Edge of Dark by Brenda Cooper Page A

nodded. “Me, too.”
    â€œLet’s wake the others,” Chrystal suggested.
    â€œI’ll take Kate.”
    If she were awake, Katherine would give Jason the look of death for using the short form of her name. Chrystal found Yi staring up at her with wide eyes that looked slightly off through the clear faceplate. “Are you okay?”
    He blinked. He sipped at his fluid and then licked his lips. Trying to tell her something. Hell with it. She undid his straps and pulled him up. “How are you?”
    â€œThirsty.”
    She undid the pack by the bed and handed him water. “You’re suit is dry.”
    Katherine asked, “What happens next?” in a small voice.
    Yi answered her first. “We find out how other people are. Start by looking on the nets.”
    â€œWe should explore,” Jason said.
    Katherine stood, shaking. “I need to feed the animals.”
    The look that crossed Yi’s face told Chrystal he thought like she did, but neither of them said anything.
    Yi insisted they change out the suit packs of raw water and medicines for fresh ones. They put the remaining charged reservoirs into backpacks with the leftover food and one clean outfit each. The packs looked slim; they were used to having their little piece of the world restocked daily by robots. Jason hefted his. “We need more food and a good source of water. We’ll run out up here.”
    â€œDo we know if we’ve actually stopped moving?” Chrystal asked.
    â€œNo,” Yi said. “But I think so.”
    Chrystal pushed the suit off of her legs and eyed the shower with regret. That water would be there, but it wasn’t a priority. “I woke up when the station bounced, like maybe we got dropped from a tow.”
    Jason shook his head. “I still can’t picture the whole station getting towed.”
    â€œLet’s go.” Katherine had stripped and pulled on clean underwear. She was choosing between shirts, staring at a white one and a red one. “I need to find Sugar.”
    â€œWear the red. Easier to see you in the meadow.” Yi started poking at his slate. “There are people on the net. Not many. I’ll post that we’re okay.” He was half naked and totally focused.
    â€œSurely some people might help,” Chrystal said.
    â€œThe animals first,” Katherine insisted, opening the bedroom door and going into the galley. Chrystal followed.
    Other than a single cup that had somehow escaped and rolled on the floor, everything looked neat.
    The meadow lights hadn’t come back on, and so it looked like dusk outside. The spinning habitat stood still and unmoving, subject to the same gravgens that let Chrystal and Katherine stand straight so that down was now below their feet and hard to make out. Pieces of the barn and strips of the shallow soil and grass had fallen from above and littered the meadow. Every tree and rock and heavy thing had come down. A few had left ugly scratches on the clear parts of the habitat bubble. Metal struts and torn water pipes showed in the roof. Soil and grass hung down in strips.
    â€œI can’t see any of the animals,” Katherine hissed. “Let’s go.”
    Yi and Jason had come in behind them. Yi surveyed the room and selected occasional items to add to packs. “Get any personal things you want,” he said. “Nothing heavy.”
    As Chrystal stuck her toothbrush into her pack, she noticed that Yi had holstered his gun on his belt. She’d only seen him carry it a few times. The rest of them didn’t have one at all.
    In moments each of them had a pack on their back. Yi and Chrystal dragged all four suits out to the edge of the platform, rolling the helmets inside and tying them in loose bundles with the flopping limbs. They pushed them over and then helped each other into harnesses. After they started down themselves, Chrystal realized there wouldn’t be any easy return.