the start of the lock-picking operation to the moment when Morgan turned away from the screens to take a break, hardly half an hour had passed. Yet she was trembling from the tension. She cracked the hatch on the cocoon and stepped out for an orange juice.
With the juice in her hand, halfway to her mouth, she broke into an uncontrolled, almost hysterical laugh. Her heart had just about stopped when all the feeds from the Argo had shut down moments earlier.
A twist of the doorknob made her turn: the General walked in, looking sympathetic. "You all right there?" he asked in a worried tone.
"You didn't warn me about the blackout," she snapped in accusation.
The General stopped, then nodded. "You mean when Shiva's outer air lock door closed."
"Right." Jessica brought her hands up to cover her eyes. "When the door closed, and shut off all our comm, I was suddenly blind. I thought for sure the Angels were trapped in there, without help, and Morgan and I would both just twiddle our thumbs till the missiles hit us."
"I am very sorry. I think, though, you'll find the comm system reliable from here forward."
"Right." She took a drink of