Read For Want of a Nail for Free Online Page B

for the sound of her own breath, the room
was silent. The circulation system was not humming.
    "They've turned the air off," Rue whispered, so
Cordelia would know.
    She stumbled to the end of the room and grabbed
the closest EVA suit [which gets clearly and specifically described
here]. Arms made weak by oxygen deprivation, it took her three
tries to lift the bulky white garment off the hook. She slid into
the thing and started the oxygen flow before she even had the suit
fully sealed. Rue opened her mouth, gulping the air and relishing
the slight metallic tang of bottled oxygen.
    It hit her in a rush, energy coursing through
veins. Rue sealed the suit and sat, slumped against the wall
focusing on breathing with deep inhales, stretching her
ribcage.
    Cordelia said, "They can still outwait you."
    Rue looked at the VR projection of the oxygen
gage. Two hours. "But maybe they'll think I'm unconscious and open
the door." She pushed herself to her feet, struggling with the
thick folds of cloth. The suit she'd grabbed was too large for her
-- probably Monroe's -- and it was engulfed her like a child
playing at dressup.
    "Or they're watching on the ship's camera."
Cordelia pointed to the corner of the room.
    "That, at least, is easy to deal with... Hang
on." She stood under the camera, out of its line of sight and
looked up at its cable. "God bless your inventor for standardizing
AI equipment."
    "You'll have to take the helmet off, since the
glasses are inside with you."
    "Then you'll have to work fast." Rue yanked the
cord from the camera.
    She inhaled until her diaphragm ached and pulled
her helmet off, holding her breath. She set the helmet at her feet,
trying not to rush and make mistakes. Slipping the VR glasses off,
she inserted the cable into the socket . The glasses dangled from
the cable, like a bizarre piece of bling. Rue bent to pick up the
helmet, lungs burning with the desire for oxygen.
    Behind her, the door opened.
    Holding the helmet to her chest, Rue turned.
    Monroe pushed his way into the room, gun leveled
at her. "Don't even think about throwing that."
    "It'd only work once."
    "You didn't even come close to hitting me," he
sneered.
    "Made you flinch." Running was not an option
this time anyway, since Monroe filled the door. She had to stall
him to give Cordelia time to work -- if there were any
chance of her being able to hack through the camera that is. "So,
isn't this the point in films where the villain is supposed to make
a giant statement of his evil plan?"
    "Dude. I already know what your evil plan
is."
    Rue gaped at him. " My evil plan? You're
the one who's mutinying."
    Without warning, the lights went out. Monroe
cursed and fired his gun. The muzzle flash lit the room like
lighting, burning an after image in Rue's eyes. The harsh sulfur of
gunpowder burned her nose. She threw herself in the direction of
the nearest bunk, hoping that the metal locker would offer her some
protection. Was the man insane? Projectile weapons in space equaled bad plan.
    A computerized voice came over the loud speaker.
"Self-destruct sequence engaged."
    "What the?" Monroe shouted. "We don't have a self-destru--."
    In the distance, an explosion boomed.
    No matter what Monroe thought, Rue was taking no
chances. She pulled the helmet back on. As soon as it sealed,
Cordelia appeared on the VR screen of the visor. She grinned.
"Ready to go?"
    Rue subvocalized, "Crazy man trying to kill me.
Plus, totally dark. Going is not such an option."
    Even through the helmet, she could hear Monroe
crashing around in the dark. He collided with one of the lockers
with a meaty thud. The locker rattled from the impact.
    The computer voice said, "Self-destruct in
twenty seconds," at the same time as Cordelia mouthed the words.
She winked at Rue.
    Then the visor lit up in an infrared display.
Monroe's vivid red and yellow form patted the walls, searching
blindly for the EVA suits. A second, muted blue person lay curled
on one of the bunks. The image