Expendable - James Alan Gardner [125]
Sateen
I told Tobit to wait with Oar outside the tower. “Afraid of booby traps?” he asked.
“Yes.” I stepped inside the building. Nothing went boom. On the other hand, Jelca’s radiation suit wasn’t in its hiding place. He had to be wearing it, and watching over his doomsday machine on the top floor.
“All clear,” I told Tobit as I came back out. “We’ll run Oar inside, then you hightail it back to the ship.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Jelca’s on the top floor. I’m going to pay him a visit.”
“Dressed like that?” He snorted in disbelief. “You know how many rads these damned towers produce? It’s one thing to duck in for a second then duck out again—that’s no worse than having a few X-rays taken. But if you mosey in, ride the elevator, and spend a few minutes handing Jelca his ass…you won’t have a working blood cell left in your body, Ramos. Hell, by the time you get to Jelca, you may not be able to stay on your feet. The only consolation is that the radiation burns will keep your mind off the radiation sickness.”
“Wait here,” I told him; and I ran into Jelca’s home next door. Moments later I ran out again, my arms full of the shimmering shirts and pants I’d seen tossed around Jelca’s room. “Radiation gear,” I announced, throwing a bundle at him. “Suit up.”
Shirt, pants, socks, and gloves. It would have been nice to find a balaclava for head covering, but there was nothing like that. As a substitute, I started wrapping a shirt around my face; but Tobit pulled it away and handed me his helmet. “Happy birthday,” he said.
“This is the second birthday present you’ve given me.”
“And I’m keeping count,” he replied. “You’re going to owe me big, Ramos.” He tossed a wad of cloth haphazardly over his own face, proclaimed, “I can’t see shit,” then stumped back to where Oar lay.
He looked ridiculous—dressed in silver tinsel, the shirt so tight over his belly I could see the indentation of his navel as his gut strained against the fabric. When I put on his helmet, it smelled of rotgut and vomit, almost strong enough to turn my stomach…yet I said to him, “You’re a gentleman and Explorer, Phylar.”
“Don’t turn mushy on me, Ramos.” He picked up his end of Oar’s cot. “Let’s move.”
Obstacles
We placed Oar in the center of the first room—right where she’d get the most light. Her body relaxed as the radiation began pouring into her…as if the warmth had already started to ease her pain. Still, she showed no signs of consciousness, and I could hear the ugly crackling in her lungs each time she took a breath. Gently I arranged her body, flat on her back with arms outspread, like a flower open to the sun; then I laid her axe beside her, just as ancient warriors would lie in their tombs with weapons close at hand.
“It’s not a fucking burial!” Tobit groaned. “Stop wasting time.”
“If you’re in a hurry to get back to the ship, feel free to go.”
“I’m in a hurry to make sure you can do what you have to,” he replied. “In case it hasn’t crossed your mind, getting to the top of this tower might not be easy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s go to the elevator.”
He marched toward the center of the building, with me close on his heels. When we reached the elevator, he pressed the call button.
Nothing happened.
“Oops,” I said.
“The bastard already proved he can sabotage these things,” Tobit pointed out, “although this time, he’s likely just locked it off at the top.”
“Maybe there are stairs,” I suggested.
“Ramps,” Tobit replied. “There were ramps in the tower at Morlock-town. The whole building has to be serviceable by robots…and that means the bots need a way to the top in case the elevator itself breaks down.” Tobit’s cloth-covered head swiveled around; I could imagine him peering through the cloth, straining to see. “That door,” he said pointing. “That should go to the ramps. All these towers are likely built on the same design.”
I went to