04/26/2023 Snippet, GHOSTS ON AN ALIEN WIND.

Going along!

My next step was to smack the intercom — which didn’t work, even after I muttered a swear. “Process?” I automatically called out, and then I swore again, and worse. “Syah, tell me you brought your phon.”

“Seeing as we’re currently breaking and entering? No.” Syah looked worried but not panicked, which was good. “I’m good with software, but not that good. Why is the intercom down?”

“I don’t know.” I was very carefully not shouting or screaming, but I was already backing away from the door. “You need to find one that works. Now.”

“Why? Isn’t he locked in?” Just then the blast door shuddered, which it is absolutely not supposed to do, and gave the kind of creak you associate with materials getting heavily stressed.

“No,” I replied. “He burrowed his way out of the cryo-vault; he’ll burst through that eventually. Go get help!”

“I can stay—”

“You can go!” I checked my gun, making sure that there was a new varmint round in there. Most people don’t need to fire more than one of those in their lives, one way or the other. I wondered if there was a club for people with this much bad luck in their lives. “He’ll be coming after for me.”

“What? Why? What does he want?”

“Go get help, and it won’t matter!” Syah opened his mouth again, and I shouted over him. “The only thing you can do here is die pointlessly! So don’t.”