Vik stepped into Kevina’s field of view, asking, “Where’s Casey? What happened? Where’s the seatruck?”

“Slime got the seatrucks. Got Casey.” Michaela’s voice sounded squeaky with fear. “We’re all that’s left. It’s just us. Up here. No way off now. No escape.”

Kevina rolled to her knees, coughed. Pointed at the glowing cones that seemed to float like pulsating balloons. “What are those?”

“I don’t know,” Vik told her, following her finger. “Related to seaskimmers, I’d guess. They just showed up, came floating in on the wind.”

“Think we ought to shoot at them?” Michaela wondered. “Every other fucking thing on this planet is trying to kill us.”

“Pull up the ladder,” Vik said. “It’s our only way off the Pod if we lose the second level.”

Kevina pivoted, grabbed hold of the ropes and pulled. “What the hell? How heavy is this?”

“Not more than about fifteen kilos, why?” Michaela asked as she panted for breath and stared worriedly at the floating cones with their wispy tentacles.

The things might have been fifteen to twenty meters high; the way they held position in the wind belied the notion they were like balloons. Now they lowered, dropping the long lengths of tentacles into the water. As they did, the slime began to react, almost churning.

Get the damned ladder up!

Kevina threw her back into it. Grunted. And felt no give in return. “It’s not moving.”

Michaela added her strength, sharing the duty.

“Slime’s got it,” Kevina realized.

A wash of defeat colored Michaela’s weary eyes. “Cut it loose.”

Vik cried, “But that’s our only way down to the dock.”

“And it’s the slime’s fast track up to us. Now cut the damn ladder loose. You got anything sharp?”

Vik retreated to her bag, returned with a scalpel. When Kevina took it, cut the ropes, the ladder didn’t just fall, it was ripped down by the weight. A wet, splattering thump sounded from below. A lot of weight crashing down.

“What now?” Vik asked as she stared up at the glowing, floating cones. “Sort of look like squids, don’t they?”

“Yeah,” Michaela countered, “if squids glowed and floated. I don’t like this. Come on. We’re getting inside. Undercover. Kevina, the last rifle is in the locker just inside the weather door.”

“But stay ready.” Vik slapped a hand to her own rifle as if in assurance. “If those flying squid things are drawn to movement and drop in for a taste, shoot to kill.”

Kevina struggled to her feet, her legs gone wobbly, her heart still hammering at her chest. Damn it, had she ever been this scared?

But the hovering squid things didn’t follow, just changed their attitude; a couple of the silky tentacles rose from the slime, pointed toward the women as if they were observing, but who knew how, since they had no visible lens-like eyes.