broke, it would be a long plummet to the bottom of the crevasse; even if they survived the fall, rescue would be all but impossible. Nor would he and Evangeline be able to reach the surface on their own; their skinsuits would allow them to keep breathing if the DSV’s hull was breached, but wouldn’t protect them for very long from the elements. If anything went wrong, they would face a cold and lonesome death.
“Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.” Evangeline cocked her head toward the cabin ceiling. “The cable is made of carbon nanotubes … the same material the space elevator will be made of, if ISC can ever afford to build the thing. It’s practically unbreakable, even at these low temperatures.”
“And the winch?” Danzig thought of the mass, drum-shaped windlass around which the cable was wound. It was within temperature-controlled main room of the control igloo built on the edge of the chasm, which itself lay on the other side of the ridge he’d noticed shortly after landing, about a kilometer from Consolmagno Base.
“Tested many times before it was sent here.” A tight smile appeared on Evangeline’s face. “Trust me … I’d never climb into this thing if I didn’t think it was safe.”
Danzig said nothing as he peered through the forward porthole at the dark walls looming around them. He may have been reassured about the technology, but he was less confident in the woman who lay beside him. She’d asked him to trust her, but the last two men to do so were dead, their bodies resting at the bottom of Europa’s fathomless ocean. Only the fact that they shared the same compartment gave him any assurance that he wouldn’t suffer the same fate as John and Klaus; she couldn’t kill him without killing herself.
Or so he hoped.
“Com check,” Evangeline said abruptly, pressing her fingers against her headset mike. “CB-2, this is DSV-2. Com check on ELF, one, two, three.”
A few seconds went by, then Danzig heard Walter’s voice within his own headset. “We copy, DSV-2. ELF reception clear. Confirm distance to hole, please.”
Evangeline glanced at the lidar. “Three hundred meters to entrance hole. Descent nominal.”
“Roger.” A pause. “How about you, Otto? Ready to change your mind?”
Danzig grimaced. On the way to the chasm, Walter had tried to talk him out of making the dive. If only to put him off, Danzig told him that, if he happened to change his mind, he’d let him know. Evangeline had been in the other rover, so she hadn’t heard that conversation; apparently Walter didn’t care if she learned about it now.
Danzig tapped his mike wand. “Not at all,” he replied. “Looking forward to seeing what’s down here.”
“We copy,” Walter replied. “CB-2 standing by. Over.”
“DSV-2 over.” Evangeline muted her mike, then closed her eyes and gave a long sigh. “Thank you for saying that,” she said quietly. “I appreciate it.”
“He was just kidding.”
“No, I don’t think so,” A reflective pause, then she smiled. “But it doesn’t matter.” She winked at him. “Don’t worry, I’m going to give you a good ride.”
The double-entendre was obvious enough to remind Danzig of what she’d said when he’d visited her quarters: I’d be grateful for any help you can give me. There had been an unspoken promise in those words. Once again, he became aware of how close she was to him, their arms, legs and hips nearly touching one another’s. If he wanted to, he could slide his hand a few centimeters to the right and gently caress her buttocks …
He let out his breath, forced himself to look away. “I wish we’d brought along Doctor Faustus . We could have done another scene or two.”
“Uh-huh.” There was a sly undercurrent to her voice. “We were just about at the place where Faustus makes his pact with the devil.”
Perhaps her remark was meant to be in jest, but it gave Danzig a chill. He darted a glance at Evangeline from the corner of his
“Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.” Evangeline cocked her head toward the cabin ceiling. “The cable is made of carbon nanotubes … the same material the space elevator will be made of, if ISC can ever afford to build the thing. It’s practically unbreakable, even at these low temperatures.”
“And the winch?” Danzig thought of the mass, drum-shaped windlass around which the cable was wound. It was within temperature-controlled main room of the control igloo built on the edge of the chasm, which itself lay on the other side of the ridge he’d noticed shortly after landing, about a kilometer from Consolmagno Base.
“Tested many times before it was sent here.” A tight smile appeared on Evangeline’s face. “Trust me … I’d never climb into this thing if I didn’t think it was safe.”
Danzig said nothing as he peered through the forward porthole at the dark walls looming around them. He may have been reassured about the technology, but he was less confident in the woman who lay beside him. She’d asked him to trust her, but the last two men to do so were dead, their bodies resting at the bottom of Europa’s fathomless ocean. Only the fact that they shared the same compartment gave him any assurance that he wouldn’t suffer the same fate as John and Klaus; she couldn’t kill him without killing herself.
Or so he hoped.
“Com check,” Evangeline said abruptly, pressing her fingers against her headset mike. “CB-2, this is DSV-2. Com check on ELF, one, two, three.”
A few seconds went by, then Danzig heard Walter’s voice within his own headset. “We copy, DSV-2. ELF reception clear. Confirm distance to hole, please.”
Evangeline glanced at the lidar. “Three hundred meters to entrance hole. Descent nominal.”
“Roger.” A pause. “How about you, Otto? Ready to change your mind?”
Danzig grimaced. On the way to the chasm, Walter had tried to talk him out of making the dive. If only to put him off, Danzig told him that, if he happened to change his mind, he’d let him know. Evangeline had been in the other rover, so she hadn’t heard that conversation; apparently Walter didn’t care if she learned about it now.
Danzig tapped his mike wand. “Not at all,” he replied. “Looking forward to seeing what’s down here.”
“We copy,” Walter replied. “CB-2 standing by. Over.”
“DSV-2 over.” Evangeline muted her mike, then closed her eyes and gave a long sigh. “Thank you for saying that,” she said quietly. “I appreciate it.”
“He was just kidding.”
“No, I don’t think so,” A reflective pause, then she smiled. “But it doesn’t matter.” She winked at him. “Don’t worry, I’m going to give you a good ride.”
The double-entendre was obvious enough to remind Danzig of what she’d said when he’d visited her quarters: I’d be grateful for any help you can give me. There had been an unspoken promise in those words. Once again, he became aware of how close she was to him, their arms, legs and hips nearly touching one another’s. If he wanted to, he could slide his hand a few centimeters to the right and gently caress her buttocks …
He let out his breath, forced himself to look away. “I wish we’d brought along Doctor Faustus . We could have done another scene or two.”
“Uh-huh.” There was a sly undercurrent to her voice. “We were just about at the place where Faustus makes his pact with the devil.”
Perhaps her remark was meant to be in jest, but it gave Danzig a chill. He darted a glance at Evangeline from the corner of his
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