The engines ran smoothly, and after the first hour Euphrankes began to relax. It was going to take about half a day to come within sight of the city – and another two hours after that to reach the portal to the city. It was sealed from the inside, and it was going to be hell getting through that seal if they couldn't find someone on the other side willing to take a chance and open it.
The likelihood was that there wouldn't be anyone in the area. The entrance to the road was located in an area of Urv that was mostly made up of warehouses, businesses, and empty housing units where the seals had begun to go fail. There were fewer people living in the city every year and those who did had migrated to the busier central areas near The Council Chamber and The Temple.
Myklos stuck his head in through the door leading to the larger compartments in the back of the tracker.
"You two want some tea? Lyones is brewing it."
"I'll have some," Euphrankes said. "Aria?"
She shook her head and concentrated on the road. Euphrankes turned.
"I need you two to be working on how we're getting into the city if they don't open up. I don't want to watch that thing hit from the far side of an impassable barrier. We want to be the heroes of the moment, not too late to help."
"Got it," Myklos said. "I think we're onto something. When we disassembled those portals last night, we spent some time getting more familiar with the mechanisms. The seal at our end is identical to that in Urv, and I think we've found a way in. Lucky for us, it never occurred to The High Council that anyone might try to break into the city, any more than it did that someone might have a reason to open the seal on their way out."
"Even if there wasn't a flaming chunk of – whatever – falling on their heads from space, it would be a good trick to get The High Council to re-open that particular road," Euphrankes said. "They did banish me, after all. I just hope they want the rest of their roads reopened more than they want to punish me for my impertinence."
Aria snorted.
"Impertinence?"
Euphrankes thought back to the Tangent, hovering just above the airship tower at The Outpost, an empty hulk.
"You're right. It's not my impertinence that they despise and fear – it's my dreams. That's why they try so hard, time after time, to take them away from me."
"Good thing you sleep soundly, Skipper," Myklos said. He ducked back out of the room before Euphrankes could spin on him.
"Don't call me Skipper," he said softly.
Aria turned and grinned at him, and then returned her attention to the road.
The road's veil shimmered in the refracted sunlight that speared down through the Second Veil above. They had never been able to get a sample of the material that made up the veil itself to study closely, but they knew some things about it. It shielded everything beneath it from spurious radiation. The levels on the surface of the planet outside the sealed domes and arched covers on the roads would have been lethal. Just the sunlight, harmless inside the veil, would fry a man eventually. The atmosphere of the planet, even with the protection of the Second Veil, which enveloped the sky as far as any had ever seen, and was thought to circle the planet, was too thin. It was a poor insulator. Only with the First Veil in place was survival possible. That was how it had always been, and until now – until the fiery disaster had appeared in the sky to set them straight, The Council, citizens, and temple had believed that the way it was was the way it would always be.
"They must be losing their minds," he said.
Aria turned to him. "Who?"
"The Council – Myril and the priests. I mean, everything they have used in the past to shut me down and push me away has come in doubt in the span of a single day. They have to be aware of what's coming. Myril must have seen it from The Chamber of Stars. I always wondered why it was there – what they were watching for. I know he says that those who have always protect us live in the Heavens, and will come one day to set us free. It's all bunch of crap."
Aria smirked. "First you're banished and now blasphemy?"
"You know what I mean," he said. "That chamber is set up to watch beyond the Second Veil, and I think it was set there for exactly this sort of emergency. Whoever, or whatever created the veils – they did so to protect us, yes, but not so that we could become cattle. Not so that their gifts could fall deeper and deeper into ruin, but so that we would have a chance. I believe we were intended to find ways to move beyond what they left us – and beyond the veils. They would not be proud of us for sitting around and worshipping them as their work crumbled."
"They would be proud of you," Aria said. "They will be. If we manage to repair the First Veil in Urv, they are going to have to listen to you. They will have to realize there is no future here."
"They are old," Euphrankes said. "They haven't that many years left in the city no matter what we do. I only hope this shakes the rest of the city up enough that it won't matter what a tired group of old men and women say."
Aria had turned back to the road.
"Slow down!" she called out. "There is something ahead. On the left."
Euphrankes shook himself back into full wakefulness and dropped his own field glasses into place. He followed the line of Aria's gaze and saw what she'd seen. There was a bulky object along the left side of the road. He brought the tracker to a halt and began to scan the veil around that section of road. There was no sign of damage.
"The atmosphere is steady," Aria said.
The door behind Euphrankes opened, and Lyones stepped through.
"What's up, Skipper?" he asked.
"Not sure. You and Myklos suit up and get out there. See what that is along the left wall. We have to figure out where it came from. It shouldn't be here – nothing should – and if it came in through a rift somewhere along the way, we could be looking at a collapse ahead."
"Would have to be a damned efficient collapse," Lyones said. "There are no leaks in the atmosphere."
"I know," Euphrankes said. "Just get out there and see what it is."
"You got it."
The door closed again, and a few moments later, they saw Myklos and Lyones, walking slowly in protective suits, their masks in place despite the safe atmosphere, moving in on the dark object against the base of the shield.
"I can't quite make it out," Aria said.
"I know," Euphrankes said. "It appears to be oblong, like a box."
The radio crackled, and Lyones' voice filled the tracker's cockpit.
"It's a sealed case, skipper," he said. "It's one of ours, or it looks like one of ours. It's been here a long time."
"We dumped some things on the last run," Aria said. "Just to keep our weight down and our speed up. Remember? We didn't have much air."
Euphrankes remembered. They'd been in the road and on their way back to The Outpost when the veil had first failed. While the team at The Outpost had worked frantically getting an airlock in place large enough to prevent loss of atmosphere, they'd been racing for their lives, hoping that the tracker would remain pressurized, and that they could get through the seal at the far end quickly enough not to allow The Outpost itself to become depressurized.
They'd made it, but barely, and it had taken a full week to get their pumps to push enough useable air that they could walk freely on The Outpost's grounds. It had been a mad, crazy rush, but there was one thing that had stuck with Euphrankes – a thing they didn't speak about – that had remained to haunt him.
Aria glanced over at him, caught his expression, and started to speak. Whatever she was about to say, she bit it back.
They watched as Lyones and Myklos dragged the case closer to the center of the road. It was a six-foot long pressurized case, about three feet in on each shorter edge. The two bent and, in unison, released the pressure from either end of the case.
"Here goes, Skipper," Myklos said. He gripped the lid of the case and flipped it up. Moments later, he and Lyones were stumbling back toward the far side of the road.
"What is i
t?" Euphrankes asked, fearing the answer. "Tell me what you see?"
"A man," Lyones choked out. "There's a man in there, Skipper – he's in a suit, but…"
Euphrankes sank back in his seat in shock.
"No!" Aria cried.
Euphrankes knew they had to keep moving. He couldn't let this prevent them from reaching the city, and it was going to be on him to act.
"Seal it," he said. "Get that thing sealed, and then get it into the back. We'll deal with him, whoever he is, when we reach the city. If we don't hurry, we'll be tucking him in with a lot more dead."
"Who is he?" Lyones asked.
"I don't know," Euphrankes said. "We knew others followed us onto the road that day, but we hoped they all got back to the city before… Just get him in here."
Euphrankes removed his helmet. Aria rose and came to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
"We couldn't have helped him," she said. "There was no time. We'd all be out here."
"I know," Euphrankes said. "But…in a pressure case? He must have found one that we abandoned – a self-sealing case with just enough air inside – given his suit – for what? A day? Two? There's no way to release the pressure from the inside. He must have thought someone was coming back for him. He was waiting…for us."
They stood in silence. Lyones and Myklos, once they got moving, had wasted no time. They were out of sight of the windshield and what seemed only moments later, the warning lights flashed off, indicating the tracker was sealed and ready to roll. Euphrankes didn't wait for the others to come to the bridge. He put the tracker in gear and started forward once again. Aria returned to her seat and flipped her field glasses back into place.
They passed three more bodies on their way back to the city. Each time they stopped. There were always spare cases, and they packed each body in carefully. Whoever these men and women had been, they were no more than dry husks. Their suits had contained them, but there was little inside that could be identified. It was a horrible way to die, and it put their mission on sharp perspective as they came into sight of Urv and approached the portal at the end of the road. If they didn't manage to get into the city and succeed in getting their patch in place, thousands could end up like the four they'd found. They might end that way themselves. They were a long way from The Outpost – even longer if they had to make the journey in reverse.
A short distance of the sealed portal, Euphrankes brought the tracker to a slow stop. They all came forward then, and stood beside him, staring ahead at the gateway to the city of Urv. The airlocks were sealed tightly, but they could see around the edges and through the clear veil of the road, and then that of the city, that people were moving in the distance.
"They are trying to evacuate," Euphrankes said. "No one is heading this way – and there is no reason to expect that they would, since this road is considered to be permanently sealed. We'd better get to work."
"You got it, Skipper," Lyones said. "We'll be through in an hour – two max."
"Let's hope it's one," Euphrankes said. "We took some extra time picking up those bodies. We may not have much left."
They turned then and, sealing the cockpit behind them, stepped through into the large central chamber of the tracker. The tools they'd need were laid out for them, and they suited up quickly and silently. There was no reason to fear the atmosphere in the road – their sensors had cleared it as they approached – but they were taking no chances.
"I'll be out in a few minutes," Euphrankes said. "I don't suppose I can raise anyone, but I want to try and get through to The Council and let them know we are here."
"You think anyone is still there?" Aria asked.
"I don't know. Wherever they are, surely they have some means of communication?"
"You may be giving them too much credit," Bonymede grinned.
He stretched and rubbed his eyes. He and Slyphie had been resting. It meant they'd missed the macabre addition to the cargo, and Euphrankes had seen no reason to tell them just yet. They needed to be concentrated and sharp when they got out to the portal.
Euphrankes stepped back through into the cockpit, and the others stepped into the outer chamber of the airlock and sealed the inner behind them.
Euphrankes heard the radio crackle. Frowning, he stepped over and turned up the volume.
"This is the airship Axis," came a familiar, booming voice. "We will not land until the platform is cleared. Please…step back from the platform."
Euphrankes nearly answered the call, and then, as if sensing what was to come, he waited.
"Axis," a thin, reedy voice replied. It was Illana of The High Council. "Land immediately. The High Council is standing by to come aboard."
Euphrankes had known Maester Zins, Captain of the Axis, for many years. He knew the man was no fool. Zins' response confirmed this.
"I repeat," he said. "Stand clear of the landing platform. No one will be boarding my ship without my prior approval, and I will not dock until the platform is absolutely clear. I will be going silent until you comply."
Euphrankes could imagine The Council's reaction. They were used to being obeyed immediately and without question. They were also likely to be very frightened. It didn't bode well.
He reached out, flicked a knob on his radio, and keyed the mic.
"This is Euphrankes Holmynn, calling the airship Axis. Zins, you old bastard, come in."
There was silence for a few moments. Then the radio crackled once, and Zins' voice boomed back.
"Frank? Is that you? Where are you, man? I don't see the Vector anywhere. It's bad here – could really use some backup."
"I'm here, but we didn't fly," Euphrankes said. He quickly brought his old friend up to speed on what they'd created – what they hoped to accomplish – and where they were at.
"You think it will work?" Zins asked. "You really repaired the road?"
"We did," Euphrankes said. "We have a very large patch. A lot depends on what that thing does when it hits, but if it's a simple rift in the First Veil, I believe we can contain the damage."
"That is the best news I've heard since we saw that damnable chunk of fiery whatever-it-is heading for the city," Zins said. "Let me secure my position here, and I'll get a crew in to help. Hell, I'll come myself. I just have to make sure the bastards don't steal my ship. You know that's what they'll try to do – to move The High Council into the Axis and move on to lord it over some other city."
"My thought exactly," Euphrankes replied. "We've got a way through the airlocks; it's just going to take us a couple of hours. Once we're in, we're headed straight for the impact point. I assume you've calculated it as well?"
"Absolutely," Zins said. "We'll get onto the ground, try to talk some sense into the old fools at the base of the platform, and meet you there. If they don't back off the platform, I'll radio my people to lift off and protect the Axis until we either succeed, or…"
His words trailed off, and Euphrankes felt no urge to complete his old friend's thought.
"I'll see you in Urv," he said.
He flipped off the radio and headed back through the center of the tracker and out the airlock. As he fitted his helmet in place and sealed the insulated rubber at the seams, he tried not to think of another man in a similar suit, laid out in a pressurized metal box in the cargo hold. When he was out, he took off for the others at a run.
Chapter Eight
In the end, it took just over an hour to release the mechanism sealing off the road to The Outpost from the city of Urv. In all the time they worked on it, two at a time in shifts, none on the city side acknowledged their presence. The crews saw passing groups on their way to open roads, or to the airship towers, but it appeared that the seals also cordoned off sound very effectively. With no reason to glance at the road, no one gave it a second thought. It wasn't a way to safety, just another thing closed to them.
Euphrankes gripped the side of a large chunk of the seal, and Bonymede took the other. They counted to three, lifte
d, and crab-walked the heavy equipment off to the side.
"I wish there was a way to keep it as a backup," Euphrankes said, fighting for breath. "If we don't manage to seal the city, we may have to make a run back to here. It would be nice if we could be certain of re-sealing it."
"Don't even think that," Aria said. She had stepped into the gap left by the open seal. There had been only the slightest shift in pressure as the road and the city became one for the first time in years. She didn't remove her protective gear, but for the moment, it wasn't really necessary. They were as safe as anyone had ever been in the great cage they called Urv.
They hurriedly pulled aside the last of the portal, stacking the pieces as far out of the road as possible. Lyones and Slyphie roamed ahead a little ways, making certain that nothing had been piled or left in the street since the road had closed. It wasn't likely – the citizens of Urv spent as little time in the streets as possible, and the sort of construction that might leave heavy debris was rare. They still had to check. Once they got into the tracker, they needed to keep moving.
The inside of the portal was surrounded by a wide, semi-circular lot. It was as far into the city as mobilized vehicles were allowed. They came through the roads, they unloaded, and what they carried was transported on mechanically enhanced hand trucks and carts. What Euphrankes was about to attempt would have had him banished through the portals with the garbage, or incinerated. He was going to take the tracker through the city streets, eating up valuable air in the process.
There was no reason the vehicle couldn't pass. In the distant past, there had been no such restrictions. Air then had been more plentiful, and the huge pumps that processed what they breathed, and what pressurized their world, had been newer and stronger. As things shifted, and the seals in the roads failed, The High Council began to set down new rules.
Most of them made sense, and under normal circumstances, Euphrankes wouldn't even consider breaking this one, but a bit of fresh air in the face of losing all of it seemed a small price, and the tracker was going to get them to the point of impact a lot faster than they could reach it on foot.
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