The Rush's Edge Read online

  “OK. No problem, just checking.”

  “Keep going. We’re right behind you,” Hal said.

  They caught up to Ty and continued following him for the next few minutes. Ty and Hal both carried heavy packs with climbing gear, excavation equipment, scanners, and blasrifles. Vivi had the Robotic Exploration Unit in a backpack.

  “I think I see something,” Ty called back.

  Vivi sighed in relief. “Good. I could use a break. This hill’s straight up.”

  “It’s not so bad,” Hal said, stepping forward to pull her backpack off. “I got this.”

  She protested, but he took her pack anyway and led her through a gap in the trees.

  The plateau was small, about fifteen meters long. There were the obvious markings of a recent shuttle landing and patches of disturbed earth in the clearing.

  “So, this is the spot,” Tyce said, turning around and dropping his pack. He reached down and picked up a piece of twisted metal in his hand. “Hal, get a scanner out. I wonder if the crew of the Relentless just picked up surface artifacts when they were here? There doesn’t seem to be any evidence of large-scale diggings.”

  Hal dropped both packs, then rummaged through his own, pulling out a handheld scanner. Then he swept the clearing. “Just bits under the surface. Different sizes, most no bigger than a handheld.” He began to walk toward the edge of the site then his scanner started to emit a strange beeping noise. “Gimme a minute. Let me track this.” He walked to the end of the clearing and disappeared back into the trees.

  While they were waiting, Tyce walked the nearby area, holding a foldable shovel. When his own scanner went off, he turned up the ground, pulling a twisted, warped piece of metal out of the dirt. He brushed it off. “Part of a hull,” he said, tossing it to the side.

  “How do you know?” Vivi asked.

  “The thickness,” Ty replied.

  She looked up as Hal came back through the trees. “Got something big,” he called to them. “C’mon.”

  Ty and Vivi followed him through the foliage. The forest floor was carpeted with dry needles from the tall coniferous trees and a fresh, ferny smell rose up around them. “How far ahead?” Ty asked.

  “About five hundred meters.”

  When the forest opened out again, Vivi saw nothing but rocks and dirt and short scraggly bushes. It was another small clearing, bordered on one side by the rising mountain. “Where?” she asked.

  “Under us,” Hal said, showing them the chiming scanner. “With the size of it, it’s got to be a ship. Maybe even a whole freaking ship, Ty.”

  Ty began scanning the ground himself. “It keeps going. Right up to the mountain’s edge and beyond, I think. We could bring in the earth mover…” He studied the scanner’s readout. “Wait a minute. There’s a cave system below. Let’s look around and see if there’s an entrance.”

  It took a while to scout around, but finally they found a small opening to the cave a little further up the mountainside.

  “Let’s go see what’s in there,” Vivi said.

  “Not yet,” Tyce replied. “We need to send in the REU first. That’s why we brought it.”

  “I’ll go get it,” Hal said, hiking back down to where they’d left the gear.

  Ty watched him go, and then turned back to Vivi. They were quiet for a few moments before she spoke, muting her headset so Hal wouldn’t hear.

  “I know you must be thinking I’m going to run out on you guys when we get back to spacedock,” she said, “because of what happened the other night. But I won’t.”

  Ty glanced up from the scanner’s readings and muted his own headset. “I wasn’t sure,” he said carefully.

  “Don’t get me wrong. It scared the shit out of me, but I think you were right. He didn’t remember what happened,” Vivi said.

  “Probably not. He’s going to need a little more time to get used to you being on ship, that’s all. If you hear him again, have Runa wake me.”

  “Will do.”

  He nodded once. His headset beeped but he ignored it. “You should know that if he gets to the point where he trusts you, he’ll trust you completely. I don’t think you’d abuse that, but… you should be aware of it.”

  “I think I understand,” Vivi replied.

  He seemed like he was going to say more, but this time both their headsets beeped, so they answered.

  “Go ahead,” Ty said.

  It was Beryl. “Just doing a status check on you two.”

  “We’ve made a large find,” Ty replied. “I’m sending you the statistics. See if they match the schematics of any known Mudar ships.”

  “A ship? Wow, that is a big find. I’ll let you know if I locate anything.”

  Tyce turned back to Vivi to continue their conversation, but Hal was coming back up the path, bearing the REU.

  They unpacked the exploration unit outside the cave and Vivi had it operational in about ten minutes. They entered the cavern on their knees, pushing their equipment in front of them, and coming onto a ledge that seemed to jut out into the nothingness. It took a few more minutes to set up, then the drone sailed out into the darkness. All three watched the small screen in front of them as the brilliant lights attached to the flying drone moved further away into a large chamber.

  Crystals and minerals reflected the light from the drone in billions of sparkles. They could see patches of an eerie green glowing on the walls as well.

  “What’s that?” Vivi asked.

  “Some sort of bioluminescence. Mold on the cave walls, maybe?” Ty said.

  “Weird,” she whispered. She rotated the drone so that they could see the size of the cave area below them.

  “This chamber’s huge,” Vivi said, intent on the controller’s screen. She misjudged a distance and the REU brushed the edge of a stalactite with a scraping sound. “Oops!”

  Ty laid a hand on her arm, steadying her. “It’s OK. Keep going.”

  Vivi guided the drone to descend about twenty meters. There were columns of stone reaching up from the floor, and she carefully eased the REU around them, getting better with her maneuvering as she went.

  “Drop down another five meters?” Tyce asked.

  Vivi nodded. As the REU dropped, Ty watched her swing it in a graceful arc so they could see the rest of the cave. There was the sound of falling water from some underground river or pool, but they couldn’t tell where it was coming from.

  “Wait. Go back,” Ty said at a flash he saw below them.

  She dropped down and rotated the drone slowly until the feed showed them the side of a massive metal object; it had a graceful curve to it before it was abruptly sheared off.

  “It is a ship,” Tyce whispered. “It must have crashed and broken through into the cave somehow.”

  “That’s slick as hell,” Hal said. “Do you think there could be Mudar inside?”

  “No one’s ever found a Mudar,” Tyce murmured, looking at the smooth surface of the ship. “Go closer, Vivi.”

  Vivi piloted the drone closer to the ship and they began to see the scraping and denting that had occurred to the vessel. As she flew to the other side, they saw an opening in the ship’s hull. She tried to ease the REU through the opening, then sighed in frustration. “I’m not going to be able to fit it through there.”

  “Shine the light around the floor of the cavern,” Ty suggested.

  Vivi moved the drone in a grid-like pattern as she searched the bottom of the cave. There were a few warped pieces of metal on the floor, but nothing else.

  “I think it’s time to go down,” Hal said.

  “This is going to be a big score,” Tyce said. “Salvagers just don’t find things like this. Allenium, parts of starship drives, occasional weapons, yeah, but no one’s ever found an AI ship to my knowledge.”

  “Our permit doesn’t cover this… but what they know won’t hurt them,” Hal said.

  “OK. The two of you go down. I’ll stay here and monitor.”

  Hal nodded.
“You bet, Cap. I’m not about to leave our baby tecker down there alone. Not when I’m just getting her trained right,” he teased, poking Vivi in the ribs.

  She swatted at him and laughed, but Ty’s serious expression stopped them. “Stay focused. If there’s any trouble, both of you get out of there.”

  Hal had no trouble putting on his climbing harness while Vivi wrestled angrily with hers. She was trying to slip her arm into one side of her harness, but it was hopelessly twisted. The more she struggled the worse it got. When she let out a frustrated sigh, he turned to help her.

  “Hang on, I’ll get it.” Hal snapped his last strap over his chest and moved closer to her.

  “Sorry. Never used one of these before.”

  Hal began to work at the straps. She could feel his hands brush her back as he grappled with the harness and was surprised at the lack of discomfort she felt. Here he was watching out for her just like he’d promised he would.

  “Probably don’t really need all this, but better to be safe. Slip your arm through here,” he said, and she obeyed. “Now, this one.” He held out the other side for her, then buckled it over her sternum, being careful where his hands touched. She watched his face tense in concentration as he checked the fit. Finally, he was satisfied. “There you go.”

  “Thanks,” she replied, “I’m a little nervous.”

  “You’re gonna be just fine. I’ll rappel down first, and Tyce’ll lower you.” His hands rested on her shoulders lightly for a moment as he smiled at her, then, seeming to notice what he’d done, withdrew his hands quickly. He stepped back, something in his features that she couldn’t read.

  “What is it?” she asked gently.

  “Nothing. Let’s do this.” He reached to a back pocket and pulled out a couple pairs of gloves. “You’ll need to wear these.” He handed a pair to her and fitted his own.

  “Ready, Cap?” Hal said as he made his way to the side of the cave’s ledge where Ty waited. Ty had been busy fixing a safety line for them near one of the collapsible lights they’d set up. Below the ledge, faintly illuminated, Vivi could see the ship.

  “Yeah. You go down first. Then I’ll send Vivi down.”

  “Sounds good.” Hal turned away and attached himself to the dropline. He rappelled rapidly to the bottom of the cave and unhooked himself, waiting for her to follow.

  Next, Tyce lowered Vivi over the lip of the edge to the bottom, while he himself remained above. Hal steadied her as she reached the floor and helped her to unhook her rope. He swung a blasrifle off his shoulder and turned the scope light on. Mineral and crystal deposits glimmered in the walls like tiny stars. The soft burble of water nearby made the cave appear like another world.

  “Wow,” Vivi said, impressed.

  “Yeah,” Hal agreed.

  “Everyone reading me OK?” Tyce’s voice called through their headsets.

  “Loud and clear, Cap. OK, well, let’s see if we can get inside this ship,” Hal said as they approached the shattered remains of the craft sitting on the floor of the cave. “This way.”

  They circled the ship, until they reached the jagged opening between it and the cave wall. There was no way Vivi could have maneuvered the REU in there remotely, but by turning sideways Hal was able to squeeze through, just barely, twisting and turning as he went.

  “Hal?” Vivi called. There was no answer at first, so she called again. “Hal?”

  “Yeah,” he called back. She could see his scope’s light glimmering inside what was left of the craft. “Veevs, come on. You gotta see this. Fuck me…”

  She slipped through after him, not even needing to twist. They were standing on what was left of the Mudar’s bridge. There were seats, monitor displays, and twisted shards of a glasslike substance scattered on the floor. But what Hal was focused on brought her up short.

  He had his rifle trained on two metal humanoid forms. They were crumpled under beams that had fallen from above – heads crushed, legs trapped beneath. The first figure’s face was shattered, the shards covered with a caul of dust. As she moved around the figure, Vivi could see the back of its head had been sheared off somehow. The other was missing an arm. The entire body was completely squashed, even the head. Vivi had never seen a body like that before, but realized they had to be Mudar.

  “Oh shit. Hal… are they…”

  “Yeah,” Hal said grimly. “You gettin’ this, boss?”

  “Loud and clear. Make sure they’re not going to… activate. Watch yourselves. Remember where you are.”

  “Understood, Ty. Veevs, do your thing. I’ve got you covered.”

  Vivi pulled out her handheld scanner and swept it over the Mudar nearest her. “There’s nothing to worry about. Whatever power source it had is probably long dead and the body is beyond repair,” she said, kneeling on the floor.

  She began to inspect the damaged head of the android, noticing that there were connections of some sort of coppery metal and the shine of crystal inside what she assumed was its “brain,” but whatever they had been connected to was gone.

  “There’s nothing here,” she said. She leaned closer to brush off the dust. As she did, the head of the thing fell off. She started a little, then laughed at herself as Hal caught her eye.

  Hal took a closer look with her. They could see what the crash had done to the mangled android’s body. Its featureless face was unnerving; it was composed from a different type of silvery metal than the grey metal surface of the rest of the body.

  Vivi examined its chest, scanning and documenting what she could. “OK. I think I’ve got enough data for now.”

  “So, you’re sure it’s not getting up?”

  She smiled. “Pretty sure, Hal.”

  “OK, then.” He dropped his rifle and used the scope light to look around. Vivi could see there wasn’t much left to salvage, just some busted control consoles and twisted metal. It didn’t seem like the ship was a transport, with crew quarters and such, but then maybe Mudar didn’t have need for that, since they were androids.

  She saw something on the floor near the front of the ship and motioned for Hal to shine his light over it.

  “Hey… it’s a Mudar’s arm,” Hal said.

  She picked it up and looked at it closely. “Oh, yeah. We’re taking this back.”

  “Do you know what that thing’s worth on the black market? We could buy our own planet,” Hal murmured.

  “Not before I get a good look at it.”

  “Any weapons evident?” Tyce’s voice came across the comms.

  Vivi glanced to Hal. He shook his head.

  “Not that we can tell.” Her scanner was picking up a faint power source. She would have discounted it, but a gleam of something wedged under a console caught her eye. Vivi knelt down to grab it when she heard Hal speaking to Ty.

  “Should we bring up the AI’s head too?”

  “That’s an affirmative,” Tyce returned.

  While they talked, Vivi brushed her hand under the console. She stopped, feeling something there. It was a silver ball, cold to the touch. She rolled it toward her, stretching the tips of her fingers until she was able to clutch it in her palm. Smiling at her prize, she got to her feet again. It was then she heard an agonized groan behind her.

  Hal, who had been fine only a second before, was now on his knees, a hand to his head and wincing in pain. His eyes were squeezed shut as he collapsed and curled in on himself.

  “Hal!”

  “What the hell…” He grimaced through clenched teeth.

  She rushed to him as Ty came over the comms: “What’s wrong? Talk to me. What’s going on?”

  “Just a minute,” she said, keeping her distance. “Hal! You OK?” Was this another flashback? A memory from his implant? She held back, afraid of a repeat episode of a few days ago.

  Hal snatched off his headset and was holding his head in both hands. “Yeah,” he breathed. “I’m OK. I just have this fucking pain in my he… Ahh!” He grimaced again. “It’s like somebody j
ammed a viblade into my brain.”

  Vivi knelt beside him, reaching for his shoulder, unsure what to do. She could feel his whole body trembling under the onslaught of pain.

  “OK, Hal. I got you,” she murmured frantically. “Just breathe.”

  “Vivi, report… Vivi?!” Tyce’s worried voice came through her headset. He was moving; she could hear the zip and buckle of a harness being put on.

  “It’s… It’s… easing off now,” Hal said.

  At least he’s making sense, Vivi thought. That’s a good sign.

  “Vivi? I need to know what’s going on.” Ty’s voice had risen a little, breaking her focus on Hal.

  “I’m not really sure. We’re OK, though. We’re coming up now.”

  “Nah,” Hal interrupted. “No need for that. I’m OK.” Hal stood back up, a little unsteadily, but his face was no longer creased with pain.

  “No playing tough guy. We’re going, Hal.” Vivi turned to pack the scanner and the strange metal ball into her bag. Then she lashed the Mudar’s metal arm onto her pack. “We’ve got more than enough to take a look at tonight.”

  Hal started to raise objections, but she was through the opening in the hull and back out in the cave before he could finish. Ignoring macho behavior was the quickest way to get men to toe the line, she’d often found, and, sure enough, Hal followed her out.

  NINE

  His target was dragging his leg slightly, as if it was heavy.

  Most people would never notice such a detail, but to the vat designated “Scalpel,” it screamed its existence like a siren. Possibly, it was an injury or physical deformity, but since it had not been noted in the file he’d been given, it was something else.

  His quarry was a tecker named Astin Fortenot. He shadowed the nat walking along Avenue NJ4, most likely heading to his hab unit. Fortenot was a fashionable dresser – it was obvious that he cared about money and status, from the choice of his jacket to the location of his living quarters, one of the more prestigious avenues on the station. This was a weakness that Scalpel looked down upon. Status was a hollow quality he had never sought. He looked forward to seeing the tecker’s face when he realized he was going to die and none of his money would save him. Scalpel could never be bought – his programming and conditioning wouldn’t allow it. He would carry out his duty with deadly precision, whether the target was a rich man or a poor man, an old woman or an infant.