In the ship that circled the asteroid, there was silence. Alpha sat in the seat by Miss Kanton, a hand gripping his knee, feeling it, waiting for it to disappear beneath his fingers—watching his fingers, lest they disappear if he looked away.
Miss Kanton was frozen in her seat, gripping the guide-triangle until her knuckles were white spots on her hand. She looked straight ahead, afraid to look at Alpha.
They circled the asteroid; again and again they rounded it.
"They must have stalled the blast," Alpha said hoarsely. "They can't stop it. They must have put it off someway."
His words echoed within the ship above the buzzing of the rockets. Miss Kanton said nothing. Her lips moved slightly, but no sound came.
She turned to speak to Alpha, conquering her emotion, bright tears in her eyes.
The seat beside her was empty, except for a crumpled space suit that slithered to the steel deck before her dilating eyes.
Miss Kanton's hand went to her face. She screamed. It was one, brief cry of utter horror.