CHAPTER TWELVE

        Slumping to the ground, I place my hands around my knees. Then, I lower my head; and count to fifty. When I finish, I clamber to my feet; bracing myself against the nearest wall as I place a finger behind my ear.

        Probing the skin, I search for the tiny implant I know is there. As soon as I find it, I press down hard with my finger; patiently waiting for the ensuing static to dissipate to a soft crackle before I whisper, “Tango One to Alpha Command. Come in Alpha Command. Do you read me?”

        When they don’t respond, I’m not too surprised. It’s been approximately thirty-nine days since the Grav-Tech anomaly wreaked havoc on this station, turning our little slice of interstellar heaven upside down; and I have no doubt my superiors are preoccupied with far more pressing matters than me right now. As unfortunate as that may be.

        So, it’s with a sad heart, and a disgruntled sigh, that I lower my hand; and reach for my rifle. Following protocol, I shine the weapon’s built-in LEDs down the entire length of the corridor; checking every darkened nook and cranny. Making sure the shadows I see lurking all around me are nothing more than that as I take my sweet time quietly moving forward to the next intersection.

        Once there, I make a right; and continue to follow protocol until I’m sure I’m truly alone. Then, I let out another sigh – this time of relief – as I prop my rifle up against a nearby doorway; and turn my attention to my wrist device. Using my free hand, I navigate my way through the device’s main feed to the mission tracker; eventually filling the screen with a series of bright, flashing numbers. And myself with instant dread and regret because, before I can even begin to interpret the meaning behind any of the numbers, I hear this terrible screeching sound coming from somewhere not so far off in the distance; and panic.

        If anything, I should’ve known the risk I was taking by letting my guard down in an environment as hostile and secluded as this. But, now that I have, I’m quickly running out of options on how to proceed from here. So, I power down my wrist device as fast as I can; and run.

        According to my calculations, I shouldn’t have too much further to go anyways. Just another corridor, maybe two, and I’ll be home free. As long as I’m able to maintain a decent enough pace, I should be able to make it to my target destination within the next five minutes. Maybe less. But, either way, here goes nothing.