"How long?" Jennifer squeaked, her stomach knotting. Nausea tried to take hold, but she breathed through it, clinging to the last vestiges of control.

"Thirty minutes," Hope said, her voice small like she was barely holding back tears. "The countdown is showing a human clock. There are three lights. It looks like we might get three attempts."

Jennifer didn't answer. Her legs felt as if they wouldn't hold her, and she sat down on Sofia's settee. All she could hear was her heart racing. She didn't just feel it was all her fault; she knew it. She should have got an expert from Earth the previous night.

Her mind froze. There had never been any training for something like this. This was a situation she just didn't know what to say or do. A hundred thousand people might be dead in thirty minutes, and it would all be her fault.

"Jen, it isn't your fault."

"I'm now hallucinating Theo," she thought after hearing his earnest voice in her brain.

"No, you aren't," Theo said impatiently, his voice full of warmth, love and understanding. "The Station brought me in. It said it was important I heard. Remember school. Remember your training. We didn't train for this, but we trained to keep a cool head. Remember, your head isn't for you to show off your hair, it is to show off your brain."

"Station, have you notified Vers'am?" Theo asked.

"Yes," the Station replied. "Though there isn't anything he can do. There aren't any escape capsules."

A voice from when she was young came into her mind. A voice she hadn't heard in years. "Keep Calm." She could have sworn it was her birth mother, Hilda.

Jennifer had kept calm when mercenaries had attacked. She'd stayed calm when she'd been kidnapped. That did not make this easier. This was bigger, colder, and it had a clock she could not stop by being brave. "Panic doesn't solve anything." The voice of Edith Covington. "You decide your future, not others."

Jennifer pushed her palms against her knees and forced herself upright. Her legs still felt unreliable, and the room had not quite stopped tilting, but a question had found its way through the fear. "What about the ships in the hangars? Can't people get into those?"

The Station responded, "There aren't enough, and if there was an order to evacuate, a lot would die in the panic. If you stop the bomb, there would have been unnecessary deaths from the panic."

"But if we can't fix it, then at least some would get out!" Jennifer said, horrified.

"Vers'am has ordered me to seal the floors," the Station said. "The two medical floors and two floors with the schools have redundant life support. They can be used for shelters."

"Not the Ambassador floor?" Jennifer asked, surprised.

"No. If something happened to life support, the Ambassadors would die. The Council insisted it was like that, as it kept them focused on making sure everything was done to help."

"Reggie," Jennifer said. The name came out thinner than she wanted, so she swallowed and tried again. She was starting to feel less sick, but her mind was not sharp yet. It was only beginning to find edges. "Have you found anything?"

"I'm at connector seven. It is tapped into the main system lines. It is a typical Rohastin mixture of species designs. I was able to get deeper into it than Kelly had. The Station has analysed it. It is designed to sever the connector, and everything it feeds would stop getting data. It can be removed, but when it is, it will send a signal. What that does, I don't know."

Jennifer came back to them all. "Keep at it. Hope, if I come down, do you think an expert on Earth would be able to see things on a video call?"

"It's worth a shot. I'm never opposed to expert advice. Miss T might have kittens though."

"What's up?" Sofia said, breaking through Jennifer's discussion via her Device.

Jennifer sighed, wondering how Sofia would react. "An anti-tamper device was hit."

"A booby trap? I thought that was only in the movies."

Jennifer smiled. "It seems not. We have thirty minutes."

"Until?"

Jennifer had to try hard not to roll her eyes. "Boom!"

"Oh." After a few seconds for it to sink in, Sofia said, "What can I do to help?"

Surprised that Sofia hadn't broken down, Jennifer asked, "Do you have any experience with electronics or explosives?"

"I studied Yvestigan weapons. Well, the ones we knew of. I don't think EarthGov trusted the peace would last."

"I thought you might have lost control when I told you."

Sofia shrugged, then looked more closely at Jennifer. "After everything I've been through, it takes a lot to make me panic now. I might have a fixation with washing up, but your mum taught me that panic never helps. A clear mind and an assessment of the situation do." Her voice softened. "Even if we now have less than thirty minutes, and even if you look like you're holding yourself together with string."

A message came through from Theo. "Georgina ordered me out of the office to help. I'm at connection eleven."

"Sofia will join you. Show her where connection three is," Jennifer responded. The words sounded almost like an order, and that helped. "She will remove that device. I've got to video call Earth with Kelly and Hope."

"Let's go," Sofia said, heading to the door to her apartment.

"We go to the Transport Hub," Jennifer stated, and together they ran, hoping that the corridors stayed clear.

"Can you take Sofia to where Theo is?" Jennifer asked the Station as they took a bend. Why did Sofia have an apartment so far from a Transport Hub?

"Yes, I can. I will also take you direct to Hope and Kelly."

"Thank you." Since moving to the Station, she'd gradually become more adept at holding a conversation via her Device and doing other things at the same time.

A Frotanian was coming the other way and quickly moved to one side when he saw two humans running down the corridor towards him.

"Keep going," urged the Station. "I've stopped all other transport to this floor. Doors won't open until you have passed them."

"Thanks," Jennifer responded, but that was it. She was concentrating on the sprint and keeping up with Sofia. That girl was fit.

When they got to the Transport Hub, Sofia asked breathlessly, "Where to?"

"We are in emergency mode," Jennifer gasped out, trying to get her breath. "Ask to be taken to Theo. The Station will get you there."

"Huh?"

Jennifer shook her head, not wanting to get into it. There wasn't time. She was still breathing hard but was no longer gasping. "Theo will explain. You don't have any bomb disposal friends, do you?"

"No," Sofia replied, and wondered what gadget Jennifer had that could contact Earth. Her parents worked for the company that invented the interdimensional tunnel, so perhaps they gave her some things not available to the public.

"I have a few contacts," Jennifer said, her breath slowing, but not her heart rate. "I hope they can help. Follow Theo's orders."

Jennifer moved onto one of the marked areas and said through her Device, "Please take me to Hope."

Her vision snapped, and she went from the Transport Hub to what appeared to be a room with panels around it. Against one of the panels was a large metal box with the cover off. Kelly sat cross-legged in front of it, with Hope next to her, assisting where she could.

"Jen's here," Hope whispered to Kelly, her body relaxing slightly.

"How's it going?" Jennifer asked, moving closer and unslinging her rucksack. The keypad was back attached to the frame.

"Kelly's trying to work out how it's connected to its power. She found where the communication is, but she says it's a dead man's switch. It is constantly signalling. If it isn't done right, the three devices at the connectors will go off."

Hope gently rubbed Kelly's leg, and Kelly gave a slight nod, not taking her eyes from what was in front of her. Every so often, she would reach in and move something to get a better glimpse and then go back to her fixed gaze.

Hope got up and moved to Jennifer. "The Station has much better memory and is able to see things Kelly can't. They are trying to get a better understanding. Without the Station, we wouldn't have got where we are."

Jennifer glanced at the box and noticed that all the wires were red. There were circuit boards and other things. Non-human things that they could never have a chance to understand.

"I'm going to contact someone on Earth," Jennifer said, powering on the DTD. "I want you linked in with Theo, Reggie and Sofia. They are stationed at each connector. When this is disabled, they need to remove the device within ten seconds. Make sure they are ready for that."

"We're out of our depth here," Hope said, so only Jennifer would hear.

"I know," she agreed. "But nobody else is able to do anything, so we've got to try. If we do nothing, everyone will die anyway."

The Direct Tunnel Device was ready, so she dialled out. On the way she'd debated who to ring. In the end she'd gone with Sam. Sam had been in the US Navy as an engineer. If Sam hadn't handled weapons, there was a chance they'd know someone who had.

"Hey Jennifer," Sam said, answering cheerfully. "What's up?"

Jennifer took a breath of relief. It sounded like Sam wasn't out on Eos. There was no simple way to ask for help, so she just blurted out, "I hope you're alone. Do you know anything about defusing bombs? We have about twenty-five minutes."

"A bomb?" Sam squeaked.

Before Jennifer could react, she heard her ma, "You are dealing with a bomb? Get out of there."

Jennifer cringed. "And go where? This will destroy the whole Station. Yes, I could take my friends in Astraea, but I won't abandon a hundred thousand others. I don't have time for this discussion. Put Sam back on."

"You are on speaker," Ashleigh said, her voice trembling. "What can we do to help? Sam is ringing a friend, but Henry asks to see it. Can you put this on video?"

Jennifer moved back to the exposed box and knelt on the floor. She was about to bring the camera online, but a thought struck her. "Station, can you interface with this phone?"

"Done," the Station said after a few ticks. "An interesting security setup. Kelly should be able to explain if you invite her in."

Hope looked across, her eyebrows raised in surprise. Kelly shared her eyes with the callers and explained what they'd been able to identify. The Station added annotations to the picture with helpful arrows and text.

"We have it on the big screen in the lab," Liam informed them. "Sam is talking to someone."

An unknown voice came on. "Sam asked me to look at something. I've no idea who you are, but I would scram. I've seen this device twice before. It isn't configured for the maker to disarm. Once set, the device is destined to go off. It isn't an explosive you might contain. It is normally triggered when the heat envelope is removed. See just below that mass of wires, and the microboard. You'd move it to get to see what is beyond. That triggered it."

The profanity that escaped Kelly made Jennifer blush.

"There are three other devices," Jennifer said. "They're linked in a dead man's switch configuration. If the device is gone, it will trigger the other three."

"Can I see one?" the stranger asked. His calm, authoritative voice seemed to radiate over the call. Sam had not only found someone who knew what they were looking at, but also someone with the air of an expert.

Theo was added to the call, and without a word, shared the view of one of the devices. Jennifer narrated, "You can see where this will cut the main lines. We've run a sensor test, and see the circuit is not closing due to the signal. There is a reverse signal too. If the bomb detects one of these three devices is removed, it detonates."

"Very good analysis, but the situation is the same. This was installed perfectly and can't be removed. Get out while you can."

What an odd phrase, thought Jennifer. His voice sounded like he was pleased or proud. Kelly and Hope thought the same as they all glanced at each other. An awful thought came to Jennifer, and she knew she must find out.

"Trudy lost," Jennifer said. "She didn't destroy the council. Humans are still part of the Rohastin. Whoever put this together was mad."

"I'm not mad," the stranger fumed. "I will be her avenging angel. She founded us. She loves us. She wants humanity to be free."

There was a subtle click. Sam said, "He's gone. I'm sorry about that. He was the best weapons officer I worked with. It sounds like he's Earth Fist."

Jennifer's stomach fell. They were again without an expert. "Do you have any other experts?"

"No," Sam responded sadly. "I'll see if James knows someone. Otherwise, it will be a call to Earth Defence."

"Time's ticking," Jennifer reminded them. "Henry, you've been looking. Any ideas?"

"No. I've been scribbling circuit diagrams. At the end of the day, it is electronics doing something. If you ignore the explosives, it's my field. But the design seems too elegant. There are traps to stop turning it off. I can't give you a solution in the time remaining."

"But we must do something," Becky said, panic in her voice. Her son and first wife were dead. She didn't want to lose her daughter too.

"Thank you for checking," Jennifer said, trying to hold back her welling tears. "I love you all."

Without waiting for a reply, she ended the call and powered off the DTD. On a group chat with Kelly, Hope, Theo, Reggie and Sofia she said, "Experts have said that this can't be stopped. We were given one clue and an instruction. Once we stop the control device, you have ten seconds to remove your device. Are you ready?"

"Ready," Theo said, his voice confident and clear.

"Ready," Sofia croaked.

Reggie was the last. "Ready. Theo checked, and we are all at the stage to cut one wire and pull."

Closing her eyes, Jennifer made a silent prayer. Then she said, in a calmer voice than she felt, "Okay, Kelly. Enter what we think is the code. The code beyond the one given."

Kelly nodded and started, her hands shaking as she put in the digits, one after another. After four, she swore. "I pressed the wrong button and put in the wrong number. My hands are shaking too much. The light hasn't gone red."

"Finish off. It will confirm the number of digits," Hope said.

Kelly nodded and finished it off. A red light appeared.

"Okay, we have confirmation that we have the correct length," Jennifer sighed in relief. "There is no rush putting in the numbers. Take your time. Take each digit one by one. Call it out and get confirmation."

"Hope, you type it," Kelly said. "My hands are too shaky."

They swapped places and Jennifer saw the countdown timer was down to fifteen minutes.

Hope braced her right hand on the side of the box to keep it steady. "Five," she called out.

"Agreed," Kelly and Jennifer said in unison.

Using her thumb, Hope pressed the number. She then called out the next digit. "Zero."

It went on, slow and steady. Each number being confirmed before Hope pressed the digit using her thumb, the rest of her hand braced on the edge to keep as steady as she could.

"Wait," Hope called after entering the sixth digit.

Jennifer's heart, which was already racing, seemed to find room for extra speed. "What's wrong?"

"Sweaty hands." She was wiping it on her trousers.

Jennifer gave a ragged breath of relief. "Good work. Take a breath."

When ready, she placed her hand back in the position and they continued to enter the remaining digits. The light went red.

"Red light," Kelly called, to make sure the other three didn't start removing the devices from the three connectors.

"Confirmed red," Theo called, and the other two mimicked.

"I entered the number correctly," Hope said with utter conviction.

"I saw her do it," Kelly said, sounding bewildered more than scared. "Each digit as we remember. What did we do wrong?"