His voice had a light tone. No hint of concern, and Skyler felt grateful for it. Tania sighed with relief.
A long minute passed.
“I think we’re clear,” Zane added.
A chorus of cheers went up from the people in the room. Some hugged one another, an awkward gesture in zero-g.
Skyler watched Tania. Her face remained contorted with worry. “Let’s focus, everyone,” she said. “There’s no time to waste. If we don’t get supplies …”
The room grew quiet again.
“I want to hear ideas,” she said.
Someone from the back asked, “Could they send another climber?”
Zane answered. “We could. Neil managed to hide the parts for six climbers aboard this station. A team has already started assembling the remaining five, but that takes time. Then we’d still have to load the supplies. I don’t know if it would reach you, uh, in time.”
The sobering words quieted the group.
Skyler racked his brain for something, anything, that might help. An idea formed, and he spoke up. “What about the farms?”
Tania turned to him. “What do you mean?”
“Can we descend? Dock somehow with one and—”
“Of course,” Tania whispered. Others were nodding. “Of course, yes.”
“But can we connect with one?” Skyler asked. “Link the air and water with our systems?”
“The docking rings are all standard,” Tim said. He smiled. “Platz specifications.”
“How long would it take to descend to the nearest farm?”
“A few hours,” Tania said, “I’m guessing.”
Not good enough, Skyler thought. He could tell from the gathered faces that everyone else had the same dark thought.
Tim rubbed at his chin. “We could raise the nearest Ag platform up,” he said, “to meet us halfway.”
“Perfect,” Skyler said. “Do it.”
Tania turned to him, a quizzical look in her eye.
“If,” Skyler said, “you agree, Ms. Sharma. Tania. Dr. Sharma.”
Zane’s voice came over the speaker. “Who is that talking?”
“Skyler Luiken, sir.”
“I’ll explain later,” Tania added.
“Decisive action is needed here,” Zane said over the speaker. “I look forward to meeting you, Skyler.”
“Likewise.”
Tania winked at him. “Tim,” she said, “take us lower.”
Zane’s voice came through the speaker again. “I’ll send another climber up when we can, Tania. I think you should return on it; we have a lot to discuss.”
“Agreed. See you soon, then, Zane.”
“There’s one last thing.”
Skyler heard a tension in Zane’s voice.
Tania said, “We’re still here.”
“Russell Blackfield is alive.” Zane paused. When no one said anything, he continued. “We picked up a transmission from Gateway. A bleak situation back in Darwin, from the sound of it.”
“I see,” Tania said, a quiver in her voice. The room had fallen silent.
“You did what you had to,” Skyler said, loud enough for just her.
“Don’t … don’t say that.” She closed her eyes. “We’ll discuss it when I arrive, Zane. In the meantime, perhaps you could try to arrange a comm chat with the council?”
“I’m not sure there is a council anymore,” he said. “But we’ll work on it.”
The speaker went silent. Gradually the scientists began to exit the small control room, chatting among themselves.
“Skyler,” Tania said. Her voice had a sudden tone of authority that caught his attention.
“Yes?”
“I want you to explore the ground below, where the Elevator made landfall.”
The remaining people in the room stopped to listen.
“You’re an expert at finding things. Resourcefulness is your job.”
“Was my job,” he said. “But, you’re right. It makes sense.”
“When we reach New Gateway, you can take the climber down.”
He nodded. As Tania started to turn back to the monitor, he said, “Hold on …”
“Hmm?”
“What if this Elevator doesn’t protect against SUBS?”
She frowned at that. “Why wouldn’t it?”
Skyler shrugged. “I don’t think we should take anything for granted, after those … pods … went down.”
“Then it makes even more sense for you to go, since you’re immune.”
The statement drew some quizzical looks from those still in the room. Skyler ignored it. “Actually, no. Sending me won’t answer the question. I think someone else needs to come.”
“Someone to test the air.”
He gave a single, slow nod, letting the words sink in.
“Canary in a coal mine,” Tim muttered.
Tania’s mouth became a hard, thin line. “I can’t order anyone to do that.”
“Put out the word then,” Skyler said. “We need a volunteer.”
Chapter Forty-nine
Darwin, Australia
24.FEB.2283
His office in Nightcliff no longer felt comfortable. Russell paced it, grinding his teeth, waiting for the connection to be made. He’d been seconds away from boarding a climber for orbit when the request came.
His temper raged like a stormy sea. The damned woman had bested him. He could admit that. The idea that he would now have to beg was what churned his stomach.
Unless she simply wanted to gloat.
“I’ve almost got it,” said Kip, sitting at Russell’s terminal. “Yes. Connection established.”
“About time. Will I be able to see her?”
“Audio only,” Kip said, moving away from the desk.
“Figures,” Russell said. He wouldn’t be able to read her body language. The woman sure had a head on her shoulders. Russell vowed not to underestimate her anymore.
Taking a seat at his desk, he leaned in to the microphone. “This is Blackfield.”
“Hello, Russell.” Her voice sounded clear. Smooth, even. “Tania Sharma.”
He’d played this conversation in his mind since the scope of her betrayal had become clear. At the moment he couldn’t recall a word of it, and somehow that soothed him. He preferred to think on his feet.
“You sound good,” he offered. “Well fed.”
“If we could please discuss—”
“I’m fine,” he said. “Thanks for asking. I do appreciate the farm you sent while I vacationed in Africa, but I’m afraid it didn’t survive reentry.”
Silence from her end. She wouldn’t be goaded, it seemed. Russell wondered who sat with her now, coaching her. More than that, he wondered where the hell she was.
“Your other bomb missed, by the way.”
“What do you mean?” To her credit, she sounded confused.
Russell turned in his chair, his gaze settling on the plume of smoke rising from Darwin’s old downtown. “They say the explosion rattled the entire city. Nightcliff was unharmed. I assume that was your target. Lucky for you it landed outside the Aura, or you’d have a lot more innocent blood on your hands.”
Total silence. The damned woman had nothing to say.
“Well,” Russell said. “You called me. What’s on your mind, little lady?”
“I thought we might come to an arrangement.”
“An arrangement?” He snorted back a laugh. “That’s what’s on your mind? I thought it might be all the people you’re starving to death.”
Another pause. The silence went on so long, Russell thought perhaps the connection had been lost.
Across the room, Kip shifted uncomfortably on his feet. Russell had forgotten he was still in the room, and he jerked his head toward the door. The man left in a hurry.
Tania spoke. “We have a proposal—”
“How about this. Send the farms back, all of them, and I won’t hunt you down and strangle you.”
“Please, Russell. There’s no time for this.” Her voice, dammit, still sounded calm.
With a concerted effort he swallowed his rage. He realized that she had said “arrangement.” Knowing what she needed would tell a lot of her situation. “Fine, then, what do you want?”
“I’ll be blunt, Mr. Blackfield.”
“Good.”
“We have food. You have people.”
People. Not air, not water. Not even supplies. People.
They must have another elevator, then. At least that hadn’t been a lie.
“I’m listening,” he said.
“We propose a simple trade.”
She kept using the word we. Russell found that interesting. “Go ahead.” Letting her blather on, to his surprise, was proving useful.
“It’s quite simple, really. We will send containers of food to Gateway, where they will be unloaded. You will then return them with people aboard.”
“How much food?” he asked. “How many people?”
A pause followed. He imagined her sitting in a tin can somewhere, arguing with her fellow scientists; this was the first time any of them had tasted power. He wondered how soon it would corrupt. Perhaps it already had.
“A container holds roughly three tons of food. In exchange for each, we want forty people.”
A litany of thoughts shouted for his attention. He felt a headache coming on, and wondered where the nearest bottle was. “You’d better be sending a lot of them. I’ve got a city to feed, not to mention the bloody Orbitals.”
“If you supply empty containers, that won’t be a problem,” she said. “Do we have a deal?”
“Which people? Will random idiots from the outer slums do?”
“We’ve prepared a list.”
Of course you have. “Should I send them in shackles?” The words tumbled out, and silence followed. If he’d crossed a line so be it—the words felt good.
“I’m very aware of the distasteful nature of this, Mr. Blackfield. The list is short. Beyond those, we want volunteers in good health.”
He snorted. “And the males, well-endowed perhaps? You could start a harem for your little play kingdom. Or do you prefer women? I’m a little unclear on that point. I’d ask your assistant, but the last I saw her she was being annihilated—blown to smithereens—by, well, you.”
Tania went quiet again. It occurred to him that she hadn’t even asked about Natalie. Or anyone else, for that matter.
Russell already knew he would agree to her demands. He did need the food, after all, and the arrogant woman was offering him the perfect opportunity to send spies into her midst. Surely she must know that, but what choice did she have?
As she’d said, she needed people.
Russell would have no problem mustering an endless parade of brigands and idiots to send. He had a monopoly on that.
“Fine,” he said. “Let’s talk details.”
Chapter Fifty
Belém, Brazil
26.FEB.2283
Fifty meters above the Earth, the climber car slowed to a crawl, exactly as programmed. At twenty meters it would halt altogether and Skyler would finally be able to open the hatch. This simple climber car had no external camera, and just one small porthole window through which he could see only cloud-filled sky and endless rain forest.
He checked his equipment again, though he knew everything was ready. He’d gone over it a half-dozen times during the long trip down from New Gateway. Nervous energy coursed through him, relentless and distracting. The only thing that seemed to quell it was the tightening of straps, the adjustment of buckles. Busywork.
Skyler glanced at his volunteer companion, Karl Stromm. He wanted to inspect the man’s environment suit once more. Karl had waved him off the last time, and he looked almost annoyed now. He had every right.
“Almost time,” Skyler said.
Karl just nodded. Soon he would risk his life, or sanity, by opening that suit—an act of bravery he’d been quick to accept.
“He’s one of the men Neil trained in secret. A former firefighter, I think. He organized the mutiny on Anchor,” Tania had explained. With a grin she had added, “You’ll get along fine.”
The climber car lurched and came to a stop. A moment of unsettling silence passed before the small light by the hatch turned from red to green.
The bare-bones vehicle had no windows or monitors like the ones that regularly made the trip along the Darwin cord. Skyler could only hope the altitude sensors had done their job.
Skyler moved to the handle and grasped it. “Ready?”
“Let’s get it over with,” Karl said, voice tinny through the speaker on his helmet.
The man carried himself with a natural calm. The disposition reminded him of Jake, and Skyler found reassurance there.
With a grunt he pulled the locking arm aside, grasped the inner handle, and turned it in a half circle. Air hissed as the pressure equalized. A line of sunlight appeared and grew, soon filling the cramped cabin.
Heavy, warm air brought with it the rich smells of wild vegetation. Skyler inhaled it deeply. In the last few weeks, between Darwin and then space, he’d forgotten the simple pleasure of breathing fresh air.
As the hatch swung away, Skyler found himself facing south. A wide and fast river rushed by, east to west. Freshwater, then, and close. Not a bad start, he thought.
On the far bank, a thick green marshland stretched out for miles. Farther west, lush hills gave way to mountains. To the east he saw a blanket of lush forest canopy, marred only by a smoke plume a few kilometers away. Too big to be a campfire. Fallen debris from the destroyed climber, he guessed. Skyler inched up to the opening and poked his head out to look below.