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back of her neck as an ear-splitting squeal filled her head.
 Hello? She shouted for the tiny implanted microphone to pick up.  Is someone
there? Can anyone hear me?
She caught the strange, confused look Amani shot her, and surprise plummeted
through her. Good grief! Couldn t he hear that racket?
 I m here, Nya. Thrower s voice came through her ear, barely audible above the
horrible squeal.
Then, the sound disappeared as suddenly as it began, and Nya s ears rang as her eyes
slowly uncrossed. She winced as a new sound invaded her head the tortured squeal of gears
and metal-on-metal as the transport bay s outer doors inched open. Bitter cold slapped her
exposed face and hands, driving the breath from her as it seized her lungs. Early morning
light filled the dim bay, and Nya instinctively raised a hand to shield her eyes. On a planet
like this one, snow blindness was a very real danger.
She jerked back in surprise as a respirator and snow goggles materialized before her.
Her heart resumed normal pace as she realized where they came from. Amani. Apparently,
he opened the doors, too. Which left one question burning in her head.
 If the outer doors were closed, how did the bearcats get in?
 I think I know. He gestured toward a patch of wall hidden behind a pile of twisted
metal and durancrete debris. Near the floor was an opening just large enough for the bearcats
to have squeezed through one at a time.
 The more important question, Amani intoned darkly.  Is who stayed behind to close
up the bay doors?
Esther Mitchell 40
A shiver of dread passed through Nya at the implication of his query. She hated being
left in the dark, with no clue what dangers lay in wait for her.
 We need to see what s causing the communication disturbances. She fitted the strap
of her respirator around her head and snugged the breathing device into place so that the clear
plastic filter settled over her mouth and nose. It was a necessary evil on a planet like Zurin
Five. The apparatus pinched her face uncomfortably, but it would keep her alive in the
extreme low temperatures outside. Respirators were designed to filter out harmful
environmental toxins, and exchange carbon dioxide for pure oxygen.
Next, she secured the snow goggled around her head, and turned to be sure Amani
didn t need assistance. In his canary yellow EVA standard-issue, he had limited mobility.
Most people couldn t outfit their own headgear once they suited up.
Apparently, Amani thought of that. One glance at her partner showed he already had
goggles and respirator in place. He must have put them on before he finished suiting up. A
small laugh burst from Nya s lips as she surveyed him.
 What s so funny, Soderstrom? His growl held no malice, and she continued to grin
behind the safety of her mask.
 With the respirator and goggles, you look like a demented brood fowl in that get-up.
He growled again, and Nya suppressed a sudden shiver of awareness as the sound
plunged through her. But she couldn t help the clench of inner muscles, or the erratic beat of
her heart. This wasn t the time to contemplate the attraction between them. She wasn t sure
there ever would be a  right time. That was a wholly depressing thought.
 Nya? Thrower s voice, sounding concerned, filtered through her implanted
communications device.
She opened her mouth to respond, but the words died, unspoken, as she stepped into
hell. Distress plunged through her as she got her first glimpse of the exterior of the facility.
Durancrete chunks lay scattered across the snow in a pattern that indicated explosive
force. Nya frowned. That wasn t an effect of earthquakes, was it?
The exterior buildings that remained standing did so under clear protest; the sharp,
jagged cracks in their durancrete structures were apparent even from this distance. She could
see cracks in the planet s surface, too. Deep groves leaked steam into the freezing air, and
puddles of melting ice and snow grew steadily into miniature lakes. Whatever happened here,
it was neither gradual nor gentle. It looked more like a war zone.
One glance at Amani confirmed that she wasn t the only one stunned by the magnitude
of devastation. With a sharply indrawn breath, she managed a response for Thrower.
 We lost contact with you. Okay, that was obvious, given the lack of communication
in the infirmary, but she wanted to make sure that Thrower knew they d at least heard his
request.
 Report. Lieutenant Isles terse voice clipped in her ears. Nya shook her head. There
was no way she could adequately describe the devastation that surrounded her. Instead, she
tried to interface with Skipper, to show Isles and Thrower both still in the Control Room, she
hoped what she could see. Her optical implants should transfer the images directly from her
brain to the computer terminal.
A red signal light flashed in her peripheral vision, indicating the optical transfer system
was down. She frowned. With communications already intermitted, and now this, she
The Garrison: The Good Fight 41
suspected Skipper sustained heavy damage the routine diagnostics couldn t assess. Her brow
furrowed with worry. What happened to Skipper?
With a tilt of her head and a mental command, she set the AI to run a detailed
diagnostic of all systems and report back to her. She d just have to do her best to describe this
mess, for now.
 You won t believe it, Isles. The place is breaking apart.
 Report what you see. Isles voice came through calm and clear, which settled Nya s
jumpy nerves. It d been a while since she had to describe what she saw, but she didn t have
much of a choice, now. She had to get this right.
 Deep channels have formed, and it looks as though huge plates of earth have shifted.
She squinted into the distance, an focused her optical implants tighter as the AI chip picked up
a thermal signature at a distance of about five or six kilometers.
 Damn, she muttered beneath her breath when the source of that signature remained
shrouded in steam and ice.  There s something very hot miles away I can see the steam in
the air from here.
 Any signs of life?
Nya scanned left and right, tuning her optical implants for nearer heat signatures. She
picked up two just entering the transport bay behind Amani. At first, she tensed, prepared for
another fight. Then she noticed the cool-green cast of their signatures. One male, one female;
both Karatzin. Nya relaxed as she realized it was Javel and Xerna.
 No, she answered Isles shortly.  Just we four guards.
 The facilities?
Nya shook her head. She always admired Lucia Isles ability to communicate a large
amount of information with a minimal amount of fuss. It was a skill Nya wished she could
master.
 Breaking apart. She took several steps outside, and turned to her right, where the
heating and ventilation system rose from the frozen ground. If that was compromised& A
short oath in her mother s tongue broke her lips.
 The glass house dome that was situated atop the heat shaft to heat the air inside has
shattered. She cast a swift, questioning glance at Amani, who shrugged. She sighed [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]