people are supposedly also total strangers to each other.”
I frowned. That part hadn’t occurred to me. “You’re right,” I said slowly, thinking back to that first meeting back at the base of the
Icarus
’s stairway. “No one gave any indication of knowing any of the others. At least not when I was watching.”
“Which implies that if any of this is deliberate there must be some other motivation,” Ixil concluded. “The general sabotage of the ship, perhaps, or the systematic disabling of the crew.”
“Tied in with Cameron’s failure to show up at the ship, maybe?” I suggested.
“Could be,” Ixil agreed. “The massive manhunt we saw near the archaeology dig would support that theory,not to mention your playmates with the high-tech weaponry.”
I drummed my fingers on the deck. “So where does that leave us?”
“With quite a few unknowns,” Ixil said. “The key one, in my mind, being this mysterious cargo you’re carrying. Have you any idea what’s in there?”
“None whatsoever,” I said. “There’s nothing listed in the computer that I could find, and there are no access panels listed on the schematics where we could even go to take a look. When Cameron said it’d been sealed, he meant it.”
“We may have to find some way to unseal it before we’re done with this,” Ixil said.
There was a scrabbling sound at the hatchway, and Pix and Pax appeared. “Okay, I give up,” I asked, finally tired of wondering about it. “What exactly have they been doing out there? Neither you nor they know what any of the crew looks like.”
“Given your brush with the Lumpy Brothers, as you call them, it occurred to me that someone might have the
Icarus
under surveillance,” Ixil said as the ferrets climbed his torso to his shoulders again. “I’m watching for anyone who seems to be loitering around the area without a legitimate reason to do so.”
“Ah. And?”
“If he’s there, he’s very good at his job,” Ixil concluded. “By the way, is one of your crewers about one-point-nine meters tall and bulking out at a good hundred ten kilograms, with short black hair and a face like a throw-boxer with a bad win/loss record?”
“Sounds like our medic, Everett,” I said, scooting across the floor to his side. Sure enough, there he was, heading toward us with an air of brisk determination about him. “Yes, that’s him,” I confirmed, getting to my feet. “Be nice, now—he’s probably never seen a Kalix before.”
Apparently lost in his own thoughts, Everett didn’teven notice us standing in the shadow of the wraparound until he was halfway up the ramp. Judging from how high he jumped, he had indeed never seen a Kalix before. “It’s all right—don’t worry,” I said quickly, before he could turn tail and run for the hills. “This is Ixil. He’s with us.”
“Ah,” Everett said, regaining his balance and most of his composure and peering oddly at Ixil. “So
this
is your partner. Ixil, was it?”
“Yes,” Ixil said. “How did you know I was Jordan’s partner?”
Everett blinked. “He said he would be bringing his partner in to take Jones’s place,” he said, looking at me uncertainly. “Just before we set down. Didn’t you say that?”
“Yes, I did,” I confirmed. “Any problems with the drop-off?”
“Not really,” he said. “It was your basic fifteen-minute inquest. They did want to keep the suit and rebreather, though.”
“I figured they would,” I said. “Where’s Nicabar?”
“He headed off somewhere after the inquest,” Everett said. “Why, is that a problem?”
“It could become one,” I said. “Did you happen to see any of the others on your way back?”
“I passed Shawn at one of the vendor stalls a few minutes ago,” he said. “I haven’t seen anyone else.”
“Perhaps it’s time we called them,” Ixil suggested. “I presume you have their phone numbers, Jordan?”
“Yes, they’re programmed into list two,” I said,
I frowned. That part hadn’t occurred to me. “You’re right,” I said slowly, thinking back to that first meeting back at the base of the
Icarus
’s stairway. “No one gave any indication of knowing any of the others. At least not when I was watching.”
“Which implies that if any of this is deliberate there must be some other motivation,” Ixil concluded. “The general sabotage of the ship, perhaps, or the systematic disabling of the crew.”
“Tied in with Cameron’s failure to show up at the ship, maybe?” I suggested.
“Could be,” Ixil agreed. “The massive manhunt we saw near the archaeology dig would support that theory,not to mention your playmates with the high-tech weaponry.”
I drummed my fingers on the deck. “So where does that leave us?”
“With quite a few unknowns,” Ixil said. “The key one, in my mind, being this mysterious cargo you’re carrying. Have you any idea what’s in there?”
“None whatsoever,” I said. “There’s nothing listed in the computer that I could find, and there are no access panels listed on the schematics where we could even go to take a look. When Cameron said it’d been sealed, he meant it.”
“We may have to find some way to unseal it before we’re done with this,” Ixil said.
There was a scrabbling sound at the hatchway, and Pix and Pax appeared. “Okay, I give up,” I asked, finally tired of wondering about it. “What exactly have they been doing out there? Neither you nor they know what any of the crew looks like.”
“Given your brush with the Lumpy Brothers, as you call them, it occurred to me that someone might have the
Icarus
under surveillance,” Ixil said as the ferrets climbed his torso to his shoulders again. “I’m watching for anyone who seems to be loitering around the area without a legitimate reason to do so.”
“Ah. And?”
“If he’s there, he’s very good at his job,” Ixil concluded. “By the way, is one of your crewers about one-point-nine meters tall and bulking out at a good hundred ten kilograms, with short black hair and a face like a throw-boxer with a bad win/loss record?”
“Sounds like our medic, Everett,” I said, scooting across the floor to his side. Sure enough, there he was, heading toward us with an air of brisk determination about him. “Yes, that’s him,” I confirmed, getting to my feet. “Be nice, now—he’s probably never seen a Kalix before.”
Apparently lost in his own thoughts, Everett didn’teven notice us standing in the shadow of the wraparound until he was halfway up the ramp. Judging from how high he jumped, he had indeed never seen a Kalix before. “It’s all right—don’t worry,” I said quickly, before he could turn tail and run for the hills. “This is Ixil. He’s with us.”
“Ah,” Everett said, regaining his balance and most of his composure and peering oddly at Ixil. “So
this
is your partner. Ixil, was it?”
“Yes,” Ixil said. “How did you know I was Jordan’s partner?”
Everett blinked. “He said he would be bringing his partner in to take Jones’s place,” he said, looking at me uncertainly. “Just before we set down. Didn’t you say that?”
“Yes, I did,” I confirmed. “Any problems with the drop-off?”
“Not really,” he said. “It was your basic fifteen-minute inquest. They did want to keep the suit and rebreather, though.”
“I figured they would,” I said. “Where’s Nicabar?”
“He headed off somewhere after the inquest,” Everett said. “Why, is that a problem?”
“It could become one,” I said. “Did you happen to see any of the others on your way back?”
“I passed Shawn at one of the vendor stalls a few minutes ago,” he said. “I haven’t seen anyone else.”
“Perhaps it’s time we called them,” Ixil suggested. “I presume you have their phone numbers, Jordan?”
“Yes, they’re programmed into list two,” I said,
Similar Books
