Synthetic masks and official denial cover up orbital violence
Corriston escapes a space station psychiatric ward after watching an out-of-control freighter explode over Earth. Knocking out a security guard whose face slackens into an unformed putty-like state, he hides in the station's selector compartment. When he rescues an unconscious Helen Ramsey from an unseen attacker, he peels a shriveled plastic old-woman mask from her features. Commander Clement denies the entire incident, claiming the room was locked and branding Corriston's account a space-shock hallucination.
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