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THEY’D GRABBED HIM so quickly, he hadn’t had the presence of mind to comm for help. He’d been bending down, easing a small plant specimen out of the soil, when hands had seized him and thrown him on his back. All of a sudden, four faces stared down, long hair hanging. Fingers pawed at his EVA suit. Understanding what they intended, he struggled. He couldn’t let them take his suit. He understood it must make him look strange and frightening, but—
Too late.
They’d figured it out. Deftly, they unfastened the suit and snapped his helmet seals open.
No, no, no!
They tore off his helmet and tossed it into the undergrowth.
As they saw his face their eyes widened. He tried to sit up, but they forced him down. A gag fastened over his mouth, and a bag descended over his head. His wris
