Dangerous Bond by Kate Rudolph

Author:Kate Rudolph
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kate Rudolph

16

PIPPA

The panic attack came out of nowhere.

One minute I was calmly headed towards Noelle's room to invite her to get dinner with me, the next I was doubled over and heaving, my heart threatening to explode as the certainty of death washed over me.

Drex.

I needed Drex.

Instinct had me running towards the lifts, still barely able to breathe with sweat pouring down my face. I had to look like an absolute wreck and I didn't give a single damn. Drex would fix this.

I crossed the ship and got to his quarters in half the time it usually took me. And when I got to his door, I banged on it, desperate to be let in.

No one answered.

Oh no, I knew this would happen.

The certainty came deep within me, knowledge that something was wrong, and I needed to help. I wasn't psychic or anything, and my intuition had never been better than average, but right now I knew.

I tried the handle on the door and cried out in relief when it slid open. Drex didn't seem the type to leave his quarters unlocked, but I didn’t question the good luck.

He wasn't there. The quarters were tiny. There were four bunks hooked to the walls on either side of the walkway. A small shower room was off to the corner and their kitchen area didn't even have a sink. But I wasn't there to look around.

I needed to find Drex.

The comm screen on the wall was lit up, and I checked it. What I saw made my stomach roil.

I think I've found something big. Come to Section X43-2. You need to see this. -Pip

I hadn't sent that message. It came from my room account, but I hadn't been in my room since leaving for my shift in the morning. Someone had either hacked my account or broken into my quarters.

No time to worry about that.

I left Drex's quarters on a mission to find Section X43-2. We'd been doing some maintenance work on the air filtration system in there lately, but no one was supposed to be there outside of their shift. The station disabled the life support system every night to preserve air on the rest of the ship, and the doors would be sealing shut in less than half an hour.

It would take me almost that long to get there.

I ran, all the while trying to convince myself that all would be well. Even if the doors closed, I could use my maintenance override code to get in and find Drex. And it wasn't like they sucked out all the air. There'd still be enough ambient oxygen to survive the night. No, it was the cold that would be the biggest danger. But maybe Detyens were more resilient to cold than humans.

I ran even faster.

Twenty-two minutes later, I crossed into Sector X. There was no flashing light warning that the life support system would be powering down. There was no need with everyone out of the sector.

"Drex!" I called out, heading toward hallway 43-2.

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