“It was,” the woman said.
“Well, you weren’t. You’re not. For now, anyway. And if you can help us, we can certainly help you.”
“How?” a man to her left demanded.
“First of all, we can provide you all with clean clothes, food, and adequate shelter. Everything you need, and a few small luxuries you don’t. Things like scented shampoos and soaps, chocolate, you name it. Well, within reason.”
“Something other than desalinated ocean water or rain water to drink?” a woman to her right asked, almost like a plea.
“Of course. I’m sure you have tea on the island, but we have many different flavors of tea, as well as some juices…which you probably have on the island as well,” Vega explained, feeling like her offer was more and more inadequate all the time.
The murmur spread again while Mason stepped next to Vega on the tabletop.
“There’s a lot to consider here, including the fact that we have no idea how to help so many people. I’m still at a loss for why you think we can be of any kind of assistance.”
“That’s right,” the middle-aged, weathered man said. “Look at us. At least on the surface, you seem to be a lot more advanced than we are. Look what you have compared with what we have.” He gestured toward the machine at the center of the dome shape they survived in. “If you’re keeping those airships afloat, I gotta believe that’s way more advanced than our little EMP.”
“Maybe. Probably,” Vega agreed. “But you are experienced with surviving the bots. It’s given us hope. It’s shown us that it can be done. And we need to learn how. Maybe if we built enough EMPs, we could wipe them out for good.” Vega was grasping at straws. She knew nothing of the science of the bots, what made them run, or how to disable them. But she did know they had the technology to duplicate whatever the people struggling for survival had made to keep the bots at bay.
“I don’t think we should get involved. We’re likely to get ourselves killed. Look at that…that thing they came here on. Looks like a death trap to me,” a woman straight in front of Vega said as she eyed the shuttle.
“It can be,” Vega said, figuring there was no point in sugarcoating it. “But I assure you, the airships are much bigger death traps than that little thing. There are a lot of lives at stake here.”
“Why is that our problem? We can barely keep ourselves alive, let alone however many other people.” The man who’d shouted out stopped abruptly, as if considering for a moment. “How many others are there?”
“Tens of thousands. There are seven airships left in the air. We’ve lost a few on the way, but the bulk of the fleet is still airborne. It’s an impressive feat.”
“Considering it was government work, I’d say so,” the weathered man added with a chuckle.
Major Burridge snorted in her ear. “He’s not wrong.”
Vega didn’t respond.
“Tens of thousands of people,” a woman in front said, almost breathlessly. “What makes you think any one of us would know something they don’t? You have that many people at your disposal, make one of them help you,” she suggested.
“While that would be ideal, none of them have experience living on the ground. None of them can tell us what needs to be done to keep the bots at bay.”
Mason cleared his throat. “What you need to understand is we have a bare minimum here. We’re not living a life of luxury like you are. We haven’t been here long enough to determine if this is a reasonable way to live. All we could offer you is a possibility, not a guarantee.”
“Whoa there, Mason. Don’t go making promises you can’t keep,” the man to Vega’s left cautioned.
“You’re right, Marshall. We’ve agreed to nothing. But I do think we should at least give them the courtesy of hearing them out.”
“Why? We didn’t invite them here. What if they’d crashed that death trap into our EMP? We’d all be dead,” the woman who seemed leery of the shuttle said.
“I’m a fairly skilled pilot, ma’am. Barring some kind of catastrophic failure, I could’ve avoided you pretty easily if we were making some kind of crash landing.”
“What do we have left to give? Look around you. We are barely surviving. We have nothing,” someone repeated from the crowd. Vega didn’t spot who the voice belonged to, but it didn’t sound familiar.
Lehman smiled softly at the group from her spot between the two men atop the table, and Vega knew she would comfort them.
“You know, when compassion calls, it’s never convenient, is it? But those tens of thousands will die if we do nothing. I don’t think I can live with that.”
Several members of the crowd mumbled.
“But fifty pitted against so many. How can we possibly hope to make a difference?” that same voice asked. It sounded heavy. Hopeless. Vega’s heart went out to her.
“We aren’t just fifty. We’re survivors, just like the people in the airships are. We will be added to their numbers, not against them. Together, we can do anything. Even save the world.”
Fourteen
“I don’t know. It still seems like we have all we can handle right here. Look at all the problems we’re facing. We can’t even see the landscape around us anymore, for Ashby’s sake,” the weathered man said, clearly frustrated with their situation.
“Okay, think about it this way,” Mason said, sitting down on the picnic table. Vega followed his lead and sat as well. “What if you didn’t have to struggle anymore? What if they could lift most of our burdens out of our hands? Then what would you say?”
“Does she really have the power to promise something like that?” the weathered man asked, eyeing her skeptically.
“Yes, I do, actually. My superiors have given me carte blanche.”
A hush fell on the crowd. “I think it’s a fair offer. You agree to help us survive, we agree to help you in any way we can. I have no idea what our future holds, or even if we will be able to maintain our lifestyle in the coming years, months or even weeks. But we will certainly care for all of you the best way we can.” The promise Vega made hadn’t fallen on deaf ears. The crowd was silent as they considered her offer.
“Well, we certainly can’t expect to live this way forever. Perhaps we can come up with a better idea, using their technology,” Marshall suggested.
“That’s a great idea, Marshall. Once we get up there, and see what they have to offer, we’ll be able to understand how we can move forward in this life.”
“But you just said everything is failing, right? The airships are falling out of the sky. How can you make a promise like that and expect us to believe you’ll keep it?” the skeptical woman asked.
“Louisa, let me set your mind at ease,” Mason said. “We won’t do anything until we’ve had a consensus on where everyone stands with this, okay? Personally, I believe helping is the right thing to do. But if I’m the lone ranger, we’ll stay here, and the folks from the ships can figure out what to do on their own.”
Vega snorted, and Mason looked at her with a mischievous smirk.
“Fine. What does everyone think?” Louisa asked.
“All in favor of helping the…sky people,” Mattli said.
More than three quarters of the hands raised. But those who were opposed looked angry. Vega wasn’t sure what to think of that.
“All right, it’s pretty clear what the answer is here. To those of you who opposed, I’m sorry,” Mattli said.
“Listen, if it helps, I can only take a few of you back with me at the moment. We’ll come back for the rest of you later, okay? If you’d prefer, those who opposed can stay here indefinitely and continue setting up. There won’t be as many mouths to feed, and your limited resources will go further. How does that sound?” Vega suggested.
“Wait a minute, Captain Fowell,” Major Burridge said. “That will take multiple trips. You can only take about ten people in the shuttle before the weight gets squirrely.”
“That’s fine,” she said. “So we make trips.”
“We can make trips. We’ll bring a few of you up to the airship at a time, and whoever wants to stay behind can. How does that sound?” Vega said, hoping he’d ignore her misstep in talking aloud to Major Burridge. If he discovered her deception, the whole deal might be off.
“First trip can be the three of you, to scout out the ship and determine if it’s a good idea to bring the others,” she added, hoping to put their minds at ease.
Mason nodded. “That’s a perfect solution. Is anyone unhappy?”
“Who will govern those left behind?” Louisa asked.
“You should choose someone from among yourselves. You know the plans we had set forth. Just move forward with them until we return,” Mason suggested.
“How do we know you’ll return? You’ll be so excited about that posh lifestyle up there that you may never come back.” Her voice was getting whiney, and Vega was glad she wasn’t coming with them.
“We will return, Louisa. There’s work to do yet,” Mason assured her.
“Fine, but if you do this, you should do it with the idea that you eliminate the bots permanently, not just keep them at bay as we are doing,” Louisa insisted.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Louisa,” Lehman said, and Louisa softened at her tone, a small smile forming on her face, as if she was very satisfied with herself.
“Sounds like it’s decided,” Mason said. “We’re going aloft.”
Fifteen
Mattli cleared his throat, and Vega looked at him. “I’d like to stay behind,” he said.
Mason did a double take at the old man. “What?”
“You heard me,” the old man replied.
“But why?” Lehman asked, scrutinizing him. “We might need you. You’re an excellent problem solver, Mattli.”
“I’m a good problem solver here on the ground. But I’m an old dog. And learning all that new technology sounds like a nightmare to me. I’ll leave it to you. This way, I can stay here and help out. Keep things rolling while you guys are saving the world.”
Mason walked over to the old man and gathered him into what Vega could only describe as a heartfelt man hug, complete with three slaps on the back.
Mattli held Mason at arm’s length. “I know you’ll do the island proud, Mason.”
“Thank you, Mattli. For everything.”
“Take this with you.” Mattli handed Mason a small, leather-bound book. “You may find it useful.”
Mason stowed the black book in a pocket inside his coat, and they exchanged a look that was heavy with meaning, although Vega had no idea what that meaning was. There was a history there. It was written in their eyes as they looked at each other—one with gratitude, the other with pride.
Lehman was standing off to the side, watching them. “Well, you two certainly have gotten soft,” she teased.
The men cleared their throats. “Says you,” Mason said as he brushed by her and deliberately knocked her shoulder as he went. Vega noticed it didn’t knock the smile off her face though.
Mason turned to face Mattli. “See you soon, my friend.”
“Sooner rather than later.”
“Promise?” Mason asked.
Mattli smiled. “I never make promises I can’t keep.”
Mason laughed out loud. “Oh, really?”
“Well, not anymore.” The old man clapped Mason on the shoulder. “Now, get out of here and let us get back to work. We’ve already lost half a day because of your newfangled shenanigans.” He shooed them toward the shuttle with a warm smile on his face.
Mason laughed and stuck out his hand, which Mattli shook. “I’ll miss you.”
“I know you will. But we’ll be fine down here. Don’t worry about us.”
“You’ll miss us too,” Mason teased.
“I don’t know when you became so insecure in our relationship, Mason, but I suppose I’ll miss you too. But only if you actually leave.”
Mason laughed again, and Vega guided them back to the shuttle. She could only hope she could get it running again.
Vega got the newcomers settled, equipping them with older headsets so they could at least listen and talk to each other, although they wouldn’t be allowed to talk to the major or anyone else on the Perseus. She helped Lehman get her five-point harness secure, and then climbed into her seat, hoping beyond hope she could get the shuttle fired up.
“Here goes nothing,” she said as she flipped a few switches and waited.
“What do you mean—” Mason asked, but Vega cut him off.
“Ignition sequence begun.”
“Aye,” Major Burridge responded.
“Who’s that?” Lehman asked with more interest than Vega thought was necessary. The major had a deep voice, but Vega always found it sort of commanding, unlike some of her civilian friends who found him sexy. Vega wondered if Lehman was thinking the same thing.
“That’s Major Burridge. He’s in charge of the Perseus. You’ll be working closely with him when we get on board.”
“I’ll look forward to that,” Lehman said.
Vega stifled a laugh and had to bite her tongue from saying something inappropriate to Major Burridge. He’d never settled down with anyone, saying his work was too time consuming. Vega believed him on that front. He certainly was always on duty.
The ship was sluggish going up, and she flushed the system twice before she gained enough altitude to get away from the dust. “One more flush should have her purring like a kitten.”
“Copy that,” Major Burridge said, his tone devoid of any emotion.
Vega turned to her passengers, feeling excited. Nothing but new stretched out in front of her. New opportunities, new experiences, and new hope.
With a huge smile on her face, she proudly announced, “We’ll be getting to the airship soon.”
Mason had never dreamed of things like airplanes and flying. But now that he was doing it, he wondered why. It was the most amazing thing in the world, and Vega—a rather enjoyable person, he had to admit—acted so casually about it. He found himself a little jealous of her and of all she had.
But that was foolish. She no sooner chose to be on the airship than he’d chosen to be on the island. It was just how their ancestral cards fell.
They climbed higher and higher, until clouds obstructed the view that took his breath away. First, he could see the bots surrounding the people they left behind—his people…the islanders.
The fog rose around the semi-circle a bit, trapping them completely on all sides, except for where the sea lapped at one edge. The fog stayed clear of that.
But as they climbed, he could see more. More of nothing. More grey wasteland. More of Ashby’s dead world.
But it wasn’t dead after all, was it? They were living on it just fine. And if they could eliminate the bots altogether… He peered out the window, his view obscured by the clouds. What would the world look like without Ashby’s bots?
“We’ll be landing shortly,” Vega said over their headsets. It startled him every time someone spoke. A voice that clear and close wasn’t something he was used to.
He couldn’t see much but blue sky and the cloud bed below, but he did see when Lehman’s eyes grew large. He turned around and looked over his shoulder to see what had to be the airship.
“It’s bigger than I thought,” he said rather dumbly. It wasn’t just big—it was enormous. The thing was easily bigger than the island and at least twenty stories deep, maybe more. He tried to count the windows as they approached but lost track.
“Perseus is big, Mason, you’re right about that. He’s home,” Vega said. He thought he caught a hint of affection in her voice.
“Perseus?” Lehman asked.
“The name of our ship. He was a great Greek hero and monster killer in the time before,” Vega said, and then corrected herself. “Well, even before the time before.”
“I see,” Mason said, even if he wasn�
��t sure he did. Ashley had been more up on that kind of thing.
“Monster killer, huh?” Lehman’s eyes were wide as they approached the airship. “Anything in that legend about nanobots?”
Vega’s laugh made Mason smile. “Who says Perseus is done writing his story?”
Lehman nodded and looked at Mason. “I like her.”
“I know,” he said, forcing a frown as he looked at them. Vega chuckled and looked back out the front window as she expertly maneuvered to the landing bay and set the shuttle down.
Vega flipped a few switches and pulled some levers above her head, and the shuttle went quiet. “Be careful on the way out; the hatch is low. Don’t bang your head.”
They nodded as they removed their headsets, and Mason took a deep breath, happy to be free of it.
He looked around the deck, seeing nothing he’d expected. He’d never spent a lot of time thinking about what the airships would be like. He’d seen the schematics in the back of the journal, but looking at it in real life didn’t come close to anything he’d pictured.
The hanger was artificially lit, and the enormous metal doors closed behind them long before they ever got out of the shuttle. Other shuttles that looked exactly like theirs were parked nearby, as well as a few different aircrafts. He didn’t know what to call those.
“Now what?” Mason asked, taking everything in. The ground below him felt solid enough, but his mind knew he was several thousand feet off the ground. He widened his stance, suddenly feeling a little off balance.
“Now, I suppose I take you to the major.”
Mason nodded. He was feeling a little ill. His heart was racing, and his stomach flip-flopped.
Lehman put a hand on his shoulder as they walked, but he wasn’t sure which of them she was trying to reassure. She looked ashen herself.
The Dead Room Trilogy Page 42
