Colony B Box Set

by Michael Campling

  She chewed her lip as she ran her eyes over the settings one last time, then she typed the word execute at the command prompt. Summoning her confidence, she tapped the return key, then she sat back, holding her breath.

  Working, the screen said. 1% Complete…

  She exhaled, puffing out her cheeks. I did it. I got it going. But had she made any mistakes? Had she missed anything out? She ran her hands through her hair, massaging her scalp with her fingertips. It was clearly going to be some time before she’d find out if her work was good enough. Until then, all she could do was wait.

  ***

  “Siobhan!”

  Siobhan woke, slumped over the workstation, her head resting on her folded arms. She sat up with a gasp. “What’s happened?”

  Cate stood over her. “You crashed out. I let you sleep. Figured you needed it.”

  “Oh, right.” Siobhan rubbed her face, feeling the marks where her skin had been pressed against the wrinkled creases of her shirt sleeves. “How long?”

  “An hour. Maybe a little longer.” She smiled. “It was okay, I had things to do. I walked around the outside, checked everything over. After what you said about the metal, I was worried.”

  “Is the rover all right?”

  “Yeah. A few more scuffs and scratches. It’s hard to say where they came from though.”

  Siobhan paled. “I hope you were careful. If any of that stuff had stuck to the rover…”

  “Don’t worry. I thought about that, and there’s no trace of it. I’d say we got off lightly.” She gestured toward the workstation. “Anyhow, I think your program finished. It made a sound, but I guess you didn’t hear it.”

  “Right.” Siobhan peered at the monitor.

  100% Complete. Open report? (y or n)

  She tapped the y key and studied the lines of text as they rolled up the screen. Most of it was familiar, and her heart sank as she read through it. The report could’ve come from any of the scouting runs they’d carried out. There was nothing new, nothing unusual, nothing to make the effort worthwhile. She tutted under her breath.

  “No good?” Cate asked. “Didn’t it work?”

  “It worked all right, it just didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know.”

  “How about the map? Ben spent hours looking at that thing.”

  “Yeah. May as well check.” Siobhan sighed, tapping at the keypad to call up Ben’s map of the planet’s magnetic field. It took the monitor a while to draw the updated map, the image appearing in thin horizontal strips, the new areas highlighted in yellow.

  “That’s where we passed that outcrop of rock,” Cate said, pointing to the monitor. She traced the rover’s path across the map with her finger. “What’s that? Looks like a hill, but I don’t recognize it.”

  “The contours don’t show the actual surface, just the magnetic field. The outcrop shows up because it was a different rock type that got pushed up somehow.”

  “What, like lava?”

  Siobhan shrugged. “Maybe. We don’t know enough to be sure.”

  “So, if this peak isn’t a hill, what is it?”

  “I don’t know.” Siobhan leaned closer to the monitor, her brow furrowed. “I guess it’s something different under the surface.” She shook her head. “Ben would’ve known. He would’ve been thrilled. It’s exactly the kind of thing he was searching for.”

  Cate smiled. “That’s good, right? He found something. His work paid off.”

  “I guess.”

  “You don’t sound too excited.”

  “It’s just…” Siobhan looked up at Cate. “It’s kind of a hollow victory without him.” She paused, her gaze running over the map. “And the really ironic thing is that I’m not even sure what it means. I know he was looking for anomalies like this, but I don’t know what to do about it.”

  “It’s got to be important though, hasn’t it? Ben seemed to think so.”

  Siobhan turned her attention back to the monitor, drumming her fingers on the workstation. “He was hoping to find somewhere with a strong enough magnetic field to keep the symbiont from spreading, so yes, it is important—now more than ever.” Siobhan ran her finger across the screen. “When we turned around, we’d been heading north, traveling along the edge of the anomaly.”

  “So what—we missed it?”

  “Kind of. We won’t know for sure unless we found out more. We’d have to map this area to the east, then we’d see if the field carries on like this or if it’s just an isolated thing.”

  Cate folded her arms. “Right, what are we waiting for?”

  “What? Are you kidding? We can’t just take off in the rover.”

  “No, but we can hustle down and talk to some people. We can get permission and head straight out.”

  Siobhan shook her head. “They won’t allow it. Not after what happened.”

  “I disagree. We need to find a safer place, and that’s exactly what Ben was trying to do. Looks like his work came through, and we can’t just ignore it. If Ben was right, this might be our only chance.”

  “I don’t know.” Siobhan hesitated, but somewhere deep inside, a spark of energy stirred her soul. “Who would we talk to, anyway?”

  “Evelyn,” Cate said. “Has to be her. She’s the only one on the council with the guts to see something through.”

  Siobhan slapped her hand on the workstation. “Let’s do it.”

  ***

  The dash back down to the settlement passed in a flash, and they made plans on the way. Cate was in her element, working out the time they’d need and talking about power levels, equipment, and supplies. Siobhan was quieter, certain that Evelyn wouldn’t listen to them, and that even if she did, she wouldn’t let them take the rover. But she didn’t voice her concerns, and Cate had enough drive and commitment for them both.

  When they reached Evelyn’s house, they marched up to the door and knocked, swapping anxious glances as they waited.

  The door opened, Evelyn appearing with a warm smile and holding out her arms in welcome. “Come in, come in. I’m so glad you’re here.”

  She led them inside, taking them through to the kitchen. “Sit down, both of you. I’ll make us a drink.”

  “Thanks, but we don’t have time,” Cate started. “What we’ve come to talk about is important.”

  Evelyn regarded them coolly. “Seems like it’s a day for it.” She paused as if gathering her strength. “Very well. You have my full attention. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

  Siobhan spoke in a rush, relaying the essential facts, condensing the critical points into as few words as she could manage. And when she’d finished, Evelyn turned to Cate. “And you agree with all this?”

  “Absolutely,” Cate said. “We need to see this through, and I’m ready to go. Just say the word.”

  “It’s a little more complicated than that,” Evelyn began, holding up her hand to ward off interruption. “To begin with, I need to know a few details. For instance, I’d have to be sure that you don’t intend to travel anywhere near this new type of grunge.”

  Cate was ready with a reply. “Our route will take us east before we get anywhere near the place where…where we stopped before. We’ll be at least ten miles from the dangerous symbiont at all times.”

  “That’s good, but we don’t know exactly how far this new strain has spread,” Evelyn pointed out. “What if you come up against some more?”

  “We’d turn around and head home at full speed,” Cate said. “Trust me, I wouldn’t take any chances. I never want to see that stuff again.”

  “And how long would the round trip take?”

  “Six hours,” Cate said.

  Evelyn nodded. “Siobhan, do you really think this magnetic anomaly might lead us to somewhere relatively safe, despite the threat from these aggressive airborne spores?”

  “It’s way too early to say that,” Siobhan stated. “We don’t know what we’ll find, but I’d like to follow this lead. It’s too important to ignore.�
� She hesitated. “If something good could come out of this, it would mean a lot. I feel like I owe it to Ben. And we shouldn’t forget him. We shouldn’t forget what he did.”

  “I understand,” Evelyn said. “This is a difficult time, but we must reign in our emotions and be as rational as we can. Have you spoken to your father about this, Siobhan?”

  “No, he wasn’t home,” Siobhan said. “Mom said he was meeting with Mac, trying to get a radio going.”

  “Yes.” Evelyn looked down for a moment, her hands clasped in front of her, her body completely still, and when she looked up, a glint of determination lit her eyes. “Right now, we need as many options as we can get. So I’m prepared to sanction your mission so long as you agree to a few conditions. One, you take a patrol team leader with you—I don’t mind which one. Two, you will show me the precise route you intend to take before you set off.”

  “We’ll need to be in the rover for that,” Siobhan put in. “Everything is programmed into the nav system.”

  “And that takes me to condition three,” Evelyn said smoothly. “I must insist that, as a representative of the council, I will accompany you on the journey.”

  Cate stared at her “You?”

  “Yes. Those are my conditions, and I have neither the time nor the patience for negotiations.”

  Siobhan and Cate shared a look.

  “I guess it would be all right,” Cate said. “You’ve been on a ride along before, so I don’t see why not.”

  Siobhan grinned, a thrill of excitement running through her. They were going to do this. It was really going to happen. “Wow. Okay. So, who can we take from the patrol team?”

  Cate frowned. “Ideally, I’d like Parry.”

  Evelyn shook her head. “I’m sorry, he’ll be working with Connor. We can’t spare him. You’ll have to pick from Phoebe or Tessa.”

  “I’m not sure about Tessa,” Cate said quickly. “I don’t think she’ll want to come, anyway.”

  “Phoebe then?” Siobhan glanced at Evelyn. “Do you think Phoebe would agree? I mean, she has a baby, and this is short notice. It might make things hard for her.”

  Cate made a non-committal grunt but remained tight-lipped.

  “We’ll take Tessa,” Evelyn said. “Providing she’s willing, that is.” She stepped closer to Siobhan. “Let’s get ready. Siobhan, I’ll come with you and explain the situation to your mother. Cate, round up Tessa. We’ll meet here in five minutes. Let’s get to it.” And with that, she swept from the room, Siobhan and Cate following in her wake.

  CHAPTER 6

  Truck One

  Lyndsey knocked on the door of her cabin then entered quietly. Lying on the bed, Lara looked up, her eyes dulled by the painkillers they’d given her. “How are you doing?” Lyndsey asked, thinking, Dumb question. They all knew Lara was in a bad way. They’d given her a shot from the emergency medical kit, and the drug seemed to have deactivated the symbiont that had invaded Lara’s body, but they hadn’t been able to help her until she’d been through the decontamination chamber, and by then she’d already been badly burned, her arms and legs livid and swollen.

  “Anything you need?” Lyndsey went on. “A glass of water, maybe?”

  Wincing, Lara shook her head.

  “Okay.” Lyndsey put her hands in her pockets, suddenly unsure how to stand, how to behave. “I…I need to ask you a few questions if you don’t mind.”

  Lara cast her a baleful look, and when she spoke, her voice was little more than a rasping croak. “What?”

  “It’s about the symbiont. I knew it would be well into phase two, but the growth is much more advanced than I expected. You’re our biologist, and I’m hoping you can help me understand what’s happened.”

  Lara let out a faint snort. “That’s rich. All these years, and you never told me a damned thing. I could’ve done so much. I could’ve—” She coughed, her face wracked with pain. “Shit that hurt. There’s something wrong.”

  “You’re going to be okay,” Lyndsey said gently. “They tell me the meds stopped the symbiont. It’s just the burns giving you a tough time.”

  Lara’s cheek twitched. “Bullshit. I’m dying, and you’re wasting your breath.” She stared up at the ceiling. “A while back, I cultured some symbiont in my lab. I never told anyone. I worked at night. Figured out quite a bit about how it grows. I didn’t see everything, but enough. More than enough.” She stifled a cough. “I knew you were keeping secrets from the crew, even though we were all trapped together on this crummy planet. You knew a lot more than you were telling. So what’s changed? How come you’re in here asking me questions? That’s what I want to know.”

  Lyndsey took a slow breath. “All right. I’m here because the symbiont has grown beyond all my projections. It’s like the organism has gone into overdrive, and I need to know why. I need to understand what’s happening.”

  “I can’t help.” Lara glanced at her. “I’m not just being an asshole. I really don’t know. I could work it out if I had more data. And more time, but that isn’t going to happen.” She sighed. “Who knows? Maybe the organism was always meant to grow like this. Maybe the company never told you.”

  Lyndsey shook her head. “No, that’s…that’s ridiculous. I was in charge of this project. Nothing happened without me knowing about it. This is something else. Something’s gone off the rails—I can feel it.”

  Lara frowned. “Well, the cyanobacteria might’ve mutated, but somehow, I don’t think that’s the answer. It could be any number of other factors. You’ve got to remember that no one’s ever really tested the symbiont at this scale. Sure, you’ve run simulations, but it’s not the same.” She paused to clear her throat. “Light gets absorbed by the symbiont instead of being reflected back. As the symbiont mat spreads, the change could be enough to alter the climate. Or it might be the ocean. Water is a massive heatsink, but the symbiont grows in the sea and it’s bound to upset the whole ecosystem. That might be enough to change the ocean currents, and who knows what effect that might have?”

  “You think it’s environmental?”

  Lara lifted her shoulder in a half shrug. “Best guess. But hey, you should be pleased. Think of all the fuel they’ll make.” She gave a dry laugh, the noise rattling in her throat. “Shame we won’t live to see it.”

  “We can try to pull through,” Lyndsey insisted. “We can hold out at the base.”

  Lara closed her eyes. “Leave me alone. No more questions. I’ve given enough.”

  “I’ll let you rest.” Lyndsey let herself out and headed toward the truck’s main compartment, but before she made it to the end of the short corridor, Kyrksen called out to her from the cockpit: “Doctor Teare, you need to see this.”

  Lyndsey stifled a groan and turned around, marching into the cockpit and closing the door firmly behind her. “What’s up? Are we anywhere near the base yet?”

  “At this speed?” Kyrksen kept his gaze on the control panel. “We’re picking our way through as fast as we can, but it’s going to take a few hours before we get anywhere near the base.” He tapped a keypad and gestured toward the co-pilot’s seat. “Take a look at your nav panel.”

  Lyndsey took her place, strapping herself in and pulling the nav panel toward her on its flexible arm. The grainy image on the screen showed the tree-like symbiont structures whipping past at a frightening rate. “What’s this, a speeded up recording?” Before Kyrksen could answer, the image rotated through almost ninety degrees then righted itself. There was no way this footage could’ve come from a hover truck. “You launched a drone!”

  “That’s right,” Kyrksen said. “Three of them, actually. It seemed the safest way to look ahead.”

  “I didn’t authorize this.”

  Kyrksen shifted in his eat. “No, but you were busy with the casualties, so I arranged it with Alec and Crissy. They agreed that it would save us time if I used the drones to scout a clear way through. Crissy’s been tracking their paths and calculating our best course. Sh
e’s relaying the route to all pilots.”

  Lyndsey let out a disapproving grunt. Kyrksen was a high-handed, insubordinate son of a bitch, and she’d had just about enough of his bullshit. But she had to admit that he wasn’t stupid, and she couldn’t find fault with his plan. After all, it wasn’t like they were going to need the drones again, so it made perfect sense to send them to scout ahead through the treacherous terrain. “All right, Kyrksen, carry on. Is that all you wanted to show me? I need to go and check on the crew from truck five.”

  “Wait a second.” Kyrksen opened a channel. “Crissy, is drone two still the nearest to the base?”

  “That’s right,” Crissy replied over the cockpit’s speaker. “I sent it on a circuit around the perimeter like you asked.”

  “Thanks, but could you reorient it for a second, so the camera faces the base? I’d like to show Doctor Teare.”

  “Will do.”

  Kyrksen turned to Lyndsey, his eyes darting furtively from side to side. “Watch the panel.”

  The image in front of Lyndsey changed, a gray blur flickering across the screen. The camera refocused, the blur resolving into a chain-link fence, and beyond it, a cluster of white blocky shapes squatted against the landscape. Lyndsey’s breath caught in her chest. The base! At last! She sat back. “Hey, that’s great. How far out are we?”

  “That’s beside the point,” Kyrksen said. “Watch the modules.”

  Lyndsey frowned, concentrating on the unsteady image. The thirteen landing modules, arranged in six pairs radiating from the central hub, were connected by enclosed walkways, but all she could make out were their stark outlines against the landscape, their walls featureless. The crews had sealed every module before they’d set off in the trucks, so there would be nothing to see, anyway. She glanced at Kyrksen. What was he playing at? Why was he wasting her time?