Page 27 of Escape from Nova Nine
Thank the universe Julke knew what to say to the Admin tech’s query. “Sutrio 2043 vomited. She’s feeling better now.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. He turned just in time to see the map bot climbing through the hole leading to the neighboring tunnel. Shit! Had he caused that?
“Workgroup 17-C, why is the map bot moving?”
When Julke looked around, he pointed. At her questioning look, he held up his hands and shook his head. In hull bots, simple data retrieval had nothing to do with active mapping algorithms.
“No idea.” She climbed to her feet. “It just took off. Looks like it’s headed for the old tunnel.”
“Workgroup 17-C, prevent the bot from leaving.”
“How?” Julke’s voice held a touch of asperity. “We can’t touch it.”
The bot’s work light went dark just as it vanished into the darkness.
“Workgroup 17-C. Defenses disabled. We can’t afford to lose any more bots. Retrieve it now.”The midrange voice had a tinge of panic.
“On our way.” She took a step toward the hole, then hesitated. “Lunaso, turn the jig to face the hole so we have more light.”
He did as she asked. He detoured to pull two hand lights and a tension-reel of thin cable from the jig’s maintenance toolbox and went after her. Fear made him hurry. He hoped that overconfidence in his scheme hadn’t put them all in danger.
10
NOVA NINE FACILITY • GDAT 3243.121
Julke cautiously stepped through the breach and onto the plate, testing it with her foot before committing the rest of her. In the really old plates, sometimes the built-in gravity generators failed in spots, making it feel like walking on a sponge. The floor lights glowed too faintly to see where the bot went.
Under any other circumstances, she’d wait right there for a few minutes, then tell Admin the bot had vanished. But Zade’s spikes of alarm made her worry that he still needed that bot to get the map. At least an old tunnel was better than being in the Abyss.
He came up behind her and showed her a cable reel, then gave her a light. She should have thought of both. Good thing she had a smart man on her side who did.
They wedged the reel housing under a heavy rock, then ran the line through her suit’s waist straps and tied the end tightly to his.
He pointed his light toward the ceiling. It was higher than usual, and made of eroded sponge rock, like the ceiling in the refinery.
She swept her light in a slow arc on the floor. No map bot. No dust for it to leave tracks in, either. Dust danced in the air, blowing right to left. Odd, because she’d have expected it to be blowing in from the work area behind them. “The bot can’t have gone far.”
He waved his light to get her attention, then circled his finger upward and gave her the sign for griffins.
She wished she could ask him what kind, which would give her a clue about the nearby environment. But the sooner they got out, the better. “You go left, I’ll go right. We’ll cover twice as much ground.” The improvised safety line still would let them find their way back to each other and the anchor.
He turned and walked away. Her suit vibrated as the cable slid through her waist straps.
She walked to the right as fast as she dared. The guards usually complained about how slow the map bots moved, but maybe this one liked speed. CGC machines didn’t have unique personalities like Volkszang tech did, but complex algorithms could make it seem that way. Couldn’t be an AI, or the warden would have had it flatlined. Prison rumors said he was afraid of them.
Ahead, the tunnel curved sharply down and left. She stopped at the top of the turn and directed her light forward. Movement caught her eye.
The little bot was valiantly climbing a tall pile of rubble that looked like another tunnel wall failure. “Zade, I found the bot. Come help me catch it.”
“On my way.”
She walked fast toward the rubble pile because the determined bot was already at the top and about to disappear from view. Zade, with his longer legs, caught up with her quickly, then passed her.
When she got in front of the rubble, she stopped in her tracks. Clearly visible through the hole in the tunnel wall was a door. And not just any door, but a starship’s five-meter antique exterior loading-bay airlock door, complete with original markings.
Zade was already scrambling over the low edge of the rubble pile, intent on following his prey. She could tell when he finally noticed the door because he stopped short just like she had.
Following his path, she stepped over the rubble and through the opening. To her right, the tunnel dead-ended. The left side curved sharply into darkness.
