Night Traveller

by L. V. Lloyd

  A soft ping from outside his door interrupted his black thoughts. For a second his heart leapt, maybe it was Dane, or Callan, coming to tell him it was all a huge mistake. But a quick look showed him the ID belonged to TeeJay Marte. He’d forgotten all about the fact that she had arranged to meet him here this morning. They were supposed to be going up in the Rover, to check out the dome as soon as they had the information and co-ordinates from the engineers on Oriell.

  Well, that wasn’t going to be happening now. He was on his way down to Kapunda on the next shuttle, Dane and TeeJay would just have to manage by themselves. He was sure they’d be fine.

  He went to the door, ready to send TeeJay on her way.

  She jumped in first, her face tense with suppressed excitement. “Have you heard? They’ve found the bomb!”

  Hastily he ushered her inside, out of earshot of any passersby. TeeJay was still talking, her hands waving enthusiastically. “ Well, not the actual bomb, but the engineers say they’ve pinpointed the only two places someone could place one and be certain it would do damage. The Patrol just called Ser Keating. We should get up there and check them both out immediately. How soon can you be ready to go?”

  “I can’t go,” Mike told her flatly. “I’ve been recalled to Kapunda.”

  “But that’s crazy!” she said. “We need you here. You’re the only one with experience working outside, in a spacesuit.”

  “What about you? Haven’t you worked in a suit, at the mines?”

  Teejay scratched her neck nervously, thinking of the daily walk she took across the surface of Asra to the mine site. “Well yeah, I suppose. I walk across the surface to the mine site every day. I guess that would be pretty similar to climbing around on the dome?”

  Mike bit the inside of his cheek. He knew it wasn’t the same thing at all.

  “Couldn’t the Patrol delay your orders until we sort this out?”

  “I’m afraid not.” He knew he sounded inflexible but he didn’t want to tell her it was disciplinary action. The gossip would get round soon enough as it was.

  Teejay smiled bravely. “Oh, well I’m sure Dane and I will manage.” She turned to leave. “I’m sorry you’re going, you’ll be missed.” She closed the door gently behind herself.

  Mike stood there for several minutes staring blankly at the door. He tried to tell himself it was all their own fault, but that sounded pathetic, even to him. Frightening images of TeeJay being swept off into space and Dane risking his life to follow her, rose before his eyes. He could already visualise Callan’s wounded gaze.

  What was he thinking? His career was already down the toilet, a few more hours could hardly make things any worse. He grabbed his utility belt and strode after her.

  The last person Dane and Callan expected to see with TeeJay was Mike Oliver. He nodded stiffly at them, his expression closed.

  “I assume you’ve heard from Ser Keating. Are you still prepared to take us up?” he asked Dane.

  As much as Dane wanted to walk away, he knew this job was too important. If they could find the actual bomb, Mike and TeeJay might have a chance of destroying or at least defusing it.

  “I’m ready,” he answered coolly.

  Callan looked from one tense, tight face to the other. “When you get back, we have to talk,” he said firmly.

  “I don’t think there’s anything more to say,” Mike refused, looking at a spot just over his head.

  Callan felt scared and angry. “I don’t want you two going out there like that! Your lives are going to depend on each other, for gods’ sake!”

  TeeJay looked from one to the other, keeping quiet. What was going on here?

  “You needn’t worry. I don’t let personal feelings get in the way of my job,” declared Mike.

  “Of course not! Heaven forbid!” muttered Dane under his breath.

  “Are we ready to go then? Have we got the co-ordinates from the Patrol?” asked Mike, ignoring Dane’s comment. “Spacesuits?”

  “We’re all set,” interrupted the other man, “Just waiting for TeeJay, and you.”

  “Let’s go then,” said Mike, heading toward the door.

  Callan couldn’t stand this any longer, the hostility between the two men he loved was almost tangible.

  “Dane spoke to Captain Takamoto,” he said in a loud voice, just as Mike went out. “Who did you think he spoke to?”

  Mike stopped in his tracks. “Captain Takamoto? But...”

  “We haven’t got time for that now,” said Dane roughly, glaring at Callan. How dare he try and placate the other man? “We’ve got something more important to do.”

  “We’ll talk when we get back,” Mike promised, meeting Callan’s eyes.

  “Only if I get to fuck you first,” muttered Dane.

  TeeJay thought she must have misheard.

  Whatever else he thought about him, Mike had to admit Dane Trenwith was an excellent pilot. He kept the shuttle closer to the surface of the dome than he would have thought possible, keeping it steady despite the buffeting winds.

  TeeJay had spread out the items she thought she might need so that everything was close at hand. If the dome was breached, the chances were they would have only moments to act.

  “I’ll have a tether attached to me,” Mike told her, checking that Dane was listening as well. “If I need anything from the shuttle, you’ll be able to send it to me immediately via the tether. There shouldn’t be any need for you to come out onto the dome.”

  “Understood.” She hunted quickly though her supplies. “I suggest you take this one with you, it’s liquid plasfoam. It’s the most adaptable piece of my equipment. You can use it if the bomb detonates or even if it doesn’t, chances are the plasfoam will contain enough of the blast to stop penetration of the dome’s surface.” She handed him a large canister. “Take the biggest one you can manage.”

  “We’re approaching the first of the two possible locations,” Dane announced. “I’ll fly over it and see if the scanner picks up anything that shouldn’t be there.”

  TeeJay peered over his shoulder at the screen as Mike climbed into his spacesuit, adjusting it so that he could fit the canister into the carry compartment.

  “Is that something? There, top right,” queried TeeJay urgently.

  Dane studied the readings on the screen. “No. No... I think that’s part of the structure. I’ll circle round one more time.”

  Chapter Thirty Four

  “Lieutenant Oliver is where?” Captain Spier was almost shouting. Callan Rian stared at his console unit in surprise.

  “He’s on the Rover with Trenwith and Marte, looking for the bomb,” he repeated. “Captain Takamoto sent through the co-ordinates for the two most probable locations and I agreed with him it’s worth checking out. The Lieutenant volunteered,” he clarified, not sure what was bothering the Captain.

  “I’ll just bet he did!” she muttered.

  “Sorry?”

  Suddenly cautious, Spier tempered her words. At the moment all she had was suspicion that Oliver was involved with Chang, no hard evidence.

  “Lieutenant Oliver had strict orders to report to me, in Kapunda. Immediately.”

  “I’m sorry, Captain Spier, but this is an emergency, it couldn’t wait. As Governor, naturally I’ll take full responsibility for my decision.”

  “I only hope you don’t live to regret it.” She didn’t realise she had spoken aloud until the Governor raised his eyebrows.

  “Is there something I should know, Captain?”

  Spier hesitated for a moment. “I’ve received information that suggests Lieutenant Oliver might be involved in the extortion demand.”

  “What? How?” Callan was astounded. What information could she possibly have?

  “I’m afraid I can’t tell you any more, the matter is still under investigation, but it’s essential Oliver reports to me as soon as possible. He has some serious questions to answer.”

  “I don’t believe it,” answered Callan, firmly.
“I don’t believe Mike is involved in the extortion threat. I’m sure you’re mistaken, somebody is lying to you.”

  “I hope you’re right,” said Spier, in a tone of voice that told him she didn’t think so. “Is there any way you can recall the Rover?”

  Callan ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes for a moment. If he called back the Rover, they’d lose any chance of saving the dome.

  He didn’t believe Mike was trying to destroy them, but was it fair to Asra to gamble on his own wishful thinking?

  Dane brought the Rover back over the top of the dome, having another run at the first possible site. He still thought the object TeeJay had spotted was meant to be there.

  “All clear. Let’s try the next one,” he decided.

  The Rover was about two hundred metres from the co-ordinates when the bomb went off.

  There was a flash of blinding light for a split second and then darkness again.

  Dane stopped breathing. Teejay had been right. Thank the gods they had done that last circle around or they would have been over the top of the blast. He waited for the explosive rush of air he expected to come out of the dome. Nothing happened.

  Automatically, he sent a warning that the device had detonated through to Callan, while still staring at the target area, waiting. Shouldn’t he be reversing as fast as he could? If it exploded, the blast of air could still send them spinning into space.

  Three slow seconds ticked by. Nothing else seemed to be happening, maybe the explosion hadn’t penetrated. Dane was suddenly aware of Mike at his shoulder.

  “Can you get me there? Now?”

  “Are you crazy? It could blow open at any minute!”

  “It hasn’t blown yet, maybe it hasn’t worked or maybe it’s caused a crack, a weak spot that we can’t see yet. In any case, I want to cover the whole area with TeeJay’s plasfoam.”

  Mike spoke urgently, trying to persuade Dane it was worth taking the risk.

  “I’m in,” said TeeJay. “It’s worth a shot. But we need to do it right now.”

  Dane swallowed. Biting his lip, he flew the ship toward the target, waiting every second for the dome to explode in front of him.

  Down on Asra, Callan sounded the public emergency alarm. It was the signal for everyone to take immediate cover underground, an action they had prepared for in advance. But this time it was really happening. Suddenly he felt calm, the crisis was upon them. He’d worry about Mike’s role later, now they just had to get through this.

  He raced out of the building into the street, quickly checking there was no-one left inside as he went. He joined a small stream of people anxiously hurrying toward The Rising Sun, some looked fearfully up over their heads, while others just ran. Who knew how long they’d have before the atmosphere was sucked out into space?

  Callan came to a halt in the garden of The Rising Sun, making sure people got safely onto the disk and didn’t overcrowd. Times like this they could have used an old fashioned staircase, he thought. He couldn’t help glancing up at the dome every so often, trying to see where the damage had been done. All he could see was the pale blue curve, apparently still in one piece.

  The siren was screaming its warning, surely everyone must have heard and taken cover by now. He looked around for any stragglers as the disk carried the last group of people down to the floor below, then jumped on board himself. He wondered what Dane and Mike were doing at the moment. Much as he wanted to call them and check that they were all okay, he didn’t want to interrupt their concentration. He knew Dane would call him as soon as he could.

  He pushed the worry to the back of his mind and instead called his contact in each of the underground refuges, to get an update on the evacuation. Luckily, everything appeared to have gone smoothly so far, with the exception of a sprained ankle for someone who had slipped over in their haste. Now they just had to wait.

  Callan looked around at the scared faces huddled together and caught Serra Yoshida’s eye. “I think we could all do with a drink! The first round’s on me,” he offered with a smile. “Tee, coffee, or something stronger. Your choice.” There was a rush to the bar.

  Mike was geared up and standing in front of the hatch, waiting for Dane’s signal that it was safe to open. He was as prepared as he was going to get. He slowed his breathing, pushing everything out of his mind except the task ahead. The green light flashed on at eye level and he opened the hatch, stepping out as quickly as he could. He struggled for a moment to find his footing, the wind howling round his ears, snatching at his feet, before he got them securely on the dome and began sliding forward in an odd shuffle that was more efficient than it looked.

  It was pitch dark. He had the co-ordinates inside his visor which he knew were far more reliable than his eyes, but nevertheless his heart lightened when Dane switched on the ship’s docking lights. They cast a hazy glow over the dome, throwing a long shadow which he realised was his own, but it was amazing how much better the light made him feel. Step by step he moved closer to the target area, trying not to think of a possible explosion. He checked the co-ordinates again—not far now.

  He brushed the ice from his mask one last time and eased the canister out of the carry pocket, gripping it tightly with both hands to protect it from the squall gusting around him. One more step. The information in his visor told him he had reached the point of detonation. Bracing his feet flat on the dome, he unfastened the opening of the canister and bent down, just in time to see a crack ripple across the surface in front of him.

  Chapter Thirty Five

  Mike didn’t stop to think. His hands took over, squirting the plasfoam into the crack and half a metre to each side as well. He kept going until the canister was empty.

  He couldn’t see any more cracking but his mask had iced up again which didn’t help. That was the best he could manage, he could only hope that would be enough, at least until the professionals arrived to make proper repairs. Very carefully, he turned and made his way back to the ship.

  “It’s a temporary fix, but I think it’s holding for the moment,” he told Dane and TeeJay. “However, I think everyone on Asra should stay underground, until the engineers give us the ‘all clear.’ ”

  The other two both nodded in agreement. Mike spent the journey back briefing Callan, Captain Takamoto and Chief Engineer Needham on the results of their mission. Needham was gratifyingly complimentary about TeeJay’s solution.

  “Good idea. That should hold it until my team can get there, in an hour or two. We’re leaving Oriell now,” he added. “Make sure no-one goes up onto the surface until I authorise it.”

  When Mike had finished with the briefing, he asked Captain Takamoto for a private word, moving away from his two companions to talk quietly on his wristcom.

  “Captain, can I ask your permission to stay on Asra until this is resolved?”

  “Of course, Lieutenant.” Takamoto sounded surprised.

  “I realise Captain Spier ordered me to report to her immediately, but I think this takes priority. It should only be an extra day at the most if all goes well, and if it doesn’t... I’ll be needed here even more.”

  “What do you mean, she’s ‘ordered’ you?”

  For the first time it dawned on Mike that Takamoto didn’t know what he was talking about. Captain Spier hadn’t consulted him.

  He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, sir, it didn’t occur to me that you hadn’t been informed. You’ve heard of the man known as ‘Chang’?”

  “Yes, the so-called business man, based in Kapunda?”

  “Ah, yes.” Mike took a breath, was he going to tell Takamoto the truth or not? “Someone informed Captain Spier that he’s my father. She has concerns that I’m mixed up in this extortion deal because of it.”

  There was a short silence on the other end. “And is he? Your father, I mean?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “That’s not on your record,” commented Takamoto evenly. “It says ‘father’s name – unknown.’ ”r />
  “Yes sir. Technically that’s correct. I honestly don’t know his real name. He maybe calling himself Chang now, but that wasn’t the name he was going by when I left. Back then it was ‘John Smith.’ ”

  “Ah. I see.”

  Mike continued. “We had a falling out over my decision to join the Academy. I decided on a new name and a fresh start. We haven’t been in contact since, well, not until the incident with the explosion in the Victory.” He paused for a second, seeking to convince the Captain of his sincerity. “I give you my word on my oath as a Patrol officer, that I am not involved in the extortion scam. To be honest, I don’t think Chang is either. He’s on the verge of signing a lucrative deal with Ser Keating and Tinto mines, there’s no reason for him to jeopardise that. It sounds much more like something his rival, Mo Khan, would be involved in.”

  “I see. I’ll have a word with Captain Spier, but it seems to me the issue of your identity is a matter for the Patrol, not the police. Despite what Captain Spier would like to believe, you’re still under my authority and I’m ordering you to stay on Asra until this crisis with the dome is resolved. I can’t interfere with Captain Spier’s investigation of course, but I’ll let her know you’ll be in to see her tomorrow to assist with her enquiries, all being well.”

  Mike Oliver couldn’t believe it. “So I haven’t been suspended? I’m still the Patrol’s officer on Asra?”

  “Yes, of course you are. Until I say otherwise.” Captain Takamoto sounded a bit irritable.

  “Thank you, sir! I won’t let you down.” Mike felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he wished futilely that he’d talked to Captain Takamoto as soon as he had heard from Captain Spier.

  Now all he had to do was apologise to Dane and Callan. All? Who was he kidding? The weight on his shoulders returned with a thump. He didn’t think they’d ever want him as their lover again.