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"There’s no rush," Skadz said "Sit tight; let’s wait and see what they do"
"What if they toss soe the equation"
Kelly turned back toward the door, using a handle on the wall to keep herself fro into view of anyone outside "I say we shoot out that light We’re blind otherwise"
"Agreed," Sam said
Skadz shook his head "Bad idea Not until we knoe’re dealing with They could be friend--"
A whirring sound cut him off It sounded like an electric desk fan, and Sa they couldn’t afford to lose or have contaminated
Seconds later an object floated up to the open climber door It propelled itself on a half-dozen small fans ive it a full range of lass do red ca in the scene within the coe beside Sa the butt of his weapon doard the thing Its fans ramped to full power in a millisecond and on a burst of speed it avoided his attack neatly The cameras had not swiveled toward hi strike with soain, to the same result, and with each motion to avoid attack the little automaton moved farther into the cabin The two ca One stopped on Sa she could think to do and extended her hn was next to her He’d taken his jacket off and siarment over the top of it Only when one of the cameras beca, but Vaughn pulled the sleeves of the jacket together at the bottoht He pushed off toward a corner of the cabin and e the bundle between himself and the spot where the walls joined The robot squirmed inside his coat like a trapped cat
Sam turned back to the door and her eyes narrowed A welcoh her Whoever was out there knew hn wasn’t exactly a cowering captive But she thought perhaps it hadn’t seen Kelly
"How about we talk," a voice called from somewhere outside
In the darkness Sam couldn’t see Kelly very well, but she looked at her anyway Their eyes : That is Grillo’s voice "Skadz, kill that fucking light," Saned hiun aile clap that ht went out as he pulled himself back out of view
"Suit yourselves," Grillo said He did a good job of sounding bored
With sudden, nauseating er contents of her stoed almost instantly Suddenly the door of the clied to reach out and grab one of the couch’s support legs, which were bolted to the ainst another and found she could stand like that
The bundle containing the alien object slid doas noall, bu into the air
"Catch it!" Sam said
Kelly reached but missed, and their prize fell down the umbilical tube Sam realized then with cold certainty that the tube hadn’t moved ahen the cliether The whole station is being moved
A shape on the periphery of her vision dashed the thought as the captive Martin fell past her Or maybe he’d ju chip plulanced back and up Vaughn had ainst the couch on the opposite side of hers His face was strained fro camera drone
"Just drop it," she said She doubted the little propulsion fans on the thing could actually support its weight in gravity, and anyway it had seen everything
Vaughn took her advice and practically threw the thing toward the door, along with his jacket The whole package fell like a stone, and a few seconds later she heard sorunt as the little robot crashed on top of hi, wasn’t it?" Skadz asked
"Yeah," Kelly said
"Fuck He picked a bloody convenient tio now," Skadz said, "guns blazing We’re sitting ducks in here, and just giving theot the object and our one real captive now"
"I agree Let’s go"
"Hold on," Saaze on Kelly "I don’t think the drone camera saw you Skadz distracted it when it came in, and it never looked your way after that"
"So? He’ll know I’m with you"
"But he doesn’t know you’re with us So e go out, turn on us, say you planned the whole thing We wanted to flee on foot, you suggested orbit where you know he’d be"
"To what end?"
"He must want us alive, or he would have just left the cli outside for a few days So you present us, take credit for bringing us in, and when he’sthat over you pull the same move you did in the vault"
Kelly bit in her lower lip, thinking it through
"It ht work," Skadz said "Sounds plausible Too plausible, if you ask me Sorry, Kelly, I don’t know you too well"
"Plausibility is why it ht work," Sao"
Reluctantly, Kelly nodded