Farthest Reef (33 page)

“Computer, can you quit this military readiness stuff?” Alex grumbled. “Just give me the magnification, please.”

With his vision now free of the lines and data scrolling at the edges of his vision, he could relax his eyes and just gaze into the distance. He could see the tapestry landscape and pylons stretching off to the slightly curved horizon, where the details disappeared in a white haze. Something far away caught his eye: dark shapes, moving. “Moving this way,” he said. “Johnny, Tony, check your radar.”

“You’re right, Alex,” snapped Sciarra. “Incoming. Dozens of blips, from all directions.”

At a distance they looked like bubbles with lines through them. When Alex used his helmet’s magnifying feature they resembled airplanes, black bubbles with large wings that flapped slowly up and down. Each had a trailing vertical wing or rudder. They seemed to be propelled by some type of engine, as each of them trailed a thin plume of white smoke or steam. “Here comes the Air Force,” Alex said.

“You’ve got weapons, Alex,” said Stubbs’ voice gravely. “Use them only if you have to. Do you understand me?”

Alex looked at Mary and rolled his eyes. “I’m just wearing the targeting gear to see through this white-out.”

“Be careful what you think while wearing it,” said Stubbs. “It reads your senses. It anticipates the need for action.”

“I’m not into making enemies, Commander,” protested Alex. “No hateful thoughts from ol’ Alex.”

“That’s not my point.” Stubbs shouted. “The military system, Alex. I’m talking about the computer. It … it has … parameters.”

“Are you saying I shouldn’t use the visor?”

“Well, you may want to take it off if anything threatens,” said Johnny. “I think that’s his point. The ship’s defensive systems can have a mind of their own.”

“Precisely,” said Stubbs.

“Pick up speed, Alex,” said Connie Tsu’s voice. “Put some distance between us and them. That might help.”

“Ah! I can see the sonde on the screens,” Johnny announced.

“Our exit,” added Tony. “The radar sees it, too.”

Alex lifted the helmet’s visor and scanned the horizon as he pushed the stick forward. The objects were closing in faster than he’d estimated. Now he could make out their curious shape without the assistance of his helmet. “Okay, Johnny,” he said. “I can see well enough without the extra eyes.” He quickly wrenched the helmet off his head and dumped it to the side. He pushed the stick further forward and took
Diver
into a steep climb. Squinting against the glare, Alex surveyed the huge ceiling, looking for a small dark hole.

6
He was flying on faith with an alien air force closing on their position, and the glare in Alex’s eyes was getting painful. As far as he could tell, they were going to crash into the superstructure at 400 kilometers per hour. It was Mary’s superior vision that found the hole. Alex saw her point to it out of the corner of his eye.

“We’re in the pike, Alex,” shouted Tony. “Heading and angle, good.”

“Single file,
Tai Chi
,” instructed Johnny. “It’ll be tight, you know.”

“Punch it, Alex,” said Connie. “I’m on your buns.”

Tony announced the range in descending hundred meter increments as the two tiny craft accelerated straight up at the dome. Alex was still unable to see the hole against the glare. His eyes still told him they’d soon be a squashed bug on the great ceiling, another smudge to be fixed by some glowing slugs.

“You’re getting close. Powering up
Galileo
,” announced Stubbs on the intercom. “We’ll follow you out when you get through. Just keep accelerating.”

“Steady, Alex,” whispered Tony. “Three hundred meters … two hundred … one …”

“Here we go, Connie,” shouted Alex. He gritted his teeth as he held the stick absolutely still. A fuzzy dark patch suddenly appeared out of the glow and grew rapidly larger. He saw the oblong shape of the hole and reflexively angled the ship for a cleaner fit. Moments later, to the shouts and cheers of the crews of three shuttles,
Diver
exited Howarth’s egg.

For a moment Alex thought the lights had gone out. Then he realized he was facing open sky and the glowing shell was now behind them. As his eyes adjusted, he saw the misty glow of clouds that crowned the sky above great egg.

“We’re through,” announced Tsu’s exuberant voice on the intercom.

“Lift off, Hoy. Back to
Goddard
… full throttle,” said Commander Stubbs. “We’re right behind you.”

“What about the hole?” asked Howarth. “Shouldn’t we leave a sonde or something to monitor it?”

“Way ahead of you, Matt,” said Stubbs. “We left two monitoring stations, each five hundred meters from the hole.”

“Why so far away?” asked Alex. He could see the pylons looming in the distance. Alien as they were, it was a relief to see them again. They were a peaceful sight, soothing to his glare-ravaged eyes and adrenaline-soaked nerves. His left hand shook, but the hand on the drive stick remained solid.

“If something comes to fix the hole, a little distance between the hole and the sonde might might buy us observation time,” explained Stubbs. “By the way – good flying, Alex.”

Alex laughed. “Thanks. I hope those sondes see something you can make sense of. So far my observation time hasn’t told me much.”

There was a pregnant silence, then Stubbs spoke again. He sounded tired and annoyed. “Let’s get back to
Goddard
, Alex.”

Mary looked at Alex and smiled sympathetically.

Alex took a deep breath and felt his shoulders begin to relax. “What’s up, my love?”

“Glad to be leaving that place, I guess,” she said. “It was … unpleasant.”

“Weirder than Jupiter’s reef?” asked Tony.

“Oh, yes. I’m sure,” Mary said, but she didn’t elaborate. She leaned back in her chair.

The atmosphere become more turbulent as
Diver
and the two pursuing shuttles entered the clouds. “Chop!” shouted Alex, gripping the bucking stick more tightly. “Seems rougher than before.”

“Thanks, Alex,” said Connie Tsu. “Right behind you.”

There was no immediate response from the
Galileo
, which made Alex nervous. “Are you with us, Commander Stubbs?”

“We’re doing fine, Alex,” answered Stubbs.

“Sounds like you’re alone in there, Commander,” replied Alex. “What happened to your crew? I miss Hoy’s jibes.”

“They’re here,” replied Stubbs politely. “I wanted to keep the chatter down.”

Alex laughed. “I knew Hoy’s Ganny lip would get him in trouble before the mission ended.”

“You’re a man of great insight, Alex,” muttered Stubbs.

The crackling of distant lightning screeched on the cabin loudspeakers. The turbulence worsened as the three shuttles moved into fiercer weather.

7
Because of Jeanne,
Diver
was first to enter the
Goddard’s
shuttle bay. To Alex’s surprise, instead of a medical staff waiting to extract the still cocooned Jeanne Warren, a group of engineers arrived with robotic machinery. In less than a minute the entire inner airlock had been removed and was being hurried away on a sled, leaving
Diver’s
inner hatch still closed and in place. Simultaneously, another crew removed the click enclosure from
Diver’s
belly and hustled it away to the Biolab.

The face of Commander Stubbs appeared on their viewscreen. “By the way, everyone,” he said, managing a tired smile. “Congratulations. And well done.” Saying nothing more, his image vanished.

Stubbs’ crew waited quietly outside the great ship while
Tai Chi
was quickly secured in its hold. Only when they received the all-clear did Alex finally hear the voices of Dan and Ned, and then only to report docking telemetry. The normally boisterous Hoy sounded subdued, even mechanical, as he did his job. Alex wondered what had transpired between Stubbs and the Ganny pilot.

Mary gave Alex a knowing look and smiled again.

Alex returned her smile. He put his seat in a prone position and sighed. “I should have known I could just ask you, Mary,” he said quietly, staring at the cabin ceiling. “You know everything.”

“Perhaps. But not while the intercom is on,” she said very quietly.

The outright removal of the airlock had saved time in getting Jeanne Warren free of her alien tomb, but it also meant that
Diver’s
crew could avoid the lengthy decontamination cycle. What they were waiting for at the moment was a decision from Commander Stubbs as to where and when a debriefing would be held. As it turned out, the medical staff decided the agenda.
Tai Chi
and her crew were quarantined. The news came from Stubbs in person, hovering outside
Diver’s
hatch while his aide, Binder, rapped on the door. Johnny was eager to leave. He floated to the door and had it open in a few seconds. Cool hangar air wafted into the cabin. Mary propelled herself to the door with Alex.

The shuttle bay unusually noisy. “Already fixing
Tai Chi
, I guess,” shouted Ned. He hovered at the hatch wearing a jet pack. Commander Stubbs, wearing a similar unit, floated behind his assistant. The units, containing small but powerful motors, fit neatly around the men’s midsections. Seeing them, Mary moved closer to Ned. “Those are new,” she said.

“These packs give greater mobility and take up less space. I’ll carry you to the tubeway, Miss Seventeen,” added Binder as he hung in the air in front of Mary, arms outstretched.

“It’s Mrs Rose to you, Ned,” said Alex. “Why didn’t you bring jet packs for us?”

“We don’t have any extras,” shouted Stubbs over the noise. “They’re all in use. Just grab the straps on our backs.”

Alex and Mary did as directed, and soon they were on their way home in their private cab. Before they entered the tubeway, Stubbs told them not to get settled until they’d been debriefed.

8
It was two in the morning,
Goddard
time, when they arrived at their house. As Alex and Mary wearily climbed the steps of the tubeway exit they could hear voices. Lots of them.

An enormous crowd had gathered in their street. A cheer rose up as the tubeway doors slid open, and moments later they were both borne on the shoulders of several exuberant security officers. Mary cast a worried eye on Alex, carried alongside by two blue uniformed giants. He returned an uncertain grin as the crowd began chanting their names.

A few scary minutes later they were safely deposited like parcels on their front lawn. They stood for a moment staring at the group in disbelief while the applause continued. Alex raised a hand. One of guards saluted and shouted: “Great job, sir!”

Alex smiled and shook his head. “We all did what we had to do. Please, guys, this is really embarrassing.” The crowd seemed disappointed. “Not that we don’t appreciate the gesture, you understand,” added Alex. “It’s just that we’re … kinda tired.”

When the door finally shut and the insulated walls dampened the crowd noise, Alex leaned against it and sighed. “Ahhhh,” he sighed. “A little peace. Maybe we have time for a little snooze.”

“
Perhaps some food would be a better idea,
” offered the computer. “
Commander Stubbs is already enroute for a briefing.
”

Alex yawned. “Great.”

“I haven’t eaten in hours, but I’m not really hungry,” said Mary. Already naked, she was headed for the shower. Alex smiled as he watched her disappear into the lavatory.

“
Lack of appetite is a symptom of fatigue,
” noted the computer. “
I suggest a protein shake for you both.
”

“That sounds fine, computer,” said Alex. “Go ahead and make two. Chocolate.” He was about to complain about the meeting, but he reminded himself that it was all part of his duty as pilot. At least the meeting would be held where he could just fall asleep if it got boring. Armed with that tantalizing idea, he retrieved the shakes from the service panel and went to the com room, securing a comfortable spot on the sofa.

When Mary found Alex he’d already fallen asleep with his half finished shake upright in his hand, securely perched on one knee. She took the glass and put it on the table. His eyes opened and her gaze met his. Then his eyes lowered. Mary was wearing a thin white robe that hung open as she bent over, exposing her perfect figure. His eyes returned to hers and he smiled. She kissed his forehead with a loud smack. “I don’t have to read that dirty mind of yours to know what you’re thinking. But you better forget it for now, love. Stubbs and his horde are almost at our door.”

“Dingers,” said Alex. “I need a shower.”

When he stepped from the bathroom Alex heard familiar voices. He dressed quickly in a blue flight suit and ran a brush through his hair. He caught a quick glance at himself in the mirror and jumped. “Dingers,” he whispered. “Dead man walking.”

Johnny was loading up memory cubes when Alex entered the com room. The glowing viewscreen lit the darkened room with an eerie glow. Surveying the room he saw Stubbs, Binder, Tsu, Captain Wysor, Matt Howarth, Tony, and Mary, who was talking to Connie at the window. Nearly everyone greeted Alex at once. His hands shot up. “Take it easy on me, guys,” he said. “My heart can’t take more excitement in one day. I caught a look at this mug of mine in the mirror and, well,
Tai Chi
looked better at the bottom of that hole.”

Everyone laughed. “No apologies necessary, Alex. We all want to sack out,” said Stubbs. “Mary insisted we hold that spot for you on the sofa, so if you please …”

Alex sat down, pleased to see that Mary had replaced his protein shake with a cup of coffee.

“Hopefully this will be brief,” began Stubbs. “But it’s good protocol to get our thoughts and impressions while they’re fresh in the mind.”

“Interview the witnesses,” said Wysor, with a wink at Alex. “Sleuthin’ the crime.”

“First, a question,” answered Alex. “How’s Jeanne?”

“The cocoon came off easily,” said Matt. “Low level laser cutter did it. The good news is that, as you said, Mary, the suit saved her life. The medics are hoping to save her left leg. It was pinned somehow … low circulation.”

“Jeeps,” said Mary. “I knew there was something else.” She thought for a moment, then looked around and smiled. “I’m sorry. At the wreck I heard Jeanne, in a Sensor way, and her consciousness was …” Mary looked at the floor, frustrated for want of the right words.