The Darwin Elevator (19 page)

“Yes.” She dropped her voice. “And someone to operate it.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“It’s a complex task,” Tania said. “These scavengers you hire would not be capable of it.”

“Who, then?”

Tania bit down on her lower lip. “We recruit a data tech, someone from Green Level—”

“No way,” Neil said, “not going to happen.”

“Well, it’s me then. Or Natalie.”

“I thought we’d talked about her already. Keep her out of it.”

“Yes,” Tania said, “about that. She caught me red-handed. I had to tell her.”

“Oh, Tania …”

She sighed. “She was an enormous help. We can trust her. And, for what it’s worth, it feels good to have a friend I can confide in up here.”

Tania could hear Neil’s breathing on the other end of the line. Short and sharp. She waited, letting it return to normal.

“I don’t want to send you down there, Tania,” Neil said. “It’s far too risky.”

“I can’t ask her to go. I think it has to be me. And besides, these days it’s risky just leaving my room.”

Neil didn’t respond. She waited, and waited more.

“Neil?”

“I’m thinking.”

Tania said, “You don’t have to decide now.”

“No, no. I can’t think of any other way to do this, and there’s no time to waste,” he said. “Get on the next transport down. I’ll start making the arrangements.”

She balled her fists to stop them from shaking. A trip to Earth. A trip beyond Aura’s Edge.
I must be crazy,
Tania thought. Yet no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, the allure of a genuine discovery called. “On my way,” she said.

“And Tania,” Neil added, “if anyone asks, you’re just coming to a meeting on Platz Station. I’ve briefed Zane; he’ll confirm that. You’ll need to stop here anyway.”

“Why?”

“You’re going to need a disguise.”

Chapter Fourteen

Darwin, Australia

26.JAN.2283

“Nice and easy, Angus.” Skyler peered out the dirty cockpit window and watched the twenty-meter-tall barricade of Nightcliff’s northern edge passed beneath them. A few guards patrolled the top of the structure, between missile batteries placed at regular intervals.

Angus placed a hand over his headset microphone. “Between you and the control tower, I get the idea.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Skyler said. “I’m a bit nervous about this mission.”

Angus barked a laugh. “You don’t say.”

“Cleared for staging pad four heading zero niner zero,” a voice said over the cockpit radio.

“Copy, tower,” Angus said, “landing pad four at zero niner zero.”

He slowed the craft even more and turned slightly toward a grid of landing pads just beyond the wall. Vertical thrusters howled under the strain.

“Angus,” Skyler said.

“I’m a bit busy.”

“Head for landing pad four.”

Angus shook his head and chuckled. “Such a wanker.”

“This insubordination is intolerable.”

“Discipline is in order, I think,” said Samantha, listening from the main cabin’s intercom.

“Agreed,” said Skyler. “Angus, I’m adding five demerits to your record.”

“Bullshit,” Angus said. “You keep records?”

“Of course. Highly detailed.”

Angus began to descend toward the landing pad. “How many demerits am I up to?”

“Let’s see,” Skyler said. “Five.”

“What about me?” asked Samantha.

Skyler checked over each shoulder to make sure nothing was in Angus’s blind spots. “Two thousand, four hundred twenty.”

The craft gently settled onto the asphalt pad. Hydraulic landing skids creaked as they took on the weight.

“Tower, this is the
Melville
. We’re secure on pad four,” said Angus.

“Copy,
Melville
,” came the voice. “Off engines and prepare for crane attach.”

Angus repeated the order and cut power to all four of the ducted-fan engines.

Behind their ship, an old construction crane mounted on huge treads began to approach them. Skyler could just see the mechanical beast over his shoulder.

He removed his helmet as the engines wound down. “Sam?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Be serious now. Prep the hook, and tell Jake to be ready at the rear door.”

“Expecting a search
before
the mission?”

“No. We’re taking on a passenger.”

Angus glanced back, surprised. “What?”

“The hell you say?” Sam asked.

“Not the time, guys,” Skyler said. Platz, by way of Prumble, had been very clear that the mission details should be kept secret as long as possible. “Sam, the hook, please?”

“This is a really stupid fucking move, Skyler,” she said. “No taxi jobs, that’s always been the rule. The risk—”

“Is worth the reward,” Skyler barked. “This is not up for discussion.”

He took her lack of response as tacit acknowledgment and turned his focus to the water hauler on the adjacent landing pad. Through a misting rain Skyler saw a work crew wearing blue overalls approaching the massive craft. One of them, in the center of the group, moved differently than the rest.
No swagger,
Skyler realized.
That must be her
.

“Jake,” Skyler said into his headset.

There was some rustling on the other end. “Go ahead.”

“Be ready on the hatch. Open it on my mark.”

“Understood,” Jake said.

The crew approached pad three, where the massive water hauler rested. The ungainly blue aircraft somewhat resembled a fish skeleton—a huge empty cavity behind the cockpit, surrounded by beams with special couplings that allowed it to pick up and carry a water container the size of a city bus. Two of the workers wrangled a thick hose toward a receptacle on the edge of the pad. They both got on hands and knees to inspect the connection, poring over every last inch of it.

Skyler had seen better acting in school plays.

A third member of the crew pretended to supervise the work, his attention focused not on the crew but the nearby buildings. The fourth Skyler kept a close watch on.

“Here’s the crane,” Angus said.

Skyler spun in his seat, looking to the other side of his ship. A large construction crane pushed through the mist, red warning lights flashing. It loomed over them, obstructing whatever view the control tower had of their ship.

“Hook is prepped,” Samantha said in his ear.

Skyler said, “Good. Help Jake please.”

“With what?”

“Get our guest on board,” Skyler said, “and the hatch closed, quick as you can.” He tried to keep his voice even. Inside his heart hammered.

He could hear Samantha’s exhale through the headset. “And if we get inspected again, glorious leader?”

He hadn’t considered that. “We’ll say … we found an immune. Get ready.”

“We’re ready,” said Jake. All business, as usual.

Skyler turned back to the crew working on pad three. The woman moved to the back of the crew’s small maintenance cart and removed an oversized briefcase. She turned then and walked swiftly to the
Melville
.
Too quickly,
Skyler thought,
but it would have to do
.

“Mark,” Skyler said.

He could feel the reverberation as Jake and Samantha opened the hatch. Over the intercom, he heard muffled voices.

Another vibration rolled through the ship as the cargo door closed and sealed.

Their guest had arrived.

It took almost ten minutes for the crane to lift the
Melville
off the ground and carry it to the climber loading facility at the center of Nightcliff.

“Angus, can you finish this?” Skyler asked.

“No problem.”

Skyler unlatched his harness and climbed from his seat. Crouching, he moved to the back of the cramped cockpit and headed into the cargo area.

Jake and Samantha stood in awkward silence next to the most beautiful woman Skyler had ever seen.

She had jet-black hair, tied back, and smooth dark skin. Indian, or Sri Lankan, he guessed. Her eyes were laced with amber and gleamed with intelligence.

Jake held his flight helmet in his hands, passing it rapidly from one to the other. Samantha had her hands clasped behind her back, her feet crossed. They both stared at the woman openly.

She clutched a silver briefcase like a firstborn child and brightened to see another person enter the cargo bay.

“Are you the captain?” Her voice had a depth to it, not like a man’s, but deep enough to imply maturity.

He tipped his cap to her. “I often wonder that myself.”

She extended a hand. “Tania Sharma. Research director, Anchor Station.”

“Where’s that?” Samantha asked.

“About forty klicks above our heads,” Jake said.

“Forty
thousand
klicks, actually,” Tania said.

Jake just nodded, transfixed.

“Skyler Luiken, at your service. Welcome to the
Melville
.” He took Tania’s hand and shook it. “This is my sniper, Jake, and my ops specialist, Samantha.”

Sam stood a head taller than the woman. Despite herself, she smiled slightly. It took her only a fraction of a second to hide it again.

“You’re an Orbital,” Jake said.

Tania turned to him. “Yes,” she said with patience. “Anchor Station is in orbit.”

The three of them stared at her. She looked from one to the other, becoming more self-conscious by the second.

“Is something wrong?” Tania asked.

Skyler snapped out of his trance. “It’s not often we have a guest, is all.”

The lovely woman frowned, but nodded all the same.

“What’s in the case?” asked Sam.

Before she could reply, Angus spoke over the intercom. “Everyone prep for lift configuration. One minute.”

At the prompt, Samantha and Jake took seats on the starboard side of the cargo bay. Skyler took a seat as well and began to strap himself in, but then realized their guest was still standing in the middle of the compartment. He stood and guided her to the seat he’d been preparing to use, and then folded out another seat facing hers.

Tania stared at the harness, confused.

“Watch me,” Skyler said. He used slow motions to attach the first two belts across his waist.

“Twenty seconds,” Angus said on the speaker.

Tania started to rush things. The buckles clanged together.

“Relax, plenty of time,” Skyler said.

She paused long enough for a deep breath, then latched the first belts together.

“Shoulders,” Skyler said, reaching over each shoulder and pulling two additional belts across his chest. He connected them at a special latch above the waist belts.

The woman mimicked his movements. As the belts crossed her, Skyler tried not to stare.

“Five seconds,” Angus said.

“Last but not least,” Skyler said, and reached above himself to pull a thick metal bar down.

Tania stretched for the bar above her own seat. Her fingertips were short by a few centimeters. She extended further and the metal briefcase in her lap started to slide away.

The
Melville
began to tilt. Outside, the tow crane had started to lift the nose of the ship. Soon the craft would be pointing nose-up.

“Shit,” Skyler said. He pushed his own restraint bar up and unbuckled himself as quickly as possible.

By reflex, he shot a hand out to stop himself from falling. He grabbed Tania’s seat just above her shoulder. They were just a few centimeters apart now. She closed her eyes. “What is going on?” she whispered.

Skyler spoke in a low voice as he strained against gravity. “We’re being attached to a climber,” he said, finally snatching the restraint bar above her seat. He pulled it down and locked it in place.

Tania opened her eyes enough to see the bar and grab hold of it.

“We have to attach vertically or we won’t clear the top of the guard tower,” Skyler continued. He grunted as he pushed himself back into his own seat. Getting back into his own harness required all his strength, as the ship was at a ninety-degree angle now. In his seat, he looked straight down at her, and she stared straight up at him.

A sickening moment followed, when the crane stopped and the entire ship swayed freely.

Skyler kept a close eye on Tania. “Are you going to be okay?”

She closed her eyes and nodded rapidly. Her knuckles were white on the restraint bar. “Why a cargo climber?” she managed.

“It gets us to a hundred kilometers. The Van Allen Belt. Edge of space.”

She let out a nervous laugh. “I’m an astronomer.”

“Oh. Of course.” Skyler grinned. “Well, it’s the only way we can make a round trip to distant targets. Drop from one hundred klicks, glide above the atmosphere most of the way, save the caps for the way back.”

She looked confused. “Why not go higher? Drop from Gateway—”

From across the cabin, Samantha cut in. She played up a thick Australian accent. “Mudders like us aren’t allowed up there.”

Tania looked at her, then back at Skyler. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking …”

Skyler shook his head slightly, hoping she would let it go.

A loud clang from outside rumbled through the cramped cabin, followed by a low ratcheting sound, as the ship was finally attached to the climber. Angus’s cheerful voice came over the intercom. “Cleared the tower. Get cozy everyone; ten hours until drop.”

Skyler winced, realizing he sat facing backward. Which now meant downward. The belts of the harness, and the metal restraint, were all that kept him from falling. He already felt the uncomfortable bite of the nylon belts through his jacket.

Ten hours,
he thought, and nowhere to look but right at her. He closed his eyes to keep from staring.

The captain’s arms extended almost to Tania’s neck, his hands outstretched as if reaching to strangle her.

He drifted off during the long tow to the edge of space. The others had, too.

There had been some small talk, at the beginning. The crew seemed anxious to talk about anything but the task at hand. This frustrated Tania no end, but she recognized it as a calming technique. They were risking their lives for her mission, after all.

Well, that and money,
she thought. The risk remained.