well-worn paths in the dust.
The radio crackled.
'Are they leaving?'
'Like frightened
rabbits,' Ash said. 'Worst security procedure ever.'
'In fairness, every
sensor is telling them that the tower is about to explode. Is Six
ready?'
'He's–'
Ash turned around. Six
was gone.
She looked back at the
tower. Six was sprinting toward the razor wire fence, and had
already crossed an impossible distance. He must have started
running as soon as she took her eyes off him.
He vaulted over the
fence rather than diverting toward the open gate. When he landed
inside the compound, he pulled the coat hook off his belt and swung
it on the climbing rope, around and around, so fast that it looked
like the propeller in a jet engine.
Then he let go.
The hook rocketed
upwards with much more velocity than Ash had expected. It sailed
past the fifth-floor window for which she had advised him to aim,
and kept shooting up into the darkness until it was out of sight.
The rope kept unspooling from the coil over his shoulder.
After a moment, the
rope stopped unravelling. Six gave it two brisk tugs and then
started climbing, hand over hand. After only a few seconds, he was
so high that Ash couldn't see him any more.
'Six is in,' Ash
said.
'Great,' Benjamin
replied. 'I may lose radio contact with you when you get inside,
but you can phone me if you need to. In ten minutes I'll be outside
the front gate with the car. In forty-five minutes, the scientists
will return to shut off the alarm. Make sure you're out before
then.'
'Got it.'
Ash dashed across the
dust toward the open gate, hoping Six had done his part. Otherwise,
she would find herself trapped on the lower levels while he was up
the top, looking for–
Ash froze. She could
see a shadow, clambering up the smooth wall of the tower like a
gecko. Could that possibly be a person? The outfit was a dull grey,
so it was hard to get a good look as he or she scrambled up the
concrete surface.
We're not alone, Ash
thought.
'Benjamin,' she hissed.
'Someone else is here.'
'Who?'
'No idea. They're
climbing up the wall after Six. They must be looking for the
ununoctium.'
Benjamin cursed. 'We
should leave. We're not prepared for this.'
'We can't leave Six
behind.'
'He's superhuman. He
can take care of himself.'
'Not when he doesn't
know he's in danger,' Ash said. 'I have to go in.'
'Ash–'
The shadow disappeared
into the darkness up above. Ash ran through the gate, and
approached the door to Vepa Tower.
Chapter
Eight: The Stranger
Six shook the last of
the broken glass from his clothes and listened. The alarm wailed.
The breeze moaned outside the broken window. There was no other
sound. This floor was empty.
The inside of Vepa
Tower was more cramped than he had expected, with a low ceiling of
iron girders, and dirty walls made of reinforced concrete. The
window through which he'd entered appeared to be the only one on
this level. The floor was strewn with kipple.
It seemed wasteful to
have a whole tower of unused floors. Perhaps it had been built with
other occupants in mind, but once the top level's purpose had been
determined, no-one wanted an office in a tower which might explode.
Or perhaps there was some other reason.
Six found the fire
door. The hinges groaned as he pushed it open and found himself in
a pitch black stairwell. He couldn't see the steps, but he could
hear them with echolocation – the screeching alarm echoed through
the darkness, outlining each concrete slab, each dented hand
rail.
He trotted down through
the darkness until he reached the bottom floor. The last door was
locked with a bulky steel bolt, but it was designed to stop
intruders from getting in, while still allowing evacuees to escape.
It would be a matter of seconds to drag it aside and pull the door
open. The girl should be waiting on the other side.
He hesitated. Why
should he let her in?
He doubted that he
needed her help to find the ununoctium. And he certainly
The radio crackled.
'Are they leaving?'
'Like frightened
rabbits,' Ash said. 'Worst security procedure ever.'
'In fairness, every
sensor is telling them that the tower is about to explode. Is Six
ready?'
'He's–'
Ash turned around. Six
was gone.
She looked back at the
tower. Six was sprinting toward the razor wire fence, and had
already crossed an impossible distance. He must have started
running as soon as she took her eyes off him.
He vaulted over the
fence rather than diverting toward the open gate. When he landed
inside the compound, he pulled the coat hook off his belt and swung
it on the climbing rope, around and around, so fast that it looked
like the propeller in a jet engine.
Then he let go.
The hook rocketed
upwards with much more velocity than Ash had expected. It sailed
past the fifth-floor window for which she had advised him to aim,
and kept shooting up into the darkness until it was out of sight.
The rope kept unspooling from the coil over his shoulder.
After a moment, the
rope stopped unravelling. Six gave it two brisk tugs and then
started climbing, hand over hand. After only a few seconds, he was
so high that Ash couldn't see him any more.
'Six is in,' Ash
said.
'Great,' Benjamin
replied. 'I may lose radio contact with you when you get inside,
but you can phone me if you need to. In ten minutes I'll be outside
the front gate with the car. In forty-five minutes, the scientists
will return to shut off the alarm. Make sure you're out before
then.'
'Got it.'
Ash dashed across the
dust toward the open gate, hoping Six had done his part. Otherwise,
she would find herself trapped on the lower levels while he was up
the top, looking for–
Ash froze. She could
see a shadow, clambering up the smooth wall of the tower like a
gecko. Could that possibly be a person? The outfit was a dull grey,
so it was hard to get a good look as he or she scrambled up the
concrete surface.
We're not alone, Ash
thought.
'Benjamin,' she hissed.
'Someone else is here.'
'Who?'
'No idea. They're
climbing up the wall after Six. They must be looking for the
ununoctium.'
Benjamin cursed. 'We
should leave. We're not prepared for this.'
'We can't leave Six
behind.'
'He's superhuman. He
can take care of himself.'
'Not when he doesn't
know he's in danger,' Ash said. 'I have to go in.'
'Ash–'
The shadow disappeared
into the darkness up above. Ash ran through the gate, and
approached the door to Vepa Tower.
Chapter
Eight: The Stranger
Six shook the last of
the broken glass from his clothes and listened. The alarm wailed.
The breeze moaned outside the broken window. There was no other
sound. This floor was empty.
The inside of Vepa
Tower was more cramped than he had expected, with a low ceiling of
iron girders, and dirty walls made of reinforced concrete. The
window through which he'd entered appeared to be the only one on
this level. The floor was strewn with kipple.
It seemed wasteful to
have a whole tower of unused floors. Perhaps it had been built with
other occupants in mind, but once the top level's purpose had been
determined, no-one wanted an office in a tower which might explode.
Or perhaps there was some other reason.
Six found the fire
door. The hinges groaned as he pushed it open and found himself in
a pitch black stairwell. He couldn't see the steps, but he could
hear them with echolocation – the screeching alarm echoed through
the darkness, outlining each concrete slab, each dented hand
rail.
He trotted down through
the darkness until he reached the bottom floor. The last door was
locked with a bulky steel bolt, but it was designed to stop
intruders from getting in, while still allowing evacuees to escape.
It would be a matter of seconds to drag it aside and pull the door
open. The girl should be waiting on the other side.
He hesitated. Why
should he let her in?
He doubted that he
needed her help to find the ununoctium. And he certainly
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