The Lost Voyager: A Space Opera Novel by A. C. Hadfield Page B

 
    “Twenty seconds,” Babcock said and turned to Mach. “Are you okay?”
    Mach’s lungs were at the bursting point. His dry eyes bulged as he held his breath. He returned a nod and pointed at the hole in his visor.  
    “Oh, I see,” Babcock said.
    The HUD display flickered and cut as the hole in the visor expanded. Mach squeezed his eyes shut. His body shook and stars flashed in front of his eyes. He grabbed his helmet, twisted it off and threw it across the warehouse floor.  
    Feeling his legs buckle, Mach dropped to one knee. He held out his hands, hoping a new replacement would be placed in them at any second. It felt like he’d waited a minute already.  
    “It’s complete,” Babcock said. “Hold steady.”
    The lower rim pushed into place around Mach’s neck. He heard the reassuring click of his new helmet locking into place against his support pack. The temperature warmed and the HUD pinged to life.  
    Mach opened his eyes and gasped for air. He dropped to all fours while regulating his breath.  
    Babcock passed him his Stinger rifle. “That was a bit close for comfort.”
    “Thanks, Babs. You’re a lifesaver.” Mach slung his weapon over his shoulder and glanced around the quiet warehouse.  
    “What happened down there?”
    “A little insect’s venom. Stamp on any and you’ll see.”
    “Interesting. I haven’t come across an insect species that can do that kind of thing.”
    Mach sighed and rose to his feet. “The last thing I’d call it is interesting. I’m going back down. Be ready to do the same thing.”
    Babcock nodded. Squid Two drifted toward the staircase and shone its tentacle light down. Mach took a moment for composure, then activated his strip light and moved over to the gap in the ground.  
    The previous descent and climb had created more space and revealed larger chunks of rubble below. This allowed for easier movement and Mach made swift progress to the tunnel. His boots landed with a crunch and he glanced at the piece of plastic tubing the bug had scuttled under.  
    It didn’t seem a good idea to go hunting for creatures with such corrosive power. Mach edged around shattered pieces of concrete and advanced deeper down the dark tunnel. The ground inclined and the debris cleared. He passed through a set of swing doors and entered a large space with a dark machine, presumably the generator, at the center of it.  
    “I’m here,” Mach said through his comm. “What’s first?”
    “Do you see any lights?” Babcock said. “The generator’s battery should still be powering them.”
    “Nothing. Let me have a look around.”
    Mach circled the generator, passed a dark control panel to his left, and walked to the far side of the room. Nine green lights winked on the back wall. Each had a red button below, under a transparent casing.  
    “I can see them, and a row of buttons,” Mach said.  
    “Place the token in the slot above them. When the lights turn white, hit the buttons from left to right to activate the boot sequence.”
    “As simple as that?”
    “The token acts as a switch,” Babcock replied. “It’s OreCorp we’re dealing with here.”
    Mach recognized the contempt in Babcock’s response and wondered if he was offended by the simplicity of the operation or just hated the large corporations. Whatever the reason, their potential payday made it irrelevant. He grabbed the token from his thigh pocket and placed its edge into the thin dark slot. Internal working parts behind the wall smoothly swallowed the token with a quiet electric whine.
    After pressing each button, all lights changed, and the token ejected. Three dull mechanical thuds came from behind the wall and the generator in the center of the room whirred.
    A holographic keyboard blinked alive on the control panel. A single black screen flashed to life above it and white data streamed across it.
    Fluorescent lights flickered on overhead, bathing the generator room and tunnel in artificial yellow