Japanese accent thick.
Skyler rubbed his eyes. “Yeah, okay. Down in a sec.”
Takai nodded, satisfied, and marched to the door.
“Wait,” Skyler said. His engineer stopped. “Angus tell you about the jump?”
Takai nodded. His face remained impassive.
“Will you come?”
He hesitated. Skyler knew well the man’s aversion to violence, and to the perils of parachuting. Even so, he needed him.
“I get full share?” Takai asked.
“Of course.”
The engineer’s face twisted in concentration. A full share might mean nothing at all, as recent history proved. Skyler tried to think of some ancillary reward, but before the thought fully formed, Takai nodded once and walked out.
As the dream faded from Skyler’s mind, he stood and stretched. A check of his watch showed that more than four hours had passed. He cursed and pulled his boots back on. At the door he paused to look at himself in the mirror hanging there. A worried man looked back. An attempt to pat down his disheveled brown hair failed. He grimaced at the gray coming in. Thirty-two going on fifty, he thought, and flipped the mirror around so he wouldn’t have to see himself next time.
Stepping out on the catwalk, he saw his team sitting around the rear cargo door of the aircraft. Each cradled a bowl of steaming food.
“Are we spooled?” he called out.
Samantha answered through a mouthful of food. “Three-quarters, all the time he could spare.”
“Is it enough?”
She shrugged. “Depends on where the hell we’re going.”
“Japan.” Skyler heard a few groans from the group.
Angus spoke up. “I’d feel better if we could get a lift.”
“No lift. Climbers aren’t running, in case you hadn’t noticed.” He regretted the tinge of anger that crept into his voice and took a deep breath.
“Well,” Angus said, “Japan is cutting it close.”
Skyler clanged along the metal catwalk until he was right above them. “We’ll stick to lighter goods, then.”
Angus wiped his mouth on his sleeve, set his bowl down, and retreated into the craft toward the cockpit.
Shimmying down the ladder, Skyler joined the rest of the group, taking a bowl of noodles offered by Takai.
The broth nearly burned his tongue, but tasted wonderful.
Samantha broke the silence. “If you say Tokyo …”
Skyler chewed a mouthful of noodles, savoring it. “It’s out in the mountains, some kind of telescope. Bring up the map, Takai.”
The engineer wheeled over a large screen and turned it on. Skyler prized the device, found in the conference room of a mineral prospecting company in Sydney. It contained detailed satellite photos of Earth, accurate to just a few meters, updated only months before the disease rolled across the planet. He could have updated them, the Orbitals had newer pictures, but the ability to see how things stood before the post-disease chaos provided useful insight into the salvage potential at a given location.
Skyler shoveled another wad of noodles into his mouth and crossed to the map. He magnified the region of Japan where they would land.
The telescope complex was nestled into a small valley near the top of a mountain. The circular white dome sat atop a large, rectangular building. A parking lot surrounded the place, along with a few outlying structures. Trees blanketed the land beyond, in all directions.
As the crew looked it over, he wolfed down the rest of his soup and set the bowl aside. Warm food in his stomach helped ease his nerves.
Angus returned from the cockpit, flashing the thumbs-up. “Adjusted the flight plan, Captain. If we keep the throttle low, we should be all right.”
“Excellent.”
Jake rubbed his shoulder as he studied the image on the screen. “Plenty of hills to make use of,” he said. “Are we expecting subs?”
Skyler regarded the man. “It’s well outside the city.”
Samantha cut in. “What about immunes ?”
Before Skyler could respond, Jake answered. “The ground looks steep, bad for
Skyler rubbed his eyes. “Yeah, okay. Down in a sec.”
Takai nodded, satisfied, and marched to the door.
“Wait,” Skyler said. His engineer stopped. “Angus tell you about the jump?”
Takai nodded. His face remained impassive.
“Will you come?”
He hesitated. Skyler knew well the man’s aversion to violence, and to the perils of parachuting. Even so, he needed him.
“I get full share?” Takai asked.
“Of course.”
The engineer’s face twisted in concentration. A full share might mean nothing at all, as recent history proved. Skyler tried to think of some ancillary reward, but before the thought fully formed, Takai nodded once and walked out.
As the dream faded from Skyler’s mind, he stood and stretched. A check of his watch showed that more than four hours had passed. He cursed and pulled his boots back on. At the door he paused to look at himself in the mirror hanging there. A worried man looked back. An attempt to pat down his disheveled brown hair failed. He grimaced at the gray coming in. Thirty-two going on fifty, he thought, and flipped the mirror around so he wouldn’t have to see himself next time.
Stepping out on the catwalk, he saw his team sitting around the rear cargo door of the aircraft. Each cradled a bowl of steaming food.
“Are we spooled?” he called out.
Samantha answered through a mouthful of food. “Three-quarters, all the time he could spare.”
“Is it enough?”
She shrugged. “Depends on where the hell we’re going.”
“Japan.” Skyler heard a few groans from the group.
Angus spoke up. “I’d feel better if we could get a lift.”
“No lift. Climbers aren’t running, in case you hadn’t noticed.” He regretted the tinge of anger that crept into his voice and took a deep breath.
“Well,” Angus said, “Japan is cutting it close.”
Skyler clanged along the metal catwalk until he was right above them. “We’ll stick to lighter goods, then.”
Angus wiped his mouth on his sleeve, set his bowl down, and retreated into the craft toward the cockpit.
Shimmying down the ladder, Skyler joined the rest of the group, taking a bowl of noodles offered by Takai.
The broth nearly burned his tongue, but tasted wonderful.
Samantha broke the silence. “If you say Tokyo …”
Skyler chewed a mouthful of noodles, savoring it. “It’s out in the mountains, some kind of telescope. Bring up the map, Takai.”
The engineer wheeled over a large screen and turned it on. Skyler prized the device, found in the conference room of a mineral prospecting company in Sydney. It contained detailed satellite photos of Earth, accurate to just a few meters, updated only months before the disease rolled across the planet. He could have updated them, the Orbitals had newer pictures, but the ability to see how things stood before the post-disease chaos provided useful insight into the salvage potential at a given location.
Skyler shoveled another wad of noodles into his mouth and crossed to the map. He magnified the region of Japan where they would land.
The telescope complex was nestled into a small valley near the top of a mountain. The circular white dome sat atop a large, rectangular building. A parking lot surrounded the place, along with a few outlying structures. Trees blanketed the land beyond, in all directions.
As the crew looked it over, he wolfed down the rest of his soup and set the bowl aside. Warm food in his stomach helped ease his nerves.
Angus returned from the cockpit, flashing the thumbs-up. “Adjusted the flight plan, Captain. If we keep the throttle low, we should be all right.”
“Excellent.”
Jake rubbed his shoulder as he studied the image on the screen. “Plenty of hills to make use of,” he said. “Are we expecting subs?”
Skyler regarded the man. “It’s well outside the city.”
Samantha cut in. “What about immunes ?”
Before Skyler could respond, Jake answered. “The ground looks steep, bad for
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