Page 15 of Galactic Sentinels: Vol 2
A few minutes later, we’re in the airlock, sealing it behind us. Once we’re sure the pressure’s stable, we move on to open the second door and continue forward.
“Everyone ready?” Vlad asks, already gearing up.
“Let’s go.”
We snap on our masks and unlock the next door—Sector 15.
The corridor beyond is clean, untouched. Five doors line the walls—15A to 15E.
No visible damage. A few people inside, shaken but uninjured.
“Gorgeous, you can bring Sector 15 back online,” Vlad says over comms. “Everything’s intact. No casualties.”
“Copy that,” she replies, efficient as ever.
We repeat the same routine for Sectors 14 through 7. The airlocks did their job. The explosion didn’t breach containment.
Only one serious injury—a guy who split his head open on a corner and is semi-conscious.
“Still with us, Gorgeous?” Vlad checks in.
“Get to the point,” Melissa replies sharply.
“Now, now, what happened to foreplay?”
“Vlad!!”
“Okay, okay—chill. We’ve got a man here with a head wound and not much of a head left, frankly.”
“Is he conscious?”
“Barely. No response to stimulus. Can you send someone to get him to the med bay?”
“Already on it.”
“A woman after my own heart,” Vlad purrs.
No reply. She’s clearly over the flirt-fest.
“You might wanna try dialing back the charm,” I say as we head toward Sector 6.
“Why would I? She’s obviously falling for me.”
“And I keep wondering why I even try to get subtlety through that thick skull of yours.”
“Oh, are you offering to give me flirting lessons? Please. Who’s got the highest hit count in our crew? I mean, even elderly ladies find me irresistible.”
I shake my head, laughing as Vlad unlocks the next airlock.
Oscar leans toward me. “Is he always like this?”
“Oh, trust me—this is only half of what he’s capable of,” I grin, giving Vlad a wink.
Once the seal closes behind us, we pause.
“Under no circumstances do we remove our masks,” I say, serious now. “Quick sweep for survivors, but odds are low. Like the AI said—air’s running out. We’ve got people to save in farther sectors.”
“They’ve still got some oxygen,” Oscar adds. “But yeah, clock’s ticking.”
