“I think we need to be ready to fight.”

“We’re unarmed,” Debra said. “And we don’t know what we’re up against. How can you hope to stand up to something you’ve never even seen?”

Dex chuckled. “Lady, this is what we do. We’ve been killing threats we couldn’t see for a hundred years.”

“Those were human,” Debra pointed out. “These, you don’t have any idea! They might be physically tougher. I shouldn’t have to be the one to explain it to you.” She gestured to Warren. “The Agency must have studied the possibilities of extraterrestrial life. Surely, you understand the dangers of what you’re proposing.”

Warren nodded. “I certainly do and I can tell you with complete certainty that if we don’t fight, if we don’t at least try, we may lose the opportunity to do so. Whatever we encounter when one of these walls opens must be considered an enemy and we have to do anything we can to escape.”

Gary raised his hand. “I’ve got a concern.” Dex glared at him. “It’s a serious one, LT. What if we succeed at fighting these things off? How do we get back home? Believe me, I’m all about kicking the shit out of some alien bastard that dragged me off of Earth but when we’re done, we gotta leave. Right?”

“Yes, that’s a problem,” Warren said. “I’m not sure how we’ll deal with that so we’re going to be playing some of this by ear. What is it you boys talk about all the time? Improvising? Overcome? All that stuff?”

“We’re in it,” Dex said. “And we’ll fight to the end. First order of business will be getting our hands on some weapons. Bare hands might get us out of this mess but if we want to keep going, we’ll need something harder. Even a pipe would do well.”

“Okay.” Warren hummed, looking around the room again. “I think we’ll know when this thing stops. Do you feel the vibration on the floor? Once that ends, we’ll get ready. They could come from any side, even the top. Be prepared for that. Debra, stay out of our way. The rest of you, fight like your lives depend on it. Believe me … it does.”

“I attended combat training,” Debra said. “I can help.”

Warren nodded. “I apologize for the assumption.