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“Naomi,” Holden said, “what does it look like around the ship?”

“Looks clear here,” she said “But Alex is worried that—”

Her voice was cut off by an electronic squeal

“Naomi? Naomi!” Holden yelled, but there was no response To Amos he said, “Go, double-time it to the ship!”

Amos and the Pinkwater people ran toward the docks as quickly as their injured bodies and the unconscious tea his assault rifle and flicking off the safety as he ran

They ran through the twisting corridors of the port sector, A pedestrians with loud shouts and the unspoken threat of his shotgun An old woman in a hijab scurried away before them like a leaf driven before a storm She was dead already If the protomolecule was loose, everyone Holden passed was dead already Santichai and Melissa Supitaya pnand all the people they’d come to Ganymede to save The rioters and killers who’d been normal citizens of the station before their social ecosystem collapsed If the protoood as dead

So why hadn’t it happened?

Holden pushed the thought aside Later—if there was a later—he could worry about it Soun into the ceiling once If port security still existed outside of the vultures trying to take a cut of every inco shipment, they didn’t try to stop them

The outer airlock door of the Somnambulist was closed when they reached it

“Nao in his pockets for the swipe card She didn’t reply, and it took hiiven the card to Wendell “Wendell, open the door for us”

The Pinkwater leader didn’t reply

“Wendell—” Holden started, then stopped when he saw that Wendell was staring, wide-eyed, at so behind him Holden turned to look and saw five nias All were arht his gun up and across them in a full auto sweep Three of the fivered The new Holden rejoiced; the old was quiet It didn’t matter who these men were Station security or inner planet military or just leftover mercenaries from the now destroyed shadow base, he’d kill the his crew off this infectedout froazine of his assault rifle into the gray-areha hiray-arun unloaded in a single long roar

Holden rolled to his side, looking to see if anyone else was hurt, and saw that the five on his side had been only half of the ene their hands and dropping their weapons as five ray-armored soldiers came down the corridor froazine fro a new one off his harness when one of the e weapon at the back of his head and pulled the trigger Amos’ helated- with a wet crunch Blood splashed across the floor where he hit it

Holden tried to get a new azine into his assault rifle, but his hands wouldn’t cooperate and before he could reload his gun, one of the soldiers had crossed the distance and kicked the rifle away from him