pushing a button, telling some yes-man to fix it, he would have to attend to it himself.
Reston pushed away from the console, stretching as he stood up, taking a last look at the row of monitors to remind him of anything else he needed to see to as long as he was out.
Intercom, video feeds… the bridge in Three will need reinforcement, that’s not a priority, but we really should do something about the city colors, they’re still much too flat…
He walked through the sleekly designed control room, past the line of plush leather chairs so new that their rich scent still lingered in the cool filtered air. The chairs faced a wall of high-resolution screens; in less than a month they would be seating the top researchers, scientists, and administrators that were the heart of White Umbrella, as well as the two biggest financiers of the program. Even Sidney and Jackson would be there, to see the initial run of the test program.
And Trent, Reston thought hopefully. Surely he wouldn’t turn down an invitation to the first test run…
Reston stepped on the pressure plate in front of the door, the thick metal hatch sliding up with only a whisper of sound, and walked out into the wide corridor that ran the length of the Planet. Control wasn’t far from the industrial elevator, almost straight across in fact, but the electrician had already started for the surface. There would be four lifts operating within the week out of one of the other surface buildings, but for now, there was only the one industrial elevator. He’d have to wait until Cole had exited.
He pushed the recall and straightened the cuffs of his suit jacket, thinking about how he would lead the tour. It had been quite a while since Jay Reston had indulged in daydreaming, but in his short time at the Planet, imagining the day when he would welcome the others and guide them through the facility he had managed and transformed into a smoothly running machine had become a favored pastime. Of the handful of people who ran White Umbrella, who made the big decisions, he was the youngest to be accepted into the inner circle—and while Jackson had often assured him that he was as valued as anyone else, he’d noted on more than one occasion that he was the last to be consulted. To be considered .
Not after this. Not after they see that even without a dozen assistants waiting on my every word, I’ve managed to get the Planet up and running without a hitch, and before schedule. I’d like to see Sidney do half as well…
They’d come in at night, of course, and probably in several groups. He’d have the specimen caretakers at the entrance to greet them and lead them to the elevators (the new ones, not the dirty monstrosity he was about to ride); on the way down, the visitors would hear all about the efficient, elegant living quarters, the self-contained air-filtering system, the surgical theater—everything that made the Planet their most brilliant innovation yet. From the elevators, he’d take them around to the control room and explain the environments and the current series of specimens, eight of each. Then, back out and north, toward the beginning of the testing site.
We walk straight through, all four phases, then view autopsy and the chemical lab. We’ll have to stop in for a look at Fossil, of course, and then through the living area—where there will be coffee and rolls, sandwiches maybe—and then circle back to control to observe the first tests. Specimen against specimen only, of course— human experimentation would put such a damper on things…
A soft tone brought his attention back to the errand, alerting him to the elevator’s return. The door opened, the gate slid aside, and Reston stepped into the large car, the reinforced steel platform clanking beneath his feet. Dust puffed up from the metal, settling over the polished sheen of his shoes.
Reston sighed, tapping the controls that would take him to the surface, thinking of all he’d had to
Reston pushed away from the console, stretching as he stood up, taking a last look at the row of monitors to remind him of anything else he needed to see to as long as he was out.
Intercom, video feeds… the bridge in Three will need reinforcement, that’s not a priority, but we really should do something about the city colors, they’re still much too flat…
He walked through the sleekly designed control room, past the line of plush leather chairs so new that their rich scent still lingered in the cool filtered air. The chairs faced a wall of high-resolution screens; in less than a month they would be seating the top researchers, scientists, and administrators that were the heart of White Umbrella, as well as the two biggest financiers of the program. Even Sidney and Jackson would be there, to see the initial run of the test program.
And Trent, Reston thought hopefully. Surely he wouldn’t turn down an invitation to the first test run…
Reston stepped on the pressure plate in front of the door, the thick metal hatch sliding up with only a whisper of sound, and walked out into the wide corridor that ran the length of the Planet. Control wasn’t far from the industrial elevator, almost straight across in fact, but the electrician had already started for the surface. There would be four lifts operating within the week out of one of the other surface buildings, but for now, there was only the one industrial elevator. He’d have to wait until Cole had exited.
He pushed the recall and straightened the cuffs of his suit jacket, thinking about how he would lead the tour. It had been quite a while since Jay Reston had indulged in daydreaming, but in his short time at the Planet, imagining the day when he would welcome the others and guide them through the facility he had managed and transformed into a smoothly running machine had become a favored pastime. Of the handful of people who ran White Umbrella, who made the big decisions, he was the youngest to be accepted into the inner circle—and while Jackson had often assured him that he was as valued as anyone else, he’d noted on more than one occasion that he was the last to be consulted. To be considered .
Not after this. Not after they see that even without a dozen assistants waiting on my every word, I’ve managed to get the Planet up and running without a hitch, and before schedule. I’d like to see Sidney do half as well…
They’d come in at night, of course, and probably in several groups. He’d have the specimen caretakers at the entrance to greet them and lead them to the elevators (the new ones, not the dirty monstrosity he was about to ride); on the way down, the visitors would hear all about the efficient, elegant living quarters, the self-contained air-filtering system, the surgical theater—everything that made the Planet their most brilliant innovation yet. From the elevators, he’d take them around to the control room and explain the environments and the current series of specimens, eight of each. Then, back out and north, toward the beginning of the testing site.
We walk straight through, all four phases, then view autopsy and the chemical lab. We’ll have to stop in for a look at Fossil, of course, and then through the living area—where there will be coffee and rolls, sandwiches maybe—and then circle back to control to observe the first tests. Specimen against specimen only, of course— human experimentation would put such a damper on things…
A soft tone brought his attention back to the errand, alerting him to the elevator’s return. The door opened, the gate slid aside, and Reston stepped into the large car, the reinforced steel platform clanking beneath his feet. Dust puffed up from the metal, settling over the polished sheen of his shoes.
Reston sighed, tapping the controls that would take him to the surface, thinking of all he’d had to
Similar Books
