Page 37

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“The pulse from the magnets has temporarily knocked out the bots.” Rose traced the glowing point on the holographic map where the swarm had last materialized as a cohesive whole. The Io’s command room felt too small with the five of them crowded around the display table, tension radiating between them.

The azure light of the map cast a glow on Ethan’s face, accentuating the dark circles under his eyes. She’d grabbed a few hours’ sleep since they arrived. But the Wolves? They were running on air.

“We don’t know how long the magnetic pulse will keep them inactive. We’re working on borrowed time, and when they wake up, they’ll be pissed. In addition,” she checked her watch, the display blurring before her tired eyes, “we have less than thirty-six hours before life support fails.”

Ethan’s jaw clenched and unclenched. “We need this swarm contained before we evacuate.”

“Absolutely. The consequences if it escaped are too horrible to think about,” Rose agreed. “If they get to the surface, they could replicate uncontrollably?— ”

“That’s not going to happen.” Finn laid a hand over hers. His fingers were warm, bleeding quiet strength into her chilled skin. The simple contact soothed her, pulling her back from the edge of panic.

“Rose has an idea.” He gave her fingers a gentle press. “But we need to work hard, and we need to work fast.”

Liev gave a gentle snort. “Nothing new there.”

Ethan unfolded his arms from across his chest, ready to listen. “Okay. Give.”

“We need to trap them somewhere airtight they can’t escape from.” Rose adjusted the holographic controls to zoom in on the station’s infrastructure. “It’ll give us time to repair the shuttle and evacuate with the rest of the crew. I’m suggesting we empty one of the desalination tanks.”

The rotating image of the massive cylindrical tanks filled the display. Rose’s heart picked up speed as she outlined her plan. “They’re airtight. We set up a trap inside. When the swarm comes back online, they’ll be looking to regroup, make repairs.” She zoomed in further, the blue light intensifying. “They’ll need organic material for their repairs. The Ceto bacteria.”

Her finger traced the tank’s structure on the holographic screen. “The tanks have exits at both ends. We put the bacteria in the tank, open the hatches, wait till they are inside, then lock them down tight. Nothing is getting out of there in a hurry.”

Liev dragged a hand over his face. “It might just work.”

“Remy, do you have any alternative suggestions?” Ethan asked.

“I have calculated the success rates of several plans.” Remy’s measured tones filled the room. “Dr. Wyndham’s has the highest chance of success at sixty-five percent. ”

“Sixty-five percent?” A harsh laugh exploded from Duke. Sweat darkened his collar. “Are you kidding? Is that meant to be reassuring?”

“I thought with Luca in the med bay there would be less dissent, but clearly I was wrong.” Ethan’s frown deepened as he glared at Duke, but Duke just swore under his breath, turning away to pace the space behind them.

“Did Nik and Cade have any luck with comms on the surface? The OSC might have an alternative solution.”

Ethan shook his head at Rose. “OSC isn’t responding.”

Liev grimaced. “Well isn’t that?—”

“Convenient.” Ethan inclined his head. “It won’t be the first time they cut us off to contain the situation.”

“Fucking widow,” Liev muttered.

Rose gripped the edge of the display table till her fingers hurt. Sixty-five percent. It wasn’t great, but it was better than nothing. And right now, with Luca unconscious in the med bay and the clock grinding down on life support, it was the best chance they had.

“Can’t we just blast them again with the magnets?” Liev asked.

Silence lay heavy between them. The holographic display cast shifting patterns across faces as it rotated, marking seconds they couldn’t afford to waste.

“Knocking them out would only be temporary again.” Rose released the table, spinning the image of the desalination tank with a flick of her wrist. “We need a permanent solution so we can complete shuttle repairs and evacuate knowing we’re not leaving a ticking bomb down here.” The image expanded to fill the display, the massive tanks dominating the life support hub like sleeping giants. “This is our best bet. ”

Finn rested his hands on his hips, straightening to his full height. His expression hardened with determination. “Let’s do this.”