"Talk to me Kira."
Malcolm gripped the thick steel tow cable with both hands and leaned his entire body weight forward. The rusted wire bit deep into his palms as he anchored his boots against the steep incline of the subterranean ramp. He dragged the heavy fusion core inch by grueling inch across the concrete floor. The dead engine scraped against the ground with a deafening metallic shriek.
Static hissed through the unshielded analog earpiece resting against his temple. The electromagnetic pulse fried the sophisticated digital communications array but the primitive analog radio frequencies survived the blast.
"I am here Malcolm," Kira replied over the crackling channel. Her voice trembled with a terrifying frailty. "The cabin temperature is dropping fast. The frost is creeping up the
