***
It was Dunnis who spoke first, his voice sounding tinny on Dev’s radio as it came out of the utter blackness. “What do we do now?”
“I know what I’m doing,” Dev said. “I’m getting the hell out of this drumming suit.”
Now that the direct threat from the angels was temporarily over, there was no need to maintain their suits’ internal heat. Dev removed her helmet and breathed in a great chestful of air. The atmosphere within the tunnel was clogged with dust from the cave-in, but at least it was cool and didn’t smell of her overripe body. After a couple of deep breaths, she undid the fastening seam down the front of her spacer uniform and stepped out of it. The cool feeling of relief was immediate. It mattered not at all that she was now standing naked in a cave with two men and an alien
