But the footsteps behind her died away and she realized it must just have been one of the other personnel moving around the base. But as she continued to walk, she heard more noises up ahead. I’ll do a circuit of the whole building—go back the other way. A man came out of a room ahead of her. He looked at Eva and seemed a little surprised, either by the fact that he hadn’t seen her before, or that she herself seemed spooked. Eva smiled, forcing herself to appear calm and at ease, and passed by him, taking the first turn to the left. It was one of the interconnecting corridors, linking the three rings of the main buildings. She walked through the habitat ring and did not pause, just kept going, frantically trying to work out what to do. They’ve got to be Stella’s Agents. They must have gotten here just before us. And they’ve got Arianna and Gabriella! And that means Sam and Lora are in danger too. I have to get word to them. But how? I can’t go back to the communications room—they’ll be there, waiting for me.
