Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

Connor fiddled around with his environment suit, feigning a problem with one of the joint seals, until Rudy finally excused himself. The hatch to the protection suit locker room had barely closed before Drew let herself in. The material of her suit rasped as she crossed to a locker, which clanged open with a rattle.

She pulled her helmet off and flashed an awkward smile, letting her stringy hair fall over her cheek. That had been where she’d scraped away a scab earlier. “Still here?”

“Yeah, giving this suit an inspection.”

“That’s enough excitement for a month. The reactor thing, I mean.”

When she unzipped her protective suit, a soapy smell escaped.

“Things are going to be bumpy for a while.” Connor looked away when she bent down to undo her boot covers and her T-shirt rode up on her back.

Her ribs and backbone protruded in clear detail beneath pale flesh.