Engineman - Eric Brown [147]
He put the picture away and crossed the tarmac to where Sassoon and Rossilini leaned against the Mercedes. They straightened up as he joined them.
"Did you get those paintings into storage, Mr Sassoon?"
Sassoon nodded. "They're in a warehouse in Passy."
"Very good." He had it in mind to start a gallery in his daughter's name: The Ella Marie Hunter Museum of Modern Art. It had a certain ring. It was the least he could do.
"Sir!" A shout from the hangar. A technician stood at the door. "It's the Sublime. We're in contact!"
Hunter returned to the hangar, hurried through the lounge and over to the stacked monitors and busy technicians. There was considerable excitement in the air, an almost palpable sense of relief. The techs called to each other across their machinery. The six dignitaries stood off to one side, an aide talking them through the lead up to the phasing-in manoeuvre.
Hunter made his way to where a technician was standing with a pair of headphones held high. Hunter took the earphones. He preferred to stand, so that he could see where the 'ship would soon materialise.
He pressed the 'phones to his ear. "Reading. Hunter here..."
Static in a deafening burst, then: "Miguelino here. sir..." More static broke up the signal.
"Mr Miguelino, good to hear from you. I take it-"
"... mission was successful. We have the Lho, and around forty Enginemen besides-" Static crackled in Hunter's ear. "... bombed the temple, destroying it. We lost three Disciples and two Lho in the attack-"
"But the Effectuators, Mr Miguelino? Did you get the Effectuators?"
More static. "... safe and sound, sir, all six."
"Excellent work, Mr Miguelino. Congratulations."
"One more thing... Bobby Mirren pushed us to the Rim and back in record time. He's totally lapsed now - a human Effectuator, according to his brother."
So that was why the Lho were so insistent that Bobby push the 'ship on the mission. He recalled the Lho's secrecy - their fear that, if the truth was discovered, then all Alpha Enginemen would be in mortal danger.
"ETA just five minutes from now, sir-" A storm of static caused Hunter to pull the 'phones away from his ear. When he returned it, Miguelino was saying, "Kelly, sir. He wants to speak to you."
"Kelly? Splendid. Put him on."
Hunter glanced around, at the dignitaries, at the space in the hangar where the 'ship would materialise. He considered Kelly, the years they had spent planning for this very moment.
"Hirst... you there?"
"Hearing you loud, if not clear, Kelly."
A squall of static obliterated Kelly's first few words. Then, "... have some good news for you, Hirst."
"Miguelino pre-empted you, Kelly. Congratulations on a successful mission."
"Not that, Hirst, for Fernandez' sake!" More static. "... sleeping at the moment, but otherwise okay-"
"I beg your pardon?"
"I said, she's sleeping at the moment. She's taken a beating, but she's otherwise okay."
It was as if a blood vessel had burst in his head. His vision blurred and he felt dizzy. "Kelly?"
"... they tortured her, but she survived. She's looking forward to meeting you, Hirst." He could hear laughter in the American's voice.
"Ella...?" he whispered.
"Who else, Hirst? Of course, Ella - your daughter!" More static. "... so I'll see you then, Hirst. Kelly, out."
Hunter found the tech's seat and his legs gave way beneath him. He experienced an incredible sensation of pressure within his chest, threatening to burst from him in an explosion of joy.
"Sir, is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine. Couldn't be better." He gathered himself, stood and made his way around the computer banks to where a small crowd stood waiting for the Sublime to materialise.
"She's looking forward to seeing you..."
Hunter focused on the space before him, trying to imagine the 'ship existing in some realm beneath or beyond this one, the 'ship which was bringing his daughter back to him, after all these years.
"They tortured her... but she survived."
He was oblivious to the activity around him, the scurrying techs and mechanics