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Authors: Jason M. Hough
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she started.
“My headache can wait,” he grumbled. “This decision can’t.”
“Maybe it’s the Builders,” Tim said. He leaned against the wall by the closed conference room door, a steaming cup of tea in his hand. “Maybe they look like us, like people.”
Zane did a half turn in his chair. “You’re worse than she is.”
“I’m just saying—”
“Tania,” Zane said, gathering himself, “we can’t continue to sit here and speculate endlessly. It’s been two months since we had a solid shipment of consumables. We’ll have to evacuate soon. Crops are starting to brown—”
“I know,” she said.
“Something’s gone wrong down there, and we need to act—”
“I know, dammit!” She looked up at him, finally. Met his eyes, saw the thick black bags under them. She saw his fear, his yearning to fix things, but most of all she saw his plea for someone, anyone, to make a decision. Zane had spent his whole life leaving the decisions to his deceased brother, Neil. In many ways she had, too, and she wondered if Zane saw the same plea in her eyes. She turned back to the screen. “The climber controls show red. We can’t send anyone down to investigate, or rescue them, or anything else.”
Zane and Tim both stared at her with glum expressions.
“Worse,” she added, “we can’t evacuate.”
“Not to Belém,” Tim whispered.
A long silence followed. Until now, no one had voiced that option. Tania forced herself not to speak until she could control her voice. “Returning to the Darwin Elevator is a last resort, agreed?”
“Personally, I’d rather suffocate,” Zane said.
“Hear, hear,” said Tim.
Unable to stare at the comm any longer, Tania stood andpaced the back wall of the room. Tim’s posture by the door made her feel trapped.
Think, think .
More than anything she wished she could talk to Skyler. Increasingly gruff attitude aside, he still had a certain knack for laying out stark options in a clear manner. Somehow it made things easier. Taking a deep breath, Tania decided to try the technique herself.
“Let’s assume for now that Nightcliff has taken over the ground colony below us.”
“We don’t know—”
“Would you just listen for a moment, please?”
Zane closed his mouth and gave a slow nod. Despite his words, she caught a glimmer of relief in his eyes.
“Nightcliff holds the ground. Fine. Let’s get Blackfield on the comm, then, and find a way to resolve this. We still hold the farms.”
“You’d think he would have contacted us by now,” Zane mused.
“If they hold the Elevator base, the air, and the water,” Tim said, “we’re in no position to negotiate.”
“We have to try,” Tania said. “It’s the only logical action at this point. Unless you have other ideas?”
Neither man offered a suggestion.
“Okay, settled,” Tania said. “Tim, see if you can get us a connection, and patch it through here, please.”
“You got it,” he replied.
A half hour later, Tania found herself looking at Russell Blackfield. He looked like he always did. His blond hair was uncombed and close-cropped, and stubble shadowed his face. His eyes perpetually gave the impression that he was about to spar and wanted to win.
“A video feed this time,” he said with a grin. “How lucky for me.”
She made a conscious effort to keep her face blank. They’d spoken only three times since she’d tried to kill him, and she’d avoided video in those calls lest he see the fear anduncertainty in her face. This time she decided it was worth the risk, so that she could study his expression as well.
“Hello, Russell.”
The man nodded. “Nice to see you, too. I’d forgotten what a lovely woman you are.”
Tania fought to keep a wave of revulsion behind her mask. Dark memories of a dank cell below Nightcliff, two foul-smelling guards scrubbing her naked body as she stared at herself in the wall-sized mirror, retreating within, knowing somewhere in a deep corner
“My headache can wait,” he grumbled. “This decision can’t.”
“Maybe it’s the Builders,” Tim said. He leaned against the wall by the closed conference room door, a steaming cup of tea in his hand. “Maybe they look like us, like people.”
Zane did a half turn in his chair. “You’re worse than she is.”
“I’m just saying—”
“Tania,” Zane said, gathering himself, “we can’t continue to sit here and speculate endlessly. It’s been two months since we had a solid shipment of consumables. We’ll have to evacuate soon. Crops are starting to brown—”
“I know,” she said.
“Something’s gone wrong down there, and we need to act—”
“I know, dammit!” She looked up at him, finally. Met his eyes, saw the thick black bags under them. She saw his fear, his yearning to fix things, but most of all she saw his plea for someone, anyone, to make a decision. Zane had spent his whole life leaving the decisions to his deceased brother, Neil. In many ways she had, too, and she wondered if Zane saw the same plea in her eyes. She turned back to the screen. “The climber controls show red. We can’t send anyone down to investigate, or rescue them, or anything else.”
Zane and Tim both stared at her with glum expressions.
“Worse,” she added, “we can’t evacuate.”
“Not to Belém,” Tim whispered.
A long silence followed. Until now, no one had voiced that option. Tania forced herself not to speak until she could control her voice. “Returning to the Darwin Elevator is a last resort, agreed?”
“Personally, I’d rather suffocate,” Zane said.
“Hear, hear,” said Tim.
Unable to stare at the comm any longer, Tania stood andpaced the back wall of the room. Tim’s posture by the door made her feel trapped.
Think, think .
More than anything she wished she could talk to Skyler. Increasingly gruff attitude aside, he still had a certain knack for laying out stark options in a clear manner. Somehow it made things easier. Taking a deep breath, Tania decided to try the technique herself.
“Let’s assume for now that Nightcliff has taken over the ground colony below us.”
“We don’t know—”
“Would you just listen for a moment, please?”
Zane closed his mouth and gave a slow nod. Despite his words, she caught a glimmer of relief in his eyes.
“Nightcliff holds the ground. Fine. Let’s get Blackfield on the comm, then, and find a way to resolve this. We still hold the farms.”
“You’d think he would have contacted us by now,” Zane mused.
“If they hold the Elevator base, the air, and the water,” Tim said, “we’re in no position to negotiate.”
“We have to try,” Tania said. “It’s the only logical action at this point. Unless you have other ideas?”
Neither man offered a suggestion.
“Okay, settled,” Tania said. “Tim, see if you can get us a connection, and patch it through here, please.”
“You got it,” he replied.
A half hour later, Tania found herself looking at Russell Blackfield. He looked like he always did. His blond hair was uncombed and close-cropped, and stubble shadowed his face. His eyes perpetually gave the impression that he was about to spar and wanted to win.
“A video feed this time,” he said with a grin. “How lucky for me.”
She made a conscious effort to keep her face blank. They’d spoken only three times since she’d tried to kill him, and she’d avoided video in those calls lest he see the fear anduncertainty in her face. This time she decided it was worth the risk, so that she could study his expression as well.
“Hello, Russell.”
The man nodded. “Nice to see you, too. I’d forgotten what a lovely woman you are.”
Tania fought to keep a wave of revulsion behind her mask. Dark memories of a dank cell below Nightcliff, two foul-smelling guards scrubbing her naked body as she stared at herself in the wall-sized mirror, retreating within, knowing somewhere in a deep corner