Maren and Saul stared at each other.

“Rescue,” Maren hissed, and hope bloomed through her like a hot flame.

Gin appeared at their sides. She stared for a moment at Saul’s hand, which was still held against the small of Maren’s back, then shook her head. “They must be overriding our intercom system,” she said, dragging her fingers through her short hair. “We’d need to get to the communications room to send word back.”

Maren looked at the screens. Suriya must have left the room while Maren was distracted, and she didn’t appear in any of the video feeds. Mark and Holly had reappeared at the entrance to the storage area. They stood side-by-side, staring at the hallway ahead, then glanced at each other. If they were talking, their lips weren’t moving.

“I repeat. This is Captain Matthews. We’re rescuing as many stranded crews as possible on our evacuation to Central. If you require transport or assistance, please reply immediately.”

“We can’t let them leave without us,” Maren said, feeling sweat break out on her body. “We’ve got to get word to them.”

“Yeah.” Gin bounced on the balls of her feet, rubbing her hands over her skirt, her previous calm replaced with frantic stress. “Okay. You and me, Maren.”

Maren scanned the screens again. Mark and Holly had disappeared. “No, I’ll go alone. You and Saul stay locked in here. I’ll get in touch with the ship, and they can help us all get out.” She grabbed Saul’s gun from where they’d left it on the ground and checked its charge. “Do you have any more of these, Saul?”

“Look under the screens.”

“No,” Gin said, arms crossed over her chest, as Maren rummaged through the equipment tray under the trolley. “I’ve got to come. You don’t know how to use the systems. We need to scan and identify the correct wavelength to reply to that ship. It’s a very precise process.”

Maren glanced at the countdown. They had only forty-eight minutes left—forty-eight minutes to get word to the ship, get Saul out of the recreation room, unlock the station’s doors, and evacuate to the craft… all while trying to avoid Holly and Mark. “Fine, fine, jeeze.” She pulled the spare gun out of the trolley and handed it to Saul. “Keep this with you, just in case.” Just in case we die out there and you need a painless way to end your own life.

He gripped her hand before she could pull back, and his intense grey eyes bore into her. “Be safe, Maren.”

She found it hard to look away, so instead, she bent and kissed him quickly, savouring the electric sensation for half a second before pulling back. She brushed his stubbled cheek with her thumb then turned towards the door that opened onto the most direct route to the communications station. She could feel his gaze following her as she jogged to the control panel beside the door, and she didn’t think it was her imagination that his voice carried intense undertones as he repeated his code for her to open the doors.