City of Ruins - By Kristine Kathryn Rusch Page 0,50

to take this one shift at a time, one problem at a time,” he said. “It’s our job to make sure the crew remains upbeat and working toward our future. But it’s also our job to keep the promises to a minimum. I don’t want us to reassure them that we’ll rejoin the Fleet. I don’t want to hear discussion of friends and family on other ships. If someone tries to talk about that, I want the conversation redirected or truncated as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

“Won’t that make people suspicious, sir?” Lynda asked.

He shook his head. “They’re already suspicious, just like you were. They know something is very wrong here. We’re going to prepare them by degrees for the worst-case scenario. If by some chance we get reunited with the Fleet and not much time has passed, then the crew will appreciate our caution. If we don’t, then they’ll have acclimatized more or less to the new reality.”

Her finger tapped the table, for the first time revealing her nervousness.

“What do you think that worst-case scenario is, sir?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he said quietly. “I honestly don’t know.”

* * * *

TWENTY-FIVE

P

icking our way through the rock-strewn corridor is easier than I expected. Some parts of the corridor have very little debris, just a bit of gravel, none of it black. The walls are pure smooth black as if nothing has changed. The ceiling is dark. The lights, however, are dim if they work at all.

I have to move slower than I want to. My heart pounds. I am having trouble regulating my breathing.

Because I thought of all the dangers that can occur down here, I’m now focused on them. I worry that the ceiling will cave in, the walls will crumble, big chunks of blackness will fall on us. I want to find out if Mikk and Roderick are still alive. I’m terrified that the opening of the cave is blocked.

For the first time in years, I’m afraid I’m going to die.

I am not monitoring the Six as well as I should. I should keep an ear tuned to their breathing. But I don’t. I try not to hesitate, try not to show the fear that I’m feeling.

The rocks look eerie in the light from our suits. I have my lights on bright, casting a clear white light ahead of us, catching the rocks in shadow.

Rea’s light from his suit, bringing up the rear, augments my lights. I can see the shadows of the Six elongated around me, as if they’re right next to me. I use those to track their progress.

Often I stop, particularly after I’ve executed a difficult walking pattern. I watch them pick their way over the debris, turning their heads so that they can watch their hands or looking down to keep track of where they place their feet.

The Six are following my instructions. They’re trying to walk in my footsteps.

I round a corner, and pause. Rocks litter the corridor in piles taller than I am. My light barely seems to penetrate the opening on the left side of the corridor.

A tight squeeze.

Something I’ve been afraid of.

I make my way there, careful to keep my boots away from the larger rocks in the center of the floor. I reach the huge pile, and hear a sound beyond it.

Voices.

In my ear?

“Mikk?” I say.

“Boss?” I hear relief in his voice, but it can’t match the relief I feel.

He’s alive.

“Is Roderick with you?” I ask.

“He’s helping me,” Mikk says. “Don’t move. We’ll get you out as quickly as we can.”

Don’t move?

“We’ve been moving,” I say. “We just got here.”

“All of you?” he asks. “You’re all right, then?”

I don’t want to explain what happened over the comm link. “We’re fine,” I say. “It’s not so bad here.”

“The rock fall blocked the corridor,” Mikk says. “We’ve been trying to clear it, but the stack is pretty precarious. Don’t touch anything. You might bring the whole thing down on us.”

The others have joined me. They’re pressing closer than I like, as if they want to see through the opening, just like I do.

“We’ll wait,” I say as much to the Six as to Mikk and Roderick. I can see their movement through the opening on the left side. The poor men—they’re lifting rocks and moving them aside.

Have they been doing that since the rockslides happened?

I stand near that left side so they can see me. The rock fall is deeper than I thought. It is at least six meters wide. The