Ash Princess (The Deviant Future #6) - Eve Langlais Page 0,5

“Although we’re not aware of any attempts recently.”

“Because it’s suicide. You said it yourself. The air is poison, which means just breathing kills.” Casey remained blunt.

“So we don’t breathe it. What about using masks and those rebreather units the divers use?” Cam asked, not sure why he kept pressing the point.

“Those are meant for water,” Casey reminded.

“It’s actually not a bad idea. Could they be adapted for air?” Roark posed the question to Riella.

A thoughtful expression appeared on her face. “It’s certainly doable but would require intense filtration.”

“Even with a device to breathe, if the air is that poisonous, then any exposure to skin might be harmful,” Sofia their medical expert interjected. “It could have a corrosive effect.”

“Meaning along with the breathing apparatus there would be a need for a sealed suit.” Riella took notes.

Casey shook her head. “A suit and mask might work for a few hours, but eventually that person is going to have to pee. And eat. Soon as they break the seal…” In the pause after her ominous words hovered a silence. She made it sound impossible.

There had to be a way.

“A suit would only be needed if the people investigating had to move on foot. But why would they walk when they can take a sealed vehicle in?” Cam pointed out the obvious.

“A great idea if we had any.” Roark shifted. “Our fleet consists mostly of the two- and four-wheel all-terrain vehicles.”

“We have some trucks,” Gunner reminded.

“With small cabs and large open cargo areas. They would require extensive modifications.” Roark rolled his shoulders.

“Do we have that kind of time?” Casey queried.

Cam wasn’t about to let this go. “Can’t you buy something from Port City?” Since Roark’s brother, Darius, was engaged to the new Queen of Sapphire, the trade between the kingdoms flourished.

“I’ll make the request to see if they have any, but I’m afraid trucks of the type you’re talking about are more common in other kingdoms than here,” Roark stated.

“Actually”—Riella lifted her attention from her notes—“I might have something that will work. I had Burton salvaged.”

Everyone looked puzzled until she explained. “Burton is my old tank. Titan sank it on the way here, but we managed to dredge it, and I’ve been working on restoring it.”

“How soon before it can be ready to roll?” Roark asked.

Riella’s brow creased. “Not too long. I’ve already replaced all the seals that made it waterproof and rebuilt its engine. It’s lacking all of the interior comfort stuff, but that’s less important than the body of it.”

“Will it work in the Diamond Kingdom?”

“Maybe.” She shrugged. “Without having a sample of the air, I can’t be sure if the seals will survive any corrosive effects.”

“What if we sent it in on auto pilot for a test run? In and out,” Gunner suggested.

“Already been tried,” Roark remarked. “Like the drones, they don’t return. Any machine we send in will need someone at the controls.”

“How does that make any sense? You just said machines stop working when they cross into the weird fog,” Casey pointed out.

It was Riella who explained. “Having seen this phenomenon before, I’m fairly certain it’s the electronics components that are probably getting shorted. Which means so long as the vehicle remains perfectly mechanical, it should be fine.”

“That’s a lot of maybes and shoulds,” Casey mumbled. “Not to mention, where are you going to find the idiots who are going to volunteer for a suicide mission like that?”

“I will.” That time Cam expected the words that burst from his lips.

His sister didn’t. She flashed him a look and then proceeded to emasculate him in front of a crowd. “Oh no you’re not. It’s way too dangerous. We have no idea if a modified transport will work in there.”

“We also can’t sit around and do fuck all,” Cam retorted hotly. It occurred to him in that moment that her forbidding him was reminiscent of the times he’d done it to her. Had she felt that same heated embarrassment in front of their peers and friends? No wonder she wanted away from him.

It was the king who helped him keep his balls. “Your brother is right. We can’t do nothing. We must find out what’s causing the poison fog.”

“You want answers? Fine. But someone else can go.” Casey glared at Cam as she said it.

“Who?” Cam snapped, pushing from the wall. “We all know the person who goes into that danger zone has to have experience living in the wild.”

“Plenty of those around.”

“Not ones that have experienced more than one kingdom.