face turned to her, and she could see that his eyes were bloodshot and watering. He had shut his mouth tightly against the smoke. Elena thrust the helmet over his head and latched it for him, and watched him gasp for air on the other side of the faceplate. The rebreathers inside their helmets could keep them supplied with oxygen for hours, if necessary.
She took Ikenna by the shoulder and tapped the side of his head three times. He focused on her.
“The emergency locker. Go!”
Ikenna nodded. She didn’t know if he was even capable of speech right now. He took off down the corridor, and the sea of black smoke closed up around him.
The forward bulkhead was locked shut when she got there. Elena blinked to shake the last of the tears from her eyes, and pushed her helmet close to the atmospheric monitor. The ammonium levels in the air were dangerously high and the temperature had shot up to over three hundred degrees Kelvin. But there was no breach
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