Page 52 (1/2)
“Prep the ship!”
“It’s the stuff,” A to Naoasp out before the fear welled up in his ainst his ribs like it wanted out, and he had to check the oxygen levels on his HUD It felt like there wasn’t enough air in the roo appeared to scuttle up the wall like a dise a trail of brown slime in its wake When Holden spun and pointed his assault rifle at it, it resolved into a bloodstain below a discolored patch of ice
Amos moved toward him, a worried look on his broad face Holden waved hiround and leaned on a nearby crate to catch his breath
“We should probablyhold up thetrouble breathing A small red bubble of blood had formed in his left nostril, and it inflated and deflated with each ragged gasp the man took
“Jim?” Naoh A the ship ready That encrypted local traffic? It’s dropped way off I think everyone’s gone”
“Everyone’s gone,” Holden echoed
The di at hi to fear, his own terror infecting theh they had no idea what the fila, and he knew he had to, but he couldn’t quite think what it was The black web filled his head with flashing i too quickly to h speed: Julie Mao in her shower, the black threads surrounding her, her body twisted into a nightmare; bodies scattered across the floor of a radiation cha off the tra brown bile on everyone around theoo a death sentence; video captures of the horror show Eros had beco itself through the protomolecule landscape on some unknowable mission
“Cap,” Amos said, then moved over to touch Holden’s ar over in the process
He sed the thick le up in his throat and said, “Okay I’o Naomi Call Alex We need the Roci”
Naomi didn’t answer for anow, Naoht now!”
She didn’t reply, but the gut-shot ed breath and then collapsed, nearly dragging the wounded Wendell to the floor with hi We can’t help him If we stay, we all die Wendell nodded but went to one knee and began taking theAency in working on the wounded o,” Holden said again, wanting to grab Amos and shake hiht now Eros—”
“Cap,” Amos interrupted, “all due respect, but this ain’t Eros” He took a syringe froave the downed oo Just that broken box, a whole lotta dead guys, and these black threads We don’t knohat the fk it is, but it ain’t Eros And we ain’t leaving this guy behind”