This whole mining thing was fucked. Almost all of the crystals were volatile. My head was aching. I was exhausted and sweaty. Most of all, I was done. I wanted to quit, but I couldn’t. Declan wasn’t here yet. So I had to keep going. I had to be strong.

I’m a di Aetes. I don’t quit. Not ever.

“You okay, kid?” Carl’s voice held more than a bit of concern.

“I just got a migraine. Nothing too bad.” It only felt like my head was being cleaved in half.

“Get up. Now. Or this run is over.”

Jason’s friends were the worst. Cowards. Liars. I hated them with everything I was, and I didn’t care if the run was null. I was ready to throw down the damned tool and tell them to go ice themselves. I’d sit here and wait out the remaining time. If they had a problem with it, they could come drag me back.

“I’m linked in to the control room.” I heard the strain in Declan’s voice as he tried to keep his anger leashed, and I knew that whatever he said next, I wasn’t going to like it.

“If you stop before you’ve hit the load minimum, they’re going to put you back on the surface for a six-hour shift. Ahiga’s arguing against it, but he’s outranked.”

I whimpered. “What do I do?”

Carl was talking to me through my wrist unit, urging me to keep going, but I wasn’t listening to him.

“One just said if you don’t get up, he’s going to get you himself, rough you up, put you in the suit, and throw you out onto the surface of Abaddon.”

“Shit,” I muttered to myself. I couldn’t put on the suit again. I couldn’t go out on the surface. If Audrey had to give me one more round of nanos…

“You can’t put on that suit again and survive,” Declan said, echoing my thoughts. “You’ve got a little over eight hours left on your mask. I don’t care why they’re yelling. Go slow. Finish your day. Once you’re back on the base, relax. Eat. Shower. I’ll be there tonight, and we’ll leave. It’ll all be over soon. I promise. Just get through the next eight hours for me.”

I focused on Declan’s words, but eight hours seemed like forever and going back to icing the surface wasn’t a good alternative.

So I would move slowly, deliberately, knowing the time would run out. I would get through this.

Eight hours and then I was done.

“I’m getting up,” I said. “Just give me a minute.” I reached for the tool that had fallen to the ground beside me. The tiny tool felt heavy in my hand. I closed my eyes and wished there was another way.