Alice rolled to her side, gasped, pushed herself upright. There was nothing, just absolute dark. Her armor was deformed—hard and lumpen—making moving difficult. With desperate care she ran her hands over her body and peeled the main panels of her uniform away. Buckled and warped, they fell to the floor with a clatter. They’d saved her life: only her midriff was raw, where the panels were thinner. She checked her equipment. There was nothing left except her pistol and gel-pack light. She pulled the pack out, cracked its spine, and shook it until a pale glow grew bright enough for her to see.