“That’s going to be a hard crash,”Vera chirps from my wrist. “Impact velocity critical!”
Vector’s feet miss Emma, grazing her jumpsuit, and slam into the conduit panel with a metallic groan. The patch buckles, and a hairline crack splits the wall. Air hisses, then roars, as the hull behind it ruptures, sucking debris toward a growing void.
“Vera, alert engineering — seal the cube!” I yell, heart pounding.
Emma’s caught in the vacuum’s pull, drifting toward the breach, arms flailing in zero gee. That small hole could actually suck her right out into space. And that would kill her in a handful of seconds.
“Shutters deploying,”Vera reports fast. “Medical and engineering alerted.”
But our problems aren’t over. Hammer launched himself at Emma at the same moment the wall split, and he’s still comingfor her really fast. He’s going to hit her and slam her right into the hole. She’ll be sucked out!
I hook a foot in the mesh of the cage, squat for maximum power, and launch. Debris whip past, air screaming. I grab a strut overhead, swing to redirect, then shove off a console, curling my body to work against the wind that tries to bring me with it.
Hammer comes, eyes glassy as he waves his arms in an attempt to change direction. “I can’t stop!”
I’ve built up momentum and spin, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let him collide with Emma. I grab his boot, then use his own speed and weight to fling him around in a wide arc that misses Emma by the width of a hair. His great mass makes me groan with the effort, and I’m sure I must be pulling every muscle in my body.
I let go and see him tumbling towards the red wall.
I still have speed and momentum, and I just manage to snatch Emma’s wrist. With a yank, I spin us toward the cage, hooking a tether loop in my belt to anchor us as sparks flare from the breach and the air is still being sucked out with an otherworldly howl.
“Single contact!”Vera announces as Hammer, tumbling wildly after his impact with me, hits the red wall.
The buzzer sounds, and the cube flashes red. Red team victory. Game over.
Emma grips my arm, coughing. “Hell of a save, Shadow… owe you one.”
“Guess I’m the vacuum’s worst nightmare,” I mutter, chest heaving but pride soaring.
Vector glides over, face pale. “She’s okay?”
“Barely,” I say, glaring at him. “You hit the patch much too hard.”
“I misjudged the force,” Vector mutters, rigid.
“There is such a thing as playing too hard,” I state. “Report to debrief. The Cube”sdone.”
Hammer comes floating back. “Target blindness,” he says. “Sorry. And the suction from the hole messed up my aim.”
The wind in the Cube suddenly stops as the outside shutters close the hole.
As we converge at the exit, the stark white light of the station corridor beckons.
"The incident was contained within the training environment," Emma states, her voice firm despite the pain she must be feeling. "Any resulting injuries are a consequence of the exercise."
"The after-action report will reflect the events as they transpired," Vector says flatly, his posture now rigidly formal as we clear the Cube's threshold and the station's centrifugal gravity gently asserts itself. "The chain of command will determine any further action."
We transition into the familiar spin of the station, the simulated gravity a welcome weight.
"Sergeant Major, escort Lieutenant Morgan to medical," I instruct, my rank reasserting itself in the station's operational environment. My internal assessment: Vector's aggression was a liability. Hammer had bad luck. Emma's resilience was commendable. My maneuver… effective, but risky.
"Aye, Lieutenant," Vector responds, snapping to a more formal stance. He carefully supports Emma as they move towards the clearly marked medical bay signage.
"Well executed, Lieutenant," Hammer says. His earlier frustration has given way to a more professional demeanor. "Debriefing?"
"Later, Sergeant," I reply, my gaze lingering on the departing figures. "We may have to analyze the rules for this activity. There's a fine line between aggressive training and unnecessary risk."
“Yes, ma’am.” He spins around and marches off.
