One by one the team stepped into The Lilly’s Zoo. Various items and trash littered the floor. Jason knelt down and picked up the remnants of a hand-rolled cigarette. “Someone’s been partying,” Billy commented. Ricket headed farther down the corridor and stopped at HAB 17. There he entered the access code. Both Traveler and Rustling Leaves disappeared into the portal. Jason was busy hailing his crew. There was no response from his XO. Nervous, he tried Mollie. Also no response. Jason felt his pulse elevate. Were they alive? He tried Nan; maybe she’d undergone the nano-devices treatment before all hell broke loose. He heard the connection had been made, but then silence. Perhaps she hadn’t figured out how to use her NanoCom yet? Then, slowly, a NanoText message appeared. Receive inbound NanoText: Crew Member Nan Reynolds: Crew Nan Reynolds: Thank God, Jason! Capt. Jason Reynolds: Are you OK? I couldn’t reach Mollie—where’s Mollie? Crew Nan Reynolds: She’s safe. Hiding.
