Gateways 07_ What Lay Beyond - Diane Carey [117]
“I would think someone beamed aboard their ship and set up an explosive,” La Forge said.
“Check the logs and look for any trace of transporter activity near those ships,” Riker ordered. “Let’s get our facts in order before talking to Mel Rosa or Oliv.”
La Forge nodded, stood and left the room, thanking the powers that be that he was not the one left in charge of the fleet.
“How do we enter the City? Are there defenses of some sort?”
Now it was Picard’s turn to ask a lot of questions of his companion. Chanik tried to answer at almost as rapid a clip. The captain had learned already that the City had no electronic defenses at least none he could detect. If anything, the place was laid open for all to enter. Nature, though, saw to it the City was well guarded. Weeds, plants, even the occasional tree had taken root from the outskirts of the City, choking the streets. Thick ivy-like vines practically enveloped the smaller buildings circling the city so the closer Picard and Chanik got, the less city-like the place looked.
“Do people live nearby?”
“Just the village where those people came from,” Chanik replied, sucking on the water skin. “Might be others on the other side of the City, but I’ve never been.”
Picard looked at the vegetation and then at the sun in the sky. He estimated they had four hours of good daylight left, although that might be severely diminished once they entered the City itself. With his superior strength, the captain thought, he might be able scale some of the ivy-covered buildings, but the youth certainly would be left behind.
“Have you a way in that you’ve used before?”
“Of course,” Chanik replied. “Follow me.”
The youth led the captain to the left of the trail and entered a wild, untamed section filled with tall bushes. They had walked in silence for fifteen minutes or so when Chanik raised a hand to signal they slow down. He started looking around one structure that seemed gift-wrapped with the green and gold ivy. Rejecting it, the boy moved farther to his left, passing one structure after another. Finally, he ran toward the next one, which seemed indistinguishable to Picard from the preceding ones.
“This is it! I cut my way through here the last time I came to the City.” Sure enough, Picard could see some of the thick ivy cut away, revealing hand-and footholds that allowed one to reach a second-story window. The window itself was cleared of growth and whatever used to seal it was missing.
The two slowly climbed up, with the captain noting the strength of the ivy, how it was as tough as some rope he was familiar with. He was also pleased with how easily Chanik kept up he might have been young, but he seemed surefooted and experienced.
Within minutes, the two made it through the window opening and stood in a small room. The door had been ripped from its housing, exposing some of the wall. It seemed made of a plastic material while the door was something heavier. The contents of the room were shattered, splintered plastic, metal, and other materials, so the captain could not begin to guess what purpose it served. Wires hung from openings in the ceiling and Picard could only imagine whether this was the result of an attack or curious natives centuries after the Iconians left. Withdrawing his tricorder, Picard took readings and pictures, deciding he could study them at another time.
“What is that? You keep pulling it out.”
“I call this a tricorder and it lets me take recordings or pictures, among other things. It’s a very powerful and useful tool to help me explore.”
Chanik was clearly befuddled by the response but merely shrugged and walked to the doorway leading to the rest of the building.
Picard followed, trying to imagine how he would ever find the device in a city this size.
Chapter 5
“You know, Will, something like this was bound to happen.”
“What, lose a ship to sabotage?” Riker stared at the image of Deanna Troi while seated at the ready room desk, an unfinished plate of pasta to the side, the stack of padds just a little larger. It had been an hour since the explosion