Chapter 3
“The Tombs”
9 degrees North by 21 degrees West
Copernicus Crater, the Moon
February 5, 2049
2110 hours (Universal Time – U.T.)
After the rest of the Detachment had boosted down to Tian Jia, Johnny Winger convinced Deeno D’Nunzio to unzip the MOBnet and let him out.
“Deeno, really, I’m ok. There was a little ANAD leak, that’s all. Some residual bots from the last time he was recovered. They’ve dispersed now.” He didn’t tell the DPS tech about the Dana bots, which were still drifting around inside his hypersuit.
Against her better judgment, D’Nunzio complied. She turned her mag pulser to the correct setting and zapped the seam, shattering enough bots to force the thing open. Winger pushed and wriggled the rest of the way out.
Even in his hypersuit, to be free of the MOB felt great.
That’s when both troopers were sent flying by an especially strong tremor. Slow-motion dust clouds mushroomed around them. The walls of the crater slumped in slow motion and only a burst from their suit boost allowed them to avoid being smothered by falling rock. They both lifted through a rain of rubble and came to rest a dozen meters away.