Suriya stumbled, caught off balance after her target had moved. Captain Matthews moved forward and attempted to wrestle the knife out of her hands, yelling, “Claire! Jan!”

They tumbled against the wall. Suriya kicked and shrieked while Matthews attempted to hold her still. Their motion knocked equipment off the shelves. Saul had his left hand pushing Maren back, shielding her as much as he could in the cramped conditions, while his right hand trained the gun on the struggling pair.

Then Matthews shoved Suriya against the external doors, and Suriya’s elbow hit the button beside the panel when she tried to thrash free. The doors slid open, dropping Matthews and Suriya into the desert outside. They hit the red dirt with a hard thud, rolled apart, then came together to grapple once again.

Maren was immensely grateful she hadn’t had a chance to spit out the Temp. The planet’s air was technically breathable for short stretches of time, but more than a few minutes’ exposure was toxic. Matthews’s mask had come off in the squabble, and Suriya hadn’t had one to begin with.

The door behind Maren opened, and two masked women pushed into the room. The taller one jumped through the open external doors to assist Matthews while the shorter one hesitated in the opening, waiting to see if she was needed. She waved for Maren and her companions to move back, out of harm’s way.

Suriya was screaming in fury, her vocal cords tearing in the toxic air, as she fought the captain and his companion. “Monsters. Monsters! I’ll see you dead!”

Matthews yelled back, “Calm down. Stop! We’re here to help!” He had Suriya pinned on her stomach with both hands behind her back, but she still hadn’t released the blade. She was hissing and screaming. Sand blew into her mouth and stuck to her sweaty face. Matthews removed one hand to reach for a cord in his belt, and Suriya took the opportunity. She swivelled around, pulling the knife-bearing hand under herself, and plunged it into Matthews’ stomach.

Maren grimaced and heard Gin gasp beside her. The woman who’d remained with them went stiff as she watched her leader reel backwards, hands clutched around the wound. His face had blanched, and his eyes were large with shock. Suriya scrambled away from him, panting, her face twisted into triumph. Matthews grabbed the knife’s handle and pulled it out of his stomach. Maren felt her blood run cold as she saw the blade was coated with something black.

Then Saul’s hand disappeared from where it had been pressing her against the wall. The woman in the hatchway was turning towards them, the façade of concern disappeared as a black crack ran down her face, rapidly widening. Saul slammed both hands into her, shoving her out of the hatchway.

Maren also leapt forward. Saul was unstable on just one leg, and she grabbed his suit’s sleeve and pulled him back against herself to keep him inside the airlock. The falling woman’s face was pulling apart, and when she hit the ground in a plume of red dust, one of the tendrils launched itself towards them. Maren had already pressed the door’s button, though, and the tendril hit the glass with a loud smack.