"The screen at sector twelve has collapsed. How many people are still in there?"
"Collapsed! Sector twelve?" Howard, still groggy with sleep, dumbly repeated what Strong had said.
Strong drew back his hand and slapped him across the face. "Come out of it, Joe!" he barked.
Howard reeled back and then sat up, fully awake.
"What—what did you say?" he stammered.
"Sector twelve has gone," Strong repeated. "How many people are left there?"
"We haven't even begun operations there yet," Howard replied grimly. "How long have I been asleep?"
"A couple of hours."
"Then there's still time."
"What do you mean?"