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When Devika reached the ridgeline, alarms on her wrist-comp sounded again. She silenced them and pulled a test strip from a slot in her wrist-comp. “Help me take a sample.”
Nico removed a strip from his own device.
Devika walked a short distance down the slope into the wasteland. A strong breeze kicked up dust and, she hoped, not something more deadly.
She bent and rubbed her test strip thoroughly over a pile of grayish white stones. Then she inserted it back into the wrist-comp test slot. It was part of an Alfar technology upgrade as thanks for Space City’s assistance with the outbreak on Ourania the previous year. Since she and Nico worked on Instructor Fintan’s team, they received early access to the upgrade.
While the wrist-comp analyzed the test strip, she blinked to activate her contact lens’s zoom function. A magnification bar appeared on the right edge of her vision. With it she could enlarge her sight up to twenty times. The contacts also made automatic diopter adjustments to account for visual differences between her right and left eye.
The contacts started off at five times magnification.
Out in the wasteland, a dissipating dust cloud revealed a pile of white... bones? Studying it more closely, she decided it must be broken branches or a narrow, shattered tree trunk.
Doubling the zoom disoriented her. She focused on one piece of bare ground, allowing her eyes to settle. Then she started a sweep of the area. A vague depression appeared at her ten o’clock. She doubled the magnification, which revealed a large crater in the ground. A perfect circle. Definitely not natural.
A chime from her wrist-comp indicated the test results were ready.
“Substance unknown,” Nico groaned. “Lot of good this did us.”
Devika blinked, deactivating her contacts. The suddenness made her vision swim. She rocked back on her heels, closed her eyes, and breathed. After a second, she checked her own wrist-comp. It had returned the same results—substance unidentifiable.
“It means what we tested isn’t in the Space City database,” she replied. “That’s true for a lot of substances on the planet.”
But just because they couldn’t identify the substance didn’t mean the test wasn’t useful. It examined the properties of the substance.
“It doesn’t have any corrosive properties that could damage our suits,” she said after studying the analysis. “But we should keep our helmets up, anyway.”
If they proceeded forward from here they couldn’t come in direct contact with anyone afterwards until they’d decontaminated their suits upon their return to Space City. The prospect didn’t deter her.
“I vote we go back.” Nico retreated a few steps up the ridge. “We got a couple of samples. We should get those back to the lab. Plus, now that we have a specific area of interest, we can get some aerial views that will help us narrow down our search.”
“Don’t need an aerial. There’s a hole in the ground out there,” she said, pointing.
“Oh. Great. A hole in the ground.” He crossed his arms. “Sounds exciting.”
“We should check it out. It might be the next stage in the trial.”
He yanked his wrist-comp from his arm and shoved it in her face. “The place is toxic. It’s not safe to go out there. You promised we’d only get samples here.”
She didn’t need to look at the screen. She knew what it said. And she had promised him they wouldn’t enter the wasteland. “That was before I saw the artificial hole in the ground. We’ve got the lead once more, but not for long. Others will find it soon enough. If we want to be first, we go now.”
“Devika, you promised!”
“The icosahedron thorneway deposited us here for a reason,” she pleaded.
His face reddened as he pointed back toward the beach. “And that reason is just as likely to be the city ruins as out here. Maybe more so.”
“There’s no way that’s a natural hole in the ground. Look for yourself.” She jabbed a finger at it. “Even from this distance I can tell it has to be Etaem made.”
“For all we know it’s a toxic dump,” he protested. “For those chemicals our wrist-comps are warning us about.”
She softened her voice, willing to give him an out. “Go back. I know you didn’t sign up for this. I’ll go alone.”
His face reddened further. “And have Anand kill me for abandoning his sister? You’re here because of me.”
She slumped, her voice barely above a whisper. “You don’t have to worry about Anand. He’s never leaving Ourania again.”
Nico winced.
They stood there in uncomfortable silence for a few seconds before he muttered, “He’d find a way to turn my scouts against me. Have them kill me.”
She chortled. “You’re right. He absolutely would.”
Nico stared past her, out into the wasteland. “I don’t think this is a good idea. We need more information to know if it’s safe.”
“Where are you two newbs going?”
They turned to find Adrian traipsing down the ridge behind them, Falk and Vincent at his shoulders. The latter two glanced nervously at their wrist-comps, which chimed warnings. Belatedly, they raised their helmets.
Devika bristled, but Nico spoke first. “We’re trying to figure out how the mobile thorneways work.”
“Away from the Etaem village in a barren, poisonous landscape?” Adrian arched an eyebrow.
Devika crossed her arms. “We got tired of fighting through the crowds back there. We’re waiting until things calm back down. In the meantime, if we can figure out how the thorneway at the temple deposited us here where there’s no frame, that would be worth a lot back home, don’t you think?”
“She found something.” Falk gestured out past them. “A clue.”
Devika ground her teeth, doing her best to maintain her false smile. “I thought Academy kids couldn’t figure out this trial.”
“You got lucky once.” Adrian’s voice was light, but beneath it was an edge that annoyed her. He’d followed because he’d suspected she had another lead. This time he intended to tail her.
How could she get rid of them? Prevent them from stealing her discovery?
“The next clue is in the Etaem city underwater,” Nico said, “but we can’t get a ship out here today. And since this area is virulent, we figured we’d gather some intel. Take it back to Space City for study before someone gets hurt.”
The college boys’ eyes narrowed; then the trio studied the wasteland for themselves. Devika knew it wouldn’t take long for them to spot the artificial hole. And once they knew, everyone would know. Even if the boys said nothing, once everyone else exhausted the beach, at least some would check out the wasteland before heading underwater.
“Be careful out here,” Adrian said, a knowing smile spreading across his face. “Wouldn’t want you falling down a hole.”
Devika clenched her fists, raising her eyes skyward. All her hard work, and these spoiled rich boys aimed to cheat her out of it.
Adrian strolled past her, raising his helmet to secure himself inside his explorer suit. “Come on, boys. Let’s get a close up.”
It took all of her willpower not to trip him. She knew Anand would chastise her for a missed opportunity.
Falk and Vincent hesitated on the ridge.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea until we know what’s out there.” Vincent grimaced. “What toxin or contagion.”
“I’m with you two,” Nico said to Vincent and Falk. “It’s crazy to go out there when we have clear warnings to stay away. Devika and I got samples. You grab some, too, and we’ll take them back to get tested. We can return once we know it’s safe.”
“If she’s willing to go, I’m guessing she knows what’s out there.” Adrian pointed to her. “Or at least enough to believe they’re safe in their suits.”
“If you say so,” Falk replied, glancing down at her, then back toward the beach.
“Don’t be cowards,” Adrian berated. “We’ve never had a chance like this before. A lead on everyone else.” He thumbed his chest. “I’m taking advantage of it.”
Was this what she sounded like to Nico? Ignoring his hesitations?
“Are you coming?” Adrian demanded as he headed forward.
Both Vince and Falk remained where they stood a moment longer, before following.
“You don’t have to go just because he is.” Nico tried to catch Vincent and Falk’s eyes as they passed. They ignored his pleas, so he turned to her. His eyes begged her to turn back.
She shifted her eyes to Adrian’s back, unwilling to return Nico’s gaze. Was she really going to do this?
Nico’s argument made sense. It was risky to go out there right now. The trial wouldn’t end if she left. Except that might not be true. Adrian might solve whatever was down that hole. Or Vincent or Falk. They’d underestimated her. She wouldn’t do the same in return.
And as long as she stayed careful, her wrist-comp would warn her if her suit became compromised.
When Adrian broke into a jog, fully committed to investigating the hole, Devika couldn’t turn back. She refused to be left behind on her own discovery. She could be cautious and still keep going.
When he noticed she was following, Adrian picked up the pace. The trio soon outdistanced her. She might have kept pace with them before the azymi infection she’d gotten last spring, which had substantially reduced her strength and energy. Her recovery had remained slow.
On top of that, the three boys each had a pair of oxygen tanks on their backs compared to the standard one she and Nico had with them. That meant the boys could explore out here for eight hours instead of four. Why hadn’t she thought to double up before coming?
Nico caught up with her and jogged at her side. She could tell he wanted to plead with her to go back. However, he seemed resigned to pressing forward like Vincent and Falk. She didn’t feel sorry for those two, but she regretted dragging him out here. At the same time, she was thankful he’d stuck with her. She couldn’t do this alone.
They didn’t make it far before her breathing became ragged. She slowed to a walk, hands on hips. Her frustration grew as her legs and chest screamed for her to sit and rest. While she fought exhaustion, the boys reached the hole.
What were they seeing? What was down there? She hated that they got the first look.
To make matters worse, the boys began to descend. She let out a single scream, fighting the urge not to crumple to the ground. She staggered on, placing one foot in front of the other until she reached the hole.
Thirty meters wide, the hole had been lined with some sort of dark gray-green alloy. Darkness prevented her from seeing the bottom.
They stepped onto a wide platform that could’ve held a tank. It attached to the wall with a roller guide system to allow it to be lowered into the hole. However, the controls looked corroded.
A ramp wrapped around the perimeter. The trio descended the ramp, already on the far side of the hole. A part of her wanted to try the movable platform to get ahead of them again. But the fact Adrian had chosen to walk down underscored her concerns about its safety.
“Yikes.” Nico paled as he stepped onto the ramp, his back pressed to the wall. “Please tell me we’re not going down there?”
She checked her suit oxygen levels using her wrist-comp. She had three and a half hours of air left. “I’m not letting them steal this.”
“They won’t figure out the next clue.” Wide-eyed, Nico stared into the depths.
She wasn’t afraid of heights, but she felt for him. The ramp was only a meter wide. “You don’t know that. What if there’s nothing left to figure out? What if this is the end? What if they get to the bottom and there’s the prize just waiting to be collected?”
“If that’s the case, we can’t stop them.”
She had no counter argument. Instead, she removed another test strip from her wrist-comp. She rubbed it over the wall and inserted it into the test slot. The wrist-comp hadn’t chimed further warnings, but it would help to know if the danger levels had increased. She hoped to figure this puzzle out, but not at any cost.
While the wrist-comp analyzed her sample, she watched helplessly as the trio marched down the ramp. Their steps reverberated around the hole. She wanted to catch up, but knew that if she tried, they would pick up their pace as well.
Her wrist-comp chimed again. Concentration levels remained steady.
“I’m going.” She activated her night vision function on her contacts to see on the way down, bracing for another protest from him.
He just nodded. “After you.”