Chapter Two
Above, in front of, and on either side of me, there’s an artificial wall synthesized by an external nuclear emitter. Beneath me, there’s a steel floor so thick it barely rings when I kick it, and behind me, there’s the even thicker steel of the hull, with freedom on the other side.
Freedom, and the dark, cold, unbreathable void of space.
Actually, there are also nuclear emitters poised to replace that steel with more artificial walls if necessary, though if I did manage to cause a hull breach, I’d probably have plenty of time to wait for my cell to depressurize before the safety force fields would kick in.
How I’m going to get out of this, I don’t know, but it doesn’t take a first-rate huckster to see who the weak link is in this setup.
I stare at the ceiling beyond the fo
