“Hey, hey, talk to me.” Gin slapped Maren’s cheek.

Maren grimaced. “Ow, stop that. I’m fine. Jeeze.”

She felt far from fine—her stomach was threatening to upend itself, everything hurt, and her vision was taking its sweet time normalising itself—but Gin had hit the same cheek Holly had slapped, and Maren really wished she’d stop.

“Okay, okay. We’re okay,” Gin said.

The other woman was on the verge of hyperventilating, but as the double images that swam through Maren’s vision coalesced into one, she saw there was a flush of delight over Gin’s face, too. Maren looked around and saw why. They’d made it into the communications room.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

“The ship,” Maren gasped, shoving Gin towards the panel. “Go, go, go!”

The door at her back shuddered again, sending shockwaves through her sore ribs, as Mark and Holly tried to break in. Maren wished she could stay on the ground—it was easier than trying to balance on wobbly legs—but she remembered the sound of screeching metal in the distress message Gin had received the day before, and she had a sinking feeling the protection wouldn’t last for long. She got to her feet and braced herself against the wall as she trained her gun at the door. The small cracked windows showed snapshots of the black things outside as they pressed against the glass. Then Holly’s face suddenly filled the space, mouth open in a wild grimace, half of her forehead missing from where Maren’s shot had hit her, the eyes rolling wildly before fixing on Maren.

“How long?” Maren asked, torn between her need to hold focus on the door and her desire to look away.

“One minute.” Gin, spared the sight of Holly’s deformed face, was typing on her panel faster than Maren had ever seen her fingers move before. “I’m looking for the frequency they used when they contacted us so I can get us on the same wavelength and broadcast—”

“Okay, I have no idea what you’re saying, but it sounds important,” Maren said, trying to keep her voice light as Holly’s face disappeared from the window. “How about this: you do your job while I do mine. Deal?”

The creatures slammed the door. A large dent appeared in the metal, and part of the door separated from the frame.

“I think I’ve found it,” Gin said, delight filling her voice.

With a second slam, the door buckled inwards even farther. One of the black tendrils slipped through the gap, and Maren lunged forward to stomp it back out. It squirmed under her boot and reluctantly retreated. “Great. You gonna call them?”

Gin was already pulling her headset on with one hand while her other fingers adjusted dials and pressed buttons.

“Captain Matthews? This is Ginevieve Mull from Station 334. We need assistance. Repeat, we need assistance. Please confirm.”

The creatures outside the door roared and slammed into it. The gap widened, and the top bolt started to pull loose. Maren pressed her back against the door, hoping her weight would be enough to keep it in place.