“Yes and no,” Ben said. “There’s grunge here, but only in certain places. It’s like it’s in strips—long, straight strips stretching out ahead.”
“Patch it through to the control panel,” Connor said. “See what Cate makes of it.”
“Will do.”
In the front seat, Cate leaned over the display screen. For a few seconds she stared in silence, but then her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my God! This pattern isn’t where the grunge has been destroyed. These are strips of live grunge, like it’s been laid down. Like it’s been sprayed onto the surface.”
“You’re right,” Ben said. “That’s exactly what it is. I should’ve seen it.”
“Wait a minute,” Connor protested, “that can’t be right. It’s like we said before—their vehicles are just killing the grunge, leaving a—”
“No,” Ben interrupted. “That’s not it at all, Connor. Look around you. There’s life here. The plants are healthy. But the grunge has been laid on top of them. The pattern is clear as day.”
Connor felt the blood drain from his face. “Are you saying that these people are doing this deliberately?”
“That’s it,” Ben said. “They’re spreading the grunge. They’re systematically laying it down, wiping out everything in their path.”
“Oh my God!” Connor whispered. “We’ve got to stop them.”
“You’re damned right,” Parry said. “Without those bastards spreading the grunge, the whole planet could be viable. We could live anywhere we wanted.”
“I guess so,” Connor said. “But listen, are we ready for a mission on that scale. I was all set to teach them a lesson, but can we shut them down completely?” He paused. “I have every faith in you all, but can we really handle something like that on our own?”
“Oh, we can handle them,” Parry stated. “And there’s one thing they didn’t count on. They must’ve figured that no one would ever try to follow them, otherwise they would never have risked laying down such a clear trail of grunge as they went along. But they didn’t figure on us, and we’ll find them easily now. With a trail as clear as this, we’ll be able to move pretty fast, and we’ll catch up to them before they know what’s hit them.”
“Okay,” Connor said. “And when we do, we’re going to do a damned sight more than rescue Siobhan and Milo.” Then he sat back, his lips pressed together firmly. He didn’t need to say another word.
CHAPTER 17
Truck Two
Siobhan stared at the open cockpit door, her lips moving soundlessly. Something had gone badly wrong. Her eyes went from the man standing in the doorway to the rifle she’d left at the back of the cockpit.
Beside her, Jim gave a start as if sensing Siobhan’s unease, and he looked over his shoulder. “What the hell, Thaddeus? We told you to stay in the cabin.”
Thaddeus stood on the threshold, his eyes darting between Siobhan and Jim, and then slowly, he raised his hands to shoulder height in a gesture of surrender. “I’m not armed,” he said, and his voice was unsteady. “Sue and me, we don’t want any trouble. Understand?”
Siobhan released her harness and pushed herself to her feet, squaring up to Thaddeus. “What’s happened to Milo? What have you done to him?”
Thaddeus’s lower lip wobbled. “Your friend…I think he’s all right. Sue’s looking after him. He just slipped, that’s all. When the truck banked, we heard something fall. And when we looked out, he was just lying there.” Thaddeus looked at Jim, then he spoke quickly, barely pausing for breath. “I could’ve picked up his rifle, but I didn’t. I meant what I said, we’re not going to cause you any trouble. There’s no need for anyone to get hurt. Whatever you’re doing, we can work through it. We’ll even help if we can, and then you can let me and Sue go back to the fleet, okay?”
Siobhan grabbed her rifle, then she pushed past Thaddeus and out into the corridor. Sure enough, Milo was laid out on the floor, with Sue knelt down beside his head. She was rummaging through a first-aid kit, but she looked up when Siobhan approached.
“Nothing serious,” Sue said. “I don’t think so anyway. He’s a little shaken up and disoriented, but I don’t think he lost consciousness. He must have hit his head when he fell.”
Siobhan’s eyes went to the rifle lying on the floor at Milo’s side, and Sue followed her gaze.
“You can put your guns away,” Sue said. “Whatever your problem is, this is no way to solve it. And right now, the most important thing is to look after your friend.” She returned her attention to the box of first-aid supplies and pulled out a dressing kit. “He’s got a small cut on the side of his head. I’ll clean it up and take a good look at it. It might need some strips to hold it together.”
“Siobhan?” Milo mumbled. “Is that you?”
Siobhan knelt at Sue’s side and leaned over to look into Milo’s eyes. “Yes, I’m here. Just stay still, Milo. Let Sue patch you up, okay?”
Milo gave her a grin. “I went down pretty hard. Stupid really. But I’m okay. I’ll get up in a second. I’m just a little light-headed, that’s all.”
“Stay put until we move you,” Siobhan said firmly. She stood, picking up Milo’s rifle, then she gave Sue a tight-lipped smile. “Thanks. Thanks for looking after him.” She hesitated. “And you’re right. No more guns. I’ll put these away.”
“I tried to make you feel welcome,” Sue said. “I trusted you.”
Siobhan sighed. “I know. I wish we could’ve found another way, but I need to get home. And we were never…we were never going to hurt anybody.”
Sue gestured toward Milo. “That didn’t work out too well, did it?”
“I’m all right,” Milo said. “I’m fine. Fine.”
Sue frowned. “We’ll have to keep a close eye on him. Head wounds can be tricky.”
“Thank you. I’d better get back to the cockpit. If you and Thaddeus could keep an eye on him for now, I’ll come out and take over in a while.”
“And what about Alec?” Sue asked. “What have you done with him?”
“He’s…he’s safe,” Siobhan said. “And he needs to stay where he is for a while.”
“I guess I’ll have to accept that for now,” Sue said. “Send Thaddeus back here, would you? Truth be told, he’s better at first aid than I am.”
“Sure.” Siobhan loitered for a second, then she walked back to the cockpit, taking both rifles with her.
But when she opened the cockpit door, the floor bucked beneath her feet and she stumbled forward. The truck shook and shimmied, and the cockpit filled with the shuddering groan of engines pushed beyond their limits. Struggling to stay upright, Siobhan staggered from side to side, then she collided with the back of the pilot’s seat, the impact driving the breath from her lungs. Her chest burned and she gasped for air, dimly aware that Jim was yelling something at her, while behind her, in the corridor, Sue was calling out for help.
Groaning, Siobhan pushed herself away from the seat and laid the rifles on the floor, then she stood straight, her hand on her chest. “What the hell happened?” she tried to ask, but her voice let her down, and her words came out in a wheezy whisper. She coughed and forced herself to take a slow breath, and then she trusted herself to speak. “Why have we stopped?”
“I had to,” Jim said. “I couldn’t help it.”
Siobhan stepped forward. Jim was safely strapped into his chair, and Thaddeus had been held in the co-pilot’s seat by a partially fastened harness. But the sight that sent a sudden thrill to race down her spine was outside. There, directly in front of the truck, was another vehicle. And from inside the vehicle, four people stared back at her, their faces pale in the harsh glow of the truck’s headlights, and their expressions set in masks of utter astonishment.
Siobhan put her hand on Jim’s shoulder. “Set it down.”
“What?” Jim shook his head. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Set the truck down,” Siobhan said, emphasizing every word. “And be careful, because one of those p
eople that you can see down there…that’s my father.”
CHAPTER 18
Truck Two
“Am I ready yet?” Siobhan asked for the third time. She rolled her shoulders, checking her range of movement in the unfamiliar protective suit. “This is taking forever.”
Sue looked her up and down. “Let me just…” she ran her fingers along the suit’s collar. “Yes, that’s fine. It’s always a good idea to check the threads, just in case.” She handed Siobhan a helmet. “Are you sure you want to go out alone? Because I can come with you if you want.”
“I’m sure.” Siobhan examined the helmet. It was different from the gear she’d seen in the settlement, but Jim had assured her that it was much better than the one she’d been wearing when she’d come aboard. It was certainly much lighter. An insubstantial thing, she thought, but the difference between life and death. She shivered at the thought of going outside again, but it had to be done. She looked at Sue. The older woman was watching her carefully, perhaps noticing her nervousness, and Siobhan wondered at her ability to show such kindness, despite the way she’d been treated. She was a good person, and she’d watch over Milo while Siobhan was outside. “Thanks for looking after Milo. I’m not sure how long this is going to take, but I’ll come back to him as soon as I can.”
Sue nodded. “He’s stable for the moment, but I’ll let you know if anything changes…” She let her voice trail away, and she gave Siobhan a strained smile.
“What is it?” Siobhan asked. “You’re holding something back.”
Sue pursed her lips. “I’m just not sure it would be a good idea to move him at the moment. He’s taking longer to recover than I expected, and Thaddeus thinks it could be disastrous to lug him across to the other vehicle.”
“I understand. Thank you for being straight with me. I’ll talk to my dad, and see what we can come up with. Perhaps we could borrow the truck a little longer, and take him all the way back to the settlement.”
“Alec is not going to be happy with that,” Sue said. “I’m not even sure how we managed to confine him to Jim’s cabin.”
“We’ll try and patch things up with Alec before we leave, but right now, I need to get going.” She fitted her helmet into place and allowed Sue to check that it had locked securely.
“The helmet intercom is switched on,” Sue said. “We should be able to hear what you’re saying, and we’ll be able to talk to you, so if you have any problems, just shout.”
Siobhan gave her a thumbs up, then she opened the door into the decontamination chamber and stepped inside.
CHAPTER 19
The Rover
Connor flexed his fingers, testing his gloves. “Am I ready yet?”
Parry walked around him, checking the seals on Connor’s suit. “Yep, you’re good to go.”
“Thanks.” Connor gave Parry a grateful smile, but it wasn’t returned. “I know what you’re thinking, Parry, but there’s no other way.”
“If we could just raise them on the radio, we’d know—”
“We’d know what?” Connor interrupted.
“We’d know whether Siobhan is okay,” Parry said, and a hint of exasperation crept into his voice. “We’ve got to assume she’s being held there against her will, and we know for a fact that those people are armed. They fired at us for God’s sake.”
Connor clenched his jaw. “All I know is this—my daughter is over there in that vehicle, and I’m going to get her back.”
“Then at least let me come with you.”
“Thanks, Parry, but not this time.” Connor looked his friend in the eye. “I’m sorry, but the whole situation has changed. We’ve got a stalemate here, and I want to be the one to make the first move. But we’ve got to be careful. We’ve got to take the heat out of this situation, or we might make things worse for Siobhan.”
“At least take a rifle,” Parry insisted. “We’ve got to show them we mean business.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but I disagree,” Connor said. “What we’ve got to show them, is that we’re not a threat. The only reason they opened fire before is that Finn started shooting at them. We both know that, don’t we?” He waited for Parry’s response and was rewarded with a resigned nod. “Finn paid the price for his stupidity,” Connor went on. “I won’t make the same mistake.”
Parry’s shoulders slumped. “Okay, Connor, it’s your daughter out there, so we’ll play it your way. But we’ll be watching carefully, and I’ll be suited up and ready to come out there in a second.”
“I know. But don’t worry. I won’t take any stupid risks. I just need to talk to someone. I’m sure I can convince them to let Siobhan and Milo go. After all, it didn’t look as though she was in trouble.” He paused and smiled at the memory of the moment he’d seen his daughter through the windshield. “She waved to us for God’s sake.”
“I saw,” Parry said. “But was she putting on a show? Was she under duress?”
“Honestly? I can’t say for sure. But we’ve been over this, Parry. We have to do something, and this is the only decent plan on the table.”
Parry nodded slowly. “Just do me a favor and take it easy out there. And remember, we’ve got your back.”
“Sure. And you can do something for me, Parry.”
“What?”
“You can stop talking, and give me the damned helmet.”
Parry grunted, but he took a helmet from the locker and handed it to Connor without a word.
“I’ll keep in touch on the radio,” Connor said. “Everything will be fine, you’ll see.” He pulled his helmet into place and waited while Parry checked the seal.
“You’re good to go,” Parry said, then he opened the door to the decontamination cubicle.
Connor gave his friend a final pat on the arm and then stepped carefully through the narrow doorway. He heard the inner door close behind him, and a green light appeared on the outer door. Connor hesitated for only half a second, then he turned the handle and pushed the door open in one swift movement.
Outside, the sky had paled, painting the landscape a drab gray and bathing the brushwood with soft, pre-dawn light, but Connor scarcely spared a glance at the scenery. He stepped out, taking hold of the grab rail and turning around to position his feet on top of the small ladder that led down to the ground, then he closed the rover’s outer door and clambered down.
On the surface, Connor laid his hand against the rover’s side, and some part of him was reluctant to let go. Was he doing the right thing? Should he have listened to Parry warnings? He turned to look forward, staring at the huge vehicle that sat in front of the rover. Along with Parry and the others, he’d watched the massive machine settle on the ground and seen the effortless way it crushed the vegetation beneath it. The sheer bulk of the thing had taken his breath away. But now, alone on the ground and surrounded by the gloomy shadows of a hostile world, he felt stupidly small and vulnerable. It’s like facing down a freight train, he told himself. But I have no choice. He pictured Siobhan, recalling the way she’d waved down at him, and he started walking, his eyes fixed firmly on the brutal lines of the monstrous vehicle in front of him.
His foot knocked against something, and he stopped and looked down. The obscene lump on the ground had probably once been a living thing—a crow perhaps—but now, it was little more than a gelatinous mass: a shapeless blob of ruined flesh, covered in a glistening coat of blue-green grunge. Connor grimaced and looked away, fighting down the tide of rage stirring in his gut. One day, the people who’d blighted this planet would get what was coming to them, but right now, he had a job to do, and he couldn’t let his smoldering anger cloud his judgment.
He walked on, and as he grew closer to the vehicle, he peered up at its windshield. There was someone moving behind the glass; someone watching. It looked like a man, although it was hard for Connor to be sure from his position on the ground. He’d only been able to see Siobhan from the rover because she’d moved so close to the other vehicle’s
windshield; she’d pressed one hand against the glass and waved frantically with the other. But this person was standing well back and keeping out of plain sight; staying in the shadows. Were they a threat, or were they just being cautious? They’re waiting to see if I’m harmless, Connor decided. I can’t say I blame them.
Connor stopped walking. If everything was okay, if there was no danger, the man behind the windshield would show himself. But instead, the mysterious watcher stepped back smartly and disappeared from view. Shit! What did that mean? Was something wrong? Had he walked into a trap? A tingling sensation crept across Connor’s scalp, and his chest was suddenly tight. “Parry, can you hear me okay?” Connor asked, and his voice was hoarse with apprehension.
There was a whisper of static on the intercom, then Parry’s voice came through: “Yes, we’ve got you, Connor. Loud and clear. What can you see?”
“Just the vehicle. There’s nobody in sight. I’m not sure…wait.”
“What is it?” Parry demanded. “What’s happening?”
“I heard something. Sounded like…like a door slamming.”
“Are you sure? Could it have been a weapon?”
“No. At least, it didn’t sound like the rifles they had before.” Connor licked his dry lips. “It came from around the side. I’m going to take a look.”
“Connor, that’s not a good idea,” Parry said. “Why don’t you stand your ground? Otherwise, you’re getting farther away from the rover, and I don’t—”
“It’s all right,” Connor interrupted. “I need to do this, Parry. I have to.” Connor squared his shoulders and started walking toward the corner of the massive vehicle, his gaze set dead ahead. If he looked back, if he saw the rover growing more distant behind him, he would lose his nerve, and that couldn’t happen. He had to keep moving. If there was any chance at all that he could get his daughter back without starting a firefight, then he had to take it.
“Parry, I’m at the corner,” he said. “I’m going around.” Connor paused for a moment. He could lean against the vehicle and peek around the edge, but that would look suspicious, threatening even, and that would not be a good way to start negotiations. He had to make a show of good faith.
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