in the room, not on the dead guy … You did search the body, right?”
He hesitated, felt a knot grow in his gut. “No. Didn’t seem right.”
She stormed off toward the stairs. “He’s not going to mind, Sky.”
As her footsteps faded, Skyler realized what he’d missed. He jogged back to the lobby area, bypassing the gift shop in favor of the reception desk. Takai waited at the door, throwing constant nervous glances back toward the stairway.
On the desk in the lobby, Skyler brushed a thick coat of dust off a neatly wrapped package sitting in one of the two mail bins. The parcel’s dimensions were identical to the data cube cases Takai had pulled from the shelves in the records room. He tore at the brown paper wrapping, an easy task—the brittle material all but disintegrated in his hands, leaving only a faded shipping label behind. Skyler’s hunch proved accurate.
“Takai, have a look.”
“We should stay with Sam,” he said from the door.
“She can take care of herself,” Skyler said. “Come over here.”
Takai crossed the room with timid steps. He jumped when a sudden beam of light came in through the tattered drapes that covered the lobby windows. Within a few seconds, the room filled with pale orange shafts.
Dawn.
Skyler tapped his ear. “Status, Jake? Angus?” While waiting for a response, he unlatched the plastic container. Inside, four ceramic cubes were packed in a bed of Styrofoam shells.
“Thirty seconds,” Angus said.
Takai appeared at Skyler’s elbow, holding the list Prumble had provided them. “Numbers match the second set.”
Though he felt a rush of hope, Skyler fought the urge to celebrate. He rummaged through the box and found a folded piece of paper beneath the cubes. Something had been written on it in Japanese.
“‘You must finish what I could not,’” Takai said.
“Hmmm?”
“That’s what the paper says. You must finish what I could not .”
A chill ran up Skyler’s spine. The message, the entire situation, implied that these cubes held something worth every council note offered for their retrieval. He closed the box and slipped it inside his jacket. “Let’s get out of here,” he said.
He turned back toward the door. Takai ran ahead, no longer content to be led.
In the hallway Skyler found Samantha emerging from the stairwell.
“Found an old phone, and a wallet,” she said. “Why are you smiling?”
“Tell you outside,” Skyler said. He made a conscious effort to wipe the grin from his face as he ran for the door at the end of the hallway.
Sunlight on snow patches blinded. He stopped their progress just outside the door, allowing his eyes to adjust. In the distance, he saw Jake emerge from the tree line, carrying a small deer over his shoulders. A broad smile graced his haggard face.
“Not as scrawny as I thought.” Jake eased the dead animal off his back and rubbed at his shooting shoulder. “Venison stew tonight, I think.”
As Sam and Takai admired the carcass, Skyler tapped his headset again. “Angus, ETA?”
The kid replied quickly, voice clear without interference from the building. “How flat is that field?”
Skyler imagined himself trying to land here. “Should work. Favor the east side.”
“Any resistance?”
“None,” Skyler said, “but let’s have a nice quick dust-off, okay?”
“Sure.”
“Ultracap level?”
“We’ll make it. Just.”
A moment later Skyler heard the Melville ’s ducted-fan engines. The noise grew louder until the four of them were forced to cover their ears.
Angus set the craft down in the southeast corner of the field, a textbook landing. He’d even positioned the rear cargo door to face them, open and inviting. The engines remained on for a quick departure. Skyler admired the kid’s work and envied his natural skill.
Samantha once again took the lead, passing back through the chain-link fence and across the weed field. Takai and Jake were last, under the burden of their
He hesitated, felt a knot grow in his gut. “No. Didn’t seem right.”
She stormed off toward the stairs. “He’s not going to mind, Sky.”
As her footsteps faded, Skyler realized what he’d missed. He jogged back to the lobby area, bypassing the gift shop in favor of the reception desk. Takai waited at the door, throwing constant nervous glances back toward the stairway.
On the desk in the lobby, Skyler brushed a thick coat of dust off a neatly wrapped package sitting in one of the two mail bins. The parcel’s dimensions were identical to the data cube cases Takai had pulled from the shelves in the records room. He tore at the brown paper wrapping, an easy task—the brittle material all but disintegrated in his hands, leaving only a faded shipping label behind. Skyler’s hunch proved accurate.
“Takai, have a look.”
“We should stay with Sam,” he said from the door.
“She can take care of herself,” Skyler said. “Come over here.”
Takai crossed the room with timid steps. He jumped when a sudden beam of light came in through the tattered drapes that covered the lobby windows. Within a few seconds, the room filled with pale orange shafts.
Dawn.
Skyler tapped his ear. “Status, Jake? Angus?” While waiting for a response, he unlatched the plastic container. Inside, four ceramic cubes were packed in a bed of Styrofoam shells.
“Thirty seconds,” Angus said.
Takai appeared at Skyler’s elbow, holding the list Prumble had provided them. “Numbers match the second set.”
Though he felt a rush of hope, Skyler fought the urge to celebrate. He rummaged through the box and found a folded piece of paper beneath the cubes. Something had been written on it in Japanese.
“‘You must finish what I could not,’” Takai said.
“Hmmm?”
“That’s what the paper says. You must finish what I could not .”
A chill ran up Skyler’s spine. The message, the entire situation, implied that these cubes held something worth every council note offered for their retrieval. He closed the box and slipped it inside his jacket. “Let’s get out of here,” he said.
He turned back toward the door. Takai ran ahead, no longer content to be led.
In the hallway Skyler found Samantha emerging from the stairwell.
“Found an old phone, and a wallet,” she said. “Why are you smiling?”
“Tell you outside,” Skyler said. He made a conscious effort to wipe the grin from his face as he ran for the door at the end of the hallway.
Sunlight on snow patches blinded. He stopped their progress just outside the door, allowing his eyes to adjust. In the distance, he saw Jake emerge from the tree line, carrying a small deer over his shoulders. A broad smile graced his haggard face.
“Not as scrawny as I thought.” Jake eased the dead animal off his back and rubbed at his shooting shoulder. “Venison stew tonight, I think.”
As Sam and Takai admired the carcass, Skyler tapped his headset again. “Angus, ETA?”
The kid replied quickly, voice clear without interference from the building. “How flat is that field?”
Skyler imagined himself trying to land here. “Should work. Favor the east side.”
“Any resistance?”
“None,” Skyler said, “but let’s have a nice quick dust-off, okay?”
“Sure.”
“Ultracap level?”
“We’ll make it. Just.”
A moment later Skyler heard the Melville ’s ducted-fan engines. The noise grew louder until the four of them were forced to cover their ears.
Angus set the craft down in the southeast corner of the field, a textbook landing. He’d even positioned the rear cargo door to face them, open and inviting. The engines remained on for a quick departure. Skyler admired the kid’s work and envied his natural skill.
Samantha once again took the lead, passing back through the chain-link fence and across the weed field. Takai and Jake were last, under the burden of their
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