“Let’s go.” The Baron stepped in beside me and pressed his thumb to a small gray control panel to one side of the row of buttons. After a moment a softdingwas heard and he said, “Down to Central Hub.”
Then, at last, the doors closed and the lift started going down.
THIRTY-THREE
ELLI
Icouldn’t go back into the Central Hub area—it was quite literally crawling with Sweepers. There looked to be hundreds—no, more likethousandsof them now—skittering over every surface and presumably cleaning it from top to bottom. I wondered if the huge arachnid cleaners were some kind of genetically modified animals or if they were native to O’nagga Nine. Whichever it was, they wereawfuland I didn’t think it would be safe to go back into a room filled with them, even if I could have overcome my aversion to giant bugs.
But I couldn’t stay where I was, either. My right leg, where the giant Sweeper had stung me, was burning like fire but the rest of me was getting dangerously cold.
Without my thick, outer fur coat, I could feel my temperature dropping rapidly. The other seven layers I had on were helpful, but I had left my face coverings, my hat, and my outer mittens in the pockets of the coat along with the Baron’s sigil. Luckily, I still had on my gloves and my scarf, but I wasreallymissing those outer layers by now. How long could I last in this little antechamber area before I froze to death?
As I shivered and shook and stamped the leg that had been stung, the answer seemed to me to be “not long.” Turning my attention from the horrible sight of the thousands of Sweepers skittering all over the Central Hub area, I looked out the main doors of the building. It was rapidly getting dark outside but I could see the street and the parking lot beyond it. And sitting in the parking lot was Sir’s ship.
I stared at the ship as a plan formed in my mind. Did I dare to try it? Did I dare to try running across and seeing if it would open for me?
Sir had said the ship would respond only to his touch, but he’d thought that about the bathroom fixtures too, and I had been able to call those out with no effort at all. I was betting I could get the ship to let me inside too. All I had to do was run across the road to the parking lot and slap my hand on its silver outer hull. The door should open and I could jump inside and get warm.
Of course, Sir wasn’t going to like it when he found out. I was going to be punished for sure. But I would rather take a punishment than freeze to death—which was beginning to seem like a distinct possibility as it got colder and colder in the antechamber area.
Look, the longer you hesitate, the more body heat you lose and the less chance you have,I lectured myself.Take a breath and just do it—make a run for it! And if it doesn’t work and the ship won’t open, you can always run right back.
It seemed like a good plan and the only chance I had. I couldn’t get back to Sir—even if I could pass through the mass of skittering Sweepers, the elevator seemed to be out of commission for the night. Plus, the ship was soclose—just down the steps and across the street. There weren’t even any vehicles passing by anymore to slow me down. I wassureI could make it.
I pulled my scarf up to cover my mouth and nose and ears so that only my eyes were visible. Then, taking a deep breath, I pushed on the outer door and let myself out into the deepening twilight.
I was going to run for my life—I just hoped I made it.
THIRTY-FOUR
SIR
Icould see the huge arachnids long before we got down to the bottom level. They were crawling everywhere, their clear bodies shimmering like glass or ice in the low lighting.
“Watch out for these fuckers,” the Baron advised me. He was gripping the barrel of his weapon tightly. “Don’t let them get close enough to sting you with their bristles—their venom can paralyze a grown male in just a few solar minutes.”
“The better to incapacitate their prey,” I said grimly. “Why do you let these monstrosities out into your living areas?”
“Actually, they were bred to eat the ice mites that feed on our infrastructure—without them all our fucking buildings would collapse,” Baron Vik’tor told me. “The ice they’re made of would be riddled with thousands of tiny, microscopic holes.” He shook his head. “The downside is, the Sweepers are mindless—pretty much eat anything that gets in their way. Your pet…she may already be gone. I’m really fucking sorry.”
I closed my eyes briefly, thinking of little one. But I could still sense her through our bond—could still feel her small, brave flame burning inside me. She wasn’t dead yet, though shewasin terrible danger.
“My pet is still alive,” I said in a low voice. “I canfeelher.”
“Well, she’s either hiding in a bolt hole somewhere or she might have gotten pushed out into the street,” Baron Vik’tor told me. “That’s as deadly as the Sweepers—temperatures drop sharply when the sun goes down.”
“I’ll try to follow her scent,” I told him.
“I’ll go with you, clear the way,” he offered. “Are you ready? The doors are about to open.”
As he spoke, we reached the bottom floor.
“Yes,” I said grimly. “Let’s go.”
There was a softdingas the lift stopped at its destination.
And then the doors opened and all Hell broke loose.