Then a tug on her shoulder and a voice sounded in her ear.

"Are you all right?"

Looking up, she saw the Seeker leaning over her, staring at her with wide eyes.

"Can you see what's going on?"

The other passengers-Nahara and Rodriguez-stared out their window, too.

"He's doing what he has to," was all Sinjira could think to say.

The Seeker stared at her for several seconds.

Then lowered her gaze. Shoulders slumped, she walked back to her seat at the rear of the vehicle and sat down. She belted herself in and folded her hands in her lap.

Yes. She's preparing herself. She knows we're all going to die.

The red lines on the console kept creeping up.

Annie glanced at Jordan.

Stone-faced. Waiting.

Not panicking ... but feeling desperate, confused.

Why isn't the heat going down?

McGowan had the starboard vent clear.

Maybe not entirely, but enough so the engines automatically recalibrated.

Unless the ionization dumped particles even deeper ... already in the core.

In which case ...

"How's it going out there, McGowan?" She tried to keep her voice calm.

Don't let a shred of panic show.

"Best I can ... not as ... as I'm used to..."

The commlink was breaking up. The static was painful in Annie's ears, making her wince.

"That one's good enough. Best get to the port side fast and see what you can do."

"More bugs are showing up by the minute," Jordan said, his voice calm. "Should I waste a couple? Keep them busy with something to clean up?"

Annie shook her head tightly. She focused on the gauges ... wishing they would start moving down-or at least stop rising. At least the starboard one was holding steady.

She watched, barely breathing, as McGowan tread slowly up the side of the vehicle, grabbing the service handholds and walking along narrow platforms along the way.

His movements were so excruciatingly slow. Sparks and streamers of energy flew off of him, surrounding him in a cone of fire.

How long can even a mining suit take that kind of beating?

"If you could move a little fas-"

"Damn it! I'm going as fast as I can! This is ... disorienting. I'm used to solid ground."

McGowan's voice turned sharp and loud in the headset.

Annie leaned back in her seat. She wanted to ask him how his suit was holding up, but- What if it isn't?

It sure as hell didn't look it.

"We can't wait much longer. I'm going have to punch it to shake these Road Bugs."

"Gimme two minutes!" McGowan said.

On the port monitor, she watched as the miner knelt down in front of the vent and started to work. His left shoulder now led into the blast of the storm and it glowed as brightly as an arc torch.

White-hot.

And then something much larger than a chunk of ionized metal flew away, skimming off the hull of the SRV.

Ivan sat in the gun turret, his hands on the controls as he watched McGowan through the transparent Plexisteel.

He had to give the man credit.

He had cojones.

Of course, McGowan might not be able to see what Ivan-and, no doubt, Jordan-could see.

Scores of Road Bugs ... everywhere.

Now coming from every direction.

Swarming.

All shapes and sizes.

These mechanized monsters-designed to resemble horrific creatures-converged on the slow-moving SRV, pacing along beside it. Through the swirling glow of trailing embers that engulfed the ship, their faces with glowing eyes and gaping jaws closed in with slow, mechanical purposefulness.

Ivan's trigger finger began to twitch.

Just a little.

The sense of impending action sharpened his senses ... He felt: alive.

He watched McGowan work on the port-side vent. He experienced no tension. No emotion. Just an intense ... interest in what was going on.

The thought that they might all be dead soon was not sticking.

There were other things to think about.

Things he'd have to face if-not if-when they came.

McGowan drilled into the port vent and then a warning beep sounded inside his helmet, piercing.

He focused on the HUD inside his helmet and saw the problem the same instant the speaker inside his helmet said: "Joint rupture imminent. Zero atmospheres. Prepare for extreme life support."

His stomach tightened.

The words flat. Their meaning ... dire.

He looked down and saw that the mining suit sleeve between his wrist and elbow started ... disappearing.

A steady stream of glowing particles tore at it, leaving the suit-his impenetrable mining suit-in tatters.

"Christ," he whispered. Then: "I'm so close."

"Say again?" Annie's voice was sharp over the commlink.

"We have a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"Let me rephrase that. I have a problem."

He winced as he said this. All he could do now was wait for the inevitable.

"Is the vent damaged? What is it?" Annie asked. Her voice calm ... steady, but it rang hollow in his ears.

McGowan narrowed his eyes.

Get ready for it.

"Executing extreme life support measures." The mechanical female voice inside his helmet didn't betray an ounce of pity.

And then it came.

In a sudden hiss that changed the pressure in his suit so suddenly it made his ears pop, a jolt of ice-cold pain encircled his arm a few inches above the elbow.

The suit automatically injected a high dose of painkiller into his system, but it didn't take effect fast enough.

How do you get ready for something like this?

The pain came in a sudden white flash that made his skull ache as if it was hit with a hammer.

Tears filled his eyes, but there was no way he could wipe them away. The suit's ventilation system would dry them soon enough.

But his vision remained just clear enough to see the jet of blood that shot out from the now-shortened sleeve of his left arm. It froze instantly in the vacuum of space and the crystals blew away in a bright-red icy shower.

McGowan watched with vague detachment as his left arm-what had been his left arm-clattered against the deck of the SRV and rolled away, dropping into the Road below the ship.

Either shock or the meds finally kicked in, and then he didn't feel the slightest bit of pain.

"McGowan. What's happening out there?" Annie shouted in his ear, as if she were right there inside the helmet with him.

"Cauterizing wound," the mechanical female voice inside his helmet said.

The captain must be able to hear that as well. Did she know what it meant?

Doubtful ... she probably hadn't had much experience with mining suits.

"Suit's not holding up," he said. "I thought it would, but-"

"How's the work coming?"

"It's a bit more difficult now-"

Without my goddamned left arm.

"I have to pick up some speed if we're going to shake those bugs," Annie said.

He listened as she paused.

"I need that other deflector online now."

"I've got to head back inside," McGowan said. He felt disoriented. Without immediate medical attention, the pain would eventually cut through the meds.

"How are the vents?"

"I've done what I could do."

Not very reassuring. There was still some buildup he hadn't removed.

But had he removed enough so they could get going again?

He heard the weakness, the shallowness in his voice. He didn't want to show panic ... or pain ... and he hated not finishing the job.

But then he looked down and saw that his left leg-the one taking the brunt of the storm-now glowed white-hot.