I swallowed down my nerves. “You can’t.”

“I could—”

“No. Don’t get drawn into something that isn’t your fight. You’re helping me enough already.” She was keeping me alive, even when I sometimes begged her to put me out of my misery. She was strong for me when I wanted to give up, and I owed her my life. I wouldn’t have survived without her.

We made our way through the hallways to the cargo bay. Tyler was waiting for us at the front.

“Hey, ladies.” A big grin spread across his face as he rubbed his hands together. “You ready for the big day?”

I wished I could share his smile, but with everything going on here I could only drum up a wince. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Audrey pulled me into a hug. “Good luck. Gotta run.” She let me go and raced out of the room.

I paused, watching her race down the hall.

That wasn’t like her. Usually, she stuck around, flirting with Tyler, before heading to her shift in the med unit. “What’s that all about?” I asked Tyler.

“She’s just worried for you. Come on,” Tyler said. “Let’s get you suited up.”

My locker had expanded into five, one for each suit. Tyler also had stocked them full of electrolyte packets for my breaks, which usually got me through the end of my shift. After that, I’d head to see Audrey and get on IV until we all headed to dinner. Unless it was a day like yesterday.

I still wore clothes under my suit, even if Tyler thought I was nuts. I wasn’t getting naked with all those bots watching. But shoes were a different story. Ever since I burned my feet the first day, I wore the suit without shoes and socks. That way I could be more aware of the heat and hopefully avoid a repeat incident. But this time, I had to leave them on. I’d need them later.

I put one foot in my suit and Tyler came over to lean against the locker.

He put one hand over his mouth like he was scratching his cheek before talking. “You know where you’re headed?” he whispered the question.

I didn’t glance up. Instead, I squatted down, pretending to mess with the boot. “Cargo Bay Four,” I whispered back. “I’ll call you on my com, tell you that I’m getting dizzy. You’ll tell me to go to four. When I get there, I’ll tell Javier that I got turned around and need some water.”

“Good. Everyone knows about what’s been happening to you. Some even have bets on how long you make it each shift.”