Shan!” Temar struggled to his feet, and then the whole world rocked again, the floor heaving up and then dropping so fast that Temar’s feet lost contact with the metal floor. “Ambassador, stay down.” Rula dove toward him, grabbing Temar’s arm and yanking him down to the cold floor as the metal shuddered violently. Temar got an arm under himself and tried to push up. “Shan’s in there!” “Rescue teams will be coming out. We have to clear the area.” Temar silently struggled, but Rula was too strong. Her hands wrapped around his arms, and he flashed on the feel of Ben’s hands holding him, trapping him. Panic—panic for Shan, panic for himself—merged until his chest ached with the force of his beating heart. Another explosion made the world jerk, and then gravity failed. Twisting his body around, Temar tried to flail, but Rula pulled him closer, centering his world as papers and datapads floated up, all of them drifting toward one wall.
