So far so good. Glimmer's heart was hammering against her chest. She switched her wrench to her other hand and wiped her sweaty palm on the slick material of her spacesuit. The last thing she needed was to lose her grip on her only weapon.

OK. Some robots, a handful of clones. Huge guns and at least one very sharp… actually, let's not think about that. She exhaled, trying to keep herself under control.

I get past all that… somehow. Then I steal the ship… still not sure how I'm going to do that either… get out of here, find my friends, go home and save my planet. Easy. She swallowed and flattened herself against the cold metal of the wall and peered around another corner.

It was clear. She released the breath she'd been holding. Almost there.

Shit, not that way! Metallic footsteps, coming closer. She ignored her flight instincts and turned slowly, keeping her steps quiet. Moving only as fast as she could, making no sound, she doubled back until it sounded like she'd lost them.

She'd run outright the first time and never would have made it if she hadn't lucked upon a barrel of the green fluid in the corridor. She'd overturned it behind her, and her pursuers had slipped and slowed enough for her to lose them. But there was no way she'd be that lucky again.

The hallway branched ahead. Left or right… She tried to remember the ship schematic from the control room. Uh… that one. A random guess. Hopefully she wasn't just going around in circles again. She was wasting too much time. Every second that passed made it more likely that ship was gone and with it any chance of getting back to the others.

Another white hallway like every other except—She gasped, choking when she saw… but no, it wasn't moving. It was one of the clones she'd hit before, its cape caught in the doorway, giving the slumped form the illusion of standing. She held her wrench aloft as she approached, but the clone was out cold.

Whew. Remember to breathe. But if that was one of the clones she'd hit before, that meant… She allowed herself a tiny flash of hope as she edged around the corner.

Finally! The loading bay. She couldn't see the windows from here, but the ship had to still be there. It just had to be.

She tensed, adjusting her grip on the wrench. Between her and the door were gooey green footprints, which meant whoever was chasing her before had been here. Or was still here, waiting for her. And, of course, the wide open foyer before the airlock left nowhere to hide. If they were waiting for her... she didn't want to think about it.

But what other choice did she have? Her only chance of getting back to her friends was that ship. She took a deep breath and sprinted for the door.

She saw the flash before she even heard the blaster fire and dove, feeling the heat of it as it flew over her head and connected with something behind her. Two more bolts went high and the air above her smelled like burning. She only had seconds to move before they adjusted their aim. She rolled closer to the door and scrambled to her feet as the spot where she'd just been exploded in scorching light.

Two clones were running towards her, down the corridor. Only one had a blaster which was why she was still alive. But that wasn't much of a comfort when she noticed that the other held that long curved knife, its jagged edge glinting in the sterile lights of the corridor.

Crap! There was a blast coming right for her, and she swung her wrench at it reflexively. To her surprise, the polished metal of the wrench reflected the burning light back at the clones and they flung themselves to the floor to avoid the shot.

Wow. Hey! Let's pretend we did that on purpose.

But there wasn't time to catch her breath, let alone celebrate her luck. The clones were already getting back to their feet. She had to get out of here, now.

The blaster fire had damaged the door to the airlock, leaving a gap between edge and door. She tried to cram herself through the opening, but there wasn't enough room. The one with the knife was on his feet now, stumbling towards her with a look of pure malice.

She wedged her back against the door, trying to get it to slide farther open. Come on, you stupid thing! She changed her position, kicking it back with her foot. It gave at last, and she almost lost her footing as she fell into the airlock.

OK, one door down. She made for the second door, the one that would take her into the loading dock itself and the ship that could take her back to her friends. Almost there.

Godsdamn it, no! She was so close! But the door was sealed shut. She pounded her fist and then her wrench against the control panel, but nothing happened. She crammed her fingers into the edge, trying to pry it open with her bare hands, but the still door wouldn't open. She was trapped.

She whipped around, flattening her back against the door, gripping her wrench with both hands, ready for a fight. Her chest rose and fell, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Whatever they were going to do to her, she was not going down without a fight.

The clone with the knife was right there, standing in the first doorway. Three steps and he'd be upon her. This airlock was so tiny there was barely room for a fight. His face twisted into a parody of a smile as he advanced.

Wha— Glimmer fell backwards as the door behind her opened at last, and she tumbled out of the airlock and into the loading bay. She froze, watching confusion play out across the clone's face as the door slid closed between them. Then she forced her body into action.

Crates, barrels, an entire of cloaks, whatever these heavy metal triangle things were. She shoved it all in front of the door, cramming and jamming everything together. When she finally stopped to catch her breath, there was a chaotic pile of junk in front of the only way into the loading bay. Now she just had to hope to all the old gods it was enough to keep them out.

She turned, panting, and relief flooded her system when she saw it. The ship was still here! It was right there, and all she had to do was run over to it and get on and fly to her friends… just walk right up… stroll right on over… because it was apparently completely unguarded.

Something twisted in her gut.

It was quiet in here. Way too quiet. And why had the door opened then, not when she was bashing on it? It didn't make sense unless…

Oh, gods.

Unless it was a trap.