Nah, we got through. I slowed way the hell down before we went in, so we slid into the ring like a knife through butter - though I think I passed out during the deceleration anyway. We were strapped in and on juice, so we all made it out okay.

But the missile? Stopped dead in the goddamn water, floatin' maybe a half second's flight away from us.

Inside the Ring...

Gunny, I don't think I could describe it. It wasn't Space. It was somewhere else. The whole thing like this weird blue bubble, only you could fit a small solar system in it. In the center was this - weird orb. Like a mini moon, only it was definitely constructed by the protomolecule. It was pretty damn far from being natural.

Once we went through, others started comin' too, only we still had our comms shut down. So I saw when your ship came through, Gunny, but there wasn't a way to reach you - any of you - and 'cause of the speed limit, ya'll couldn't catch up to us. The Belt came through, one of the big UN ships - it was a party, in slow motion.

We sent the reporters to go talk to Mars on our behalf by pushin' 'em out the airlock in the direction of the Xuesen, but - next thing I know, Holden's takin' off for the sphere an' not lettin' me or Amos go with 'im. He uh - he sort of had contact, with the thing, which is how he knew to go in real slow.

Kept appearin' to him like Miller. Like a goddamn ghost.