15
Catastrophic Failure
The rumble rolled away again and April opened her eyes. She felt giddy, almost drunk, to find herself still alive. Of course, the black around her remained total and she only knew Lars was still there because of the sound of his breathing.
“What was that?” April asked, barely above a whisper. Then her heart clenched as a sudden thought struck her. “The pool—there really was gas.”
“No, the atmospheric unit blew,” Lars said with certainty. The lights flickered again but couldn’t quite bring themselves back on. April heard the sound of Lars moving, bumping the edge of his desk but reaching the hatch to swing it open with a clang. He was silhouetted against the dull glow of the red emergency lights, and the shrill whine of the alarm system echoed down the corridor t
