breath she drew. Above her, the heavy pneumatics inside the bulkhead shuddered to life. A deep, seismic thrum reverberated through the steel deck plating, shaking loose rust

...onto the vibrating steel mesh of the deck, hyperventilating as shock flooded her nervous system. She clutched her ruined hand to her chest, the raw, bleeding tissue screaming with every ragged

...in agony, but the rusted mechanism finally gave way with a deafening metallic screech. The T-handle snapped back, shearing through the fused layer of her suit and skin. She tumbled backward onto

...she didn't let go. Leaning her entire weight backward, she wedged her boots against the blistering bulkhead and pulled.

Raw tendon and scorched muscle shrieked

Her blistered palm slammed around the T-handle of the manual bypass. The melted synth-leather fused her skin directly to the scorching steel, a sickening union of flesh and frame, but