part0144

“Captain Al Jahi, I’m back. How is the hull looking?” Liu’s voice startled her. It had been so silent for the past several minutes.

“Fair,” came Al Jahi’s voice. Rebecca looked up, the Captain floated several feet from her. “I’ve checked the rest of the Wolfinger now, we have two more small patches to make. The explosion wasn’t—” she broke off suddenly.

“Captain?” asked Rebecca.

“Do you— can you hear that Liu?”

“I only hear you,” he said.

“What about you, Emery?” asked Al Jahi. “It’s a— a high-pitched beep or something.”

Rebecca listened hard for a moment but her own breath was the only sound. “Nothing here,” she said.

“It’s erratic— I keep thinking it’s going to stop but then it starts again.”

“Maybe it’s a suit alarm,” said Liu. “You got suit six, didn’t you? That one’s always shorting. It’s usually a glitch in the waste management system.”

“But I haven’t used it. We’ve only been out an hour.”

“Yeah, it’s usually an oversensitive reader. The beeps are in sequence. If you listen, it should give you the error code. But— you could always come back, just in case.”

Al Jahi fell silent. Rebecca stowed her tool and made her way closer to the captain. Al Jahi’s eyes were moving under the lids as if she were dreaming. It was unsettling. After a few moments of silence, Rebecca tapped the glass of Al Jahi’s helmet.

“Captain? Are you okay? Maybe we should just go back. Or— or you can and I’ll finish. I’m tethered, it’s just a few welds—”

Al Jahi grabbed Rebecca’s arm. She couldn’t feel it through the suit, but Al Jahi’s face had drained of color.

“Yes, we’re going back. Both of us. We can— we can sort it out later.” She started to pull Rebecca back toward the door.

“But we could be leaking oxygen. It will only take me a moment to finish the sheets—”

“No, I—”

Everything went silent again. Rebecca could see Al Jahi’s mouth moving, but there was no sound. She shook her head. “Your suit, it’s not broadcasting anymore. That must have been the error code,” she said. She tapped her own helmet. “I can’t hear you,” she said calmly, “Don’t worry, we’ll get you back.” Al Jahi tapped her own helmet and shook her head. She couldn’t hear either. She yanked on Rebecca’s arm. “Liu, Captain Al Jahi’s suit is malfunctioning. She can’t hear or broadcast. Something’s up with her feed.”

They slid down the metal skin of the ship, the tethers guiding them around its stern. “Liu?” she asked after a moment. Still no response. She caught herself on the back edge of one wing. Al Jahi was ahead, already up and over. Rebecca fumbled with the suit’s feed access, changing channels on the feed. She tried Al Jahi first. “Captain, can you hear me? My feed is dead. I thought it was your suit but maybe it’s mine. Captain?” She waited a long moment but Al Jahi wasn’t even looking back, just frantically pulling herself along the ship. Rebecca switched to Liu’s private channel next. “Liu? Liu, come in. Something’s wrong with our suits. I don’t know if you can hear me, but we can’t hear you. Or each other. We’re headed back. You need to open the door.” She pulled herself up the wing, guiding the tether gently over the edge. There was no answer from Liu. She stopped again to hitch the tether to the second rail. She felt it click into place and let go to switch back to the general channel. Still silence. She shook her head and pushed herself down the hull. Al Jahi pounded on the door ahead. Rebecca grew concerned. It was not a gentle knock. Something more serious must have gone wrong with her suit. The door opened and a gloved hand shot out, grabbing Al Jahi’s collar. The captain tumbled through the door. Rebecca was only twenty feet from the door now, but something glittered gold in the Wolfinger’s exterior lights as it extended from the doorway. She squinted, pulling herself closer. Metallic and moving, it swung out and Rebecca gasped as Issk’ath’s pincer closed around a nearby guide rung and it emerged from the Wolfinger.

“No, Issk’ath!” she yelled. She had no idea what kind of effect raw space would have on the robot. It was built for a sheltered subterranean existence. How had it even made it out here? She waved an arm frantically at it. “Go back! It’s not safe, go back!” she screamed it and could see the mist of her breath on the glass in front of her. It couldn’t hear her. Of course not. She shoved forward, anxious to reach it as soon as she could, before any permanent damage could be done. She saw the Wolfinger’s door swing closed just as she reached Issk’ath. Chione must have been in more trouble than I thought. We’ll have to wait for the lock cycle.

Issk’ath looked at her. She didn’t know if it was speaking or just staring. She pointed back to the door and then to it. “We have to go inside,” she said slowly, wondering if it had picked up on lip reading in its short time with them. It seemed unlikely, but then, no one had expected it to learn their language as quickly as it had. Or ever. She found a spare suit clip on her belt and looked over at Issk’ath. It hadn’t moved. She tapped its free pincer with her glove. It extended carefully toward her and she slid the suit clip over the end. She pushed the pincer gently closed. “Hold on,” she said slowly. She had no way to know if it heard, but she turned back to the end of the tether still clipped to the Wolfinger’s guide rail. She hated this part. Her hand shook a little as she reached for the clip and she took a moment to close her eyes and take a deep slow breath. It sounded thunderous in the suit. She opened her eyes and unhooked the tether, gripping the rail with one hand as she rolled up the long rope and slid it into the pocket of her suit.

She looked up at Issk’ath, who still stared at her. She tapped its chassis and then her own chest. “We’re going inside,” she said and pointed to the door again. She saw its wings slide open an inch or two and then sink back. She hoped that meant it agreed. Letting go of the rail, she gave a light push with her toes against the hull and swung out around Issk’ath. It kept hold of the clip and she arced back toward the door, catching the handle before they could both go hurtling off into the dark. She peered through the glass. The lock was clear, the far door tightly closed. She pressed the red panel beside the door to cycle it. It blinked and she waited.

Issk’ath had drifted beside her. It clung to the thin rung beside the door with one pincer, the other held tight to her suit clip. Rebecca pushed against the door. She should have heard the whoosh of the lock by now, but it was silent and the door stayed shut. Maybe I didn’t engage it, she thought and pressed the panel again, watching it to see if it accepted her input. It blinked again, but nothing changed. She tried the door again, but there was nothing except the Wolfinger to push off of in space. No momentum to carry her weight into the door. She pressed the button again, hitting it rapidly over and over. Still, nothing happened. She looked up at Issk’ath. It had access to the Wolfinger, she knew that it did. “Can you open it? She asked pointing to the door. It looked at the door, but made no other movement. She peered through. She could see someone’s arm through the far door window. She couldn’t hear them, but they should be able to hear her. If not her voice, at least her fist. She banged on the door until her hand was sore. She hoped it was loud.

A face appeared in the doorway. Leroux. Rebecca smiled and waved, feeling slightly foolish. “Joan, open the door! The panel’s stuck. Something’s wrong with the feed or my suit or something.” Leroux watched her for a moment and then disappeared. “Finally,” sighed Rebecca. She turned to Issk’ath and tapped it gently on the chassis. “Everything’s going to be okay,” she said. It just stared at her. They waited another several minutes. “Something must have gone wrong with the lock. I’m sure Liu’s working on it.” Issk’ath’s wings slid out again. It was trying to tell her something. She shook her head and tapped the side of her helmet. “I can’t hear, I’m sorry.” She peered into the lock again. There was no face at the far door. She slammed her hand against the door. The reverberations made twinges race through her already sore wrists. “Hey, I’m out here. Someone talk to me. What’s going on?” Her breath was loud and heavy in her suit. Her pulse felt thick and sluggish and hot. She tried to be patient. No one appeared.

She leaned forward and her helmet clinked against the door glass with the tiniest sound. She closed her eyes. “Come on, Beck,” she said, “calm down. It’s just a glitch. Liu’s probably trying to figure it out. Panicking is only going to make your suit work harder. Think. They can’t hear you and as far as you know, you can’t hear them. The feed’s not working. The door’s not working. What would dad say? ‘Everything broken can be fixed. And if it can’t, break it worse so no idiot tries after you.’ That’s what he’d say.” She dissolved into a panicked laugh and wished that she could wipe her nose. Something clicked softly just beyond her face. She opened her eyes and looked up. Alice was just beyond the door.

“Alice! Thank the stars,” cried Rebecca. “The door’s not working. The feed either. Let me in—” Alice slapped a lab pad against the glass. A message was typed out on it.

“I’m sorry, Rebecca. We had to get rid of Issk’ath. It was the only way.”

She read it twice to be certain she wasn’t missing something. She glanced up at the robot. Its mandible opened and shut. Rebecca thought it might be hissing. She wished she knew. The lab pad disappeared. Rebecca shook her head. “I don’t understand,” she said.

Alice tapped something into the pad. She held it up again. “It was using us to travel to the Keseburg. The others believe it meant to wipe us all out to prevent settlement. I don’t know, or care, if that is what it wanted. You know what would happen to the planet if we settled there. What would happen to us. I can’t let that happen.”

“What?” asked Rebecca.

The pad disappeared and came back a moment later. “The others want me to tell you that if you can persuade Issk’ath to let go, I can let you in. But I can’t risk it. I was going to trust you. All of you. But Liu convinced me. The Keseburg can never know about the planet. They have to believe if they go there, they die. This is the only way. You need to get rid of the robot. I’ll take care of the others. I know you understand. I’m sorry, Beck. It’s for your dad. And Angie. And all the others.”

The pad sunk down one more time. “No Alice, this is wrong— this is insane,” yelled Rebecca. She pounded on the door. “Don’t do this, let me in! We’ll figure out another way—”

Alice raised the pad again. “I’m sorry. If there’s somewhere after this, I’ll see you there. Wherever your ‘data disperses to’ as Issk’ath says. I’ll be right behind you.” She let the pad go and it floated beside her as she turned away. Rebecca panicked and let go of the door handle, smacking both arms against the door. “Alice!” she screamed, “Come back, Alice! Don’t leave me out here. Alice!” She flailed as she drifted farther from the door. Issk’ath’s pincer shot out and caught her wrist, dragging her back to the door. Its arm bent and caught her between the door and its thorax. Its wings slid out around them, and made a shimmering pyramid that prevented her from sliding out into space. The small antenna unfolded again from its chassis and wavered above her arm hinging down to the panel where her filament fed through the suit. Rebecca opened the port and Issk’ath sparked as it touched. Its metallic voice had never sounded sweeter.

“I cannot hear you Emery, and my knowledge of your facial movements is inexact. Dorothy was not adept at it. But your system is erratic. You are in distress. I understand why our situation is not optimal. Your colleague has deceived the others. And me. She means to harm them. If you cannot calm yourself, however, I fear you will suffer lasting damage. Liu said this suit could sustain you for several hours. You have tools at your disposal and myself. We will find a way to warn your friends. We will find a way back in. Dorothy said you made the space small when she was frightened. And you stayed close. I cannot make the space smaller than this. My body is limited. I hope it is enough.”

Rebecca closed her eyes and focused on drawing deep, slow breaths. “Keep talking, Issk’ath. Please keep talking,” she said though she knew it could not hear her.