desk and paced her office. 'Drink?'
'Sir?'
'You enjoy an
occasional whiskey as I recall. Ice?'
'As it
comes.'
As Loretti
poured the drinks, she said, 'Staples and Willis? I've heard there
names before. I'm not sure why or from where. Here.'
'Thank you,
sir. I must admit I'd never met those soldiers before.'
'Interesting.
And yet they turn up at just the right moment to snare Salamandra.
How convenient.'
Bridget
shrugged. 'Right place, right time I guess. Can I ask you
something. Do you work out? I mean you are twice my age and you
look...hot. Black leather is so kick ass on you.'
'Don't change
the subject.' Loretti sipped her drink and stared at Bridget. 'You
have an unfortunate look about you. A shame really. You could have
been quite attractive otherwise.'
'You mean I
remind you of my father.'
Loretti
shuddered. 'After conceiving you I never got that drunk again. Be
sure not to make such a mistake.'
'A mistake? Is
that what I was?'
'Yes,' said
Loretti, frankly. 'But I rose above it. Hopefully you have my
strength of character and nothing of your father's weaknesses.'
They were interrupted by the intercom. 'Naylor.'
'General.
Salamandra still resists.'
'Of course he
does, fool. See what I have to put up with, Captain Loretti? I
can't rely on anyone. Still. If a job is worth doing and all that
crap. Come with me.'
Bridget
followed Loretti into the elevator and the general pressed a button
at the end. It was below G for ground and B for basement.
'H?'
Loretti smiled
unpleasantly. 'Those ending up there call it hell. Rather quaint,
don't you think?'
'Strange. I
always thought I would end up there one day.'
The elevator
stopped and the door pinged open and Loretti stepped out.
'Welcome to my
world.'
Chapter 31
Friar tried
again. 'Captain. Sam. Can you hear me? Anne?'
Nothing was
coming from the stricken shuttle. Friar had seen the tiny craft
burst from Spero's outer atmosphere into deep space. It was
spinning like a top, and the normal blue exhausts had gone. With
the momentum from its flight through the atmosphere carrying it
forward, it was destined to float through space for an eternity.
Friar had followed it, calling them repeatedly. 'Sam. I'm catching
you up. Can you hear me?'
'Joe. Yes.
We've lost all drive power. Life support is failing. We only have
the suits to keep us alive.'
'Damn! Anyone
hurt?'
'Wait...I...Jay
Jay. Ok. It's ok, Jay Jay. Anne?'
Lee said,
'Nothing broken. Jay Jay. Talk to me.'
'Who the hell
beat the crap out of me?'
Lee said, 'You
bounced around like a ping-pong ball. Any bones broken?'
'I don't think
so. Sam. Did you say all the air we have is in the suits?'
'Yes. A little
in the shuttle, but that won't last long. We have...less than two
hours. Joe?'
'I'm thinking.
Right. You will have to come over to my shuttle. I should
rendezvous with you in...ninety seven minutes.'
Jay Jay gasped,
'You want us to leave this shuttle?'
Friar said,
'Probably a good idea unless you're keen to die.'
'But I've never
space-walked before.'
'A first time
for everything. I'll get as close to you as I can and a simple leap
across with a safety-line into my airlock and I'll get us all back
to the Goliath.'
'You can do
this, Jay Jay,' said Sam. 'Joe. We have about twenty minutes in
which to get the three of us across. Perhaps a couple of minutes to
spare. That's cutting it fine, Joe.'
Friar said, 'If
you all keep calm, that's plenty of time. Don't go exerting
yourselves and preserve what air you have.'
'We'll be ready
for you, Joe,' said Lee.
It took just
ninety eight minutes to catch up with the floating shuttle, leaving
eighteen minutes to get everyone over to Friar's shuttle alive.
Friar had made a good job of matching the floating speed and it was
fifty-five yards between airlocks. Jacobs, Clifton and Lee were
ready and waiting in the airlock, each tethered to a
safety-line.
'You all need
to be in my airlock together,' Friar told them. 'That way we don't
keep wasting the air
'Sir?'
'You enjoy an
occasional whiskey as I recall. Ice?'
'As it
comes.'
As Loretti
poured the drinks, she said, 'Staples and Willis? I've heard there
names before. I'm not sure why or from where. Here.'
'Thank you,
sir. I must admit I'd never met those soldiers before.'
'Interesting.
And yet they turn up at just the right moment to snare Salamandra.
How convenient.'
Bridget
shrugged. 'Right place, right time I guess. Can I ask you
something. Do you work out? I mean you are twice my age and you
look...hot. Black leather is so kick ass on you.'
'Don't change
the subject.' Loretti sipped her drink and stared at Bridget. 'You
have an unfortunate look about you. A shame really. You could have
been quite attractive otherwise.'
'You mean I
remind you of my father.'
Loretti
shuddered. 'After conceiving you I never got that drunk again. Be
sure not to make such a mistake.'
'A mistake? Is
that what I was?'
'Yes,' said
Loretti, frankly. 'But I rose above it. Hopefully you have my
strength of character and nothing of your father's weaknesses.'
They were interrupted by the intercom. 'Naylor.'
'General.
Salamandra still resists.'
'Of course he
does, fool. See what I have to put up with, Captain Loretti? I
can't rely on anyone. Still. If a job is worth doing and all that
crap. Come with me.'
Bridget
followed Loretti into the elevator and the general pressed a button
at the end. It was below G for ground and B for basement.
'H?'
Loretti smiled
unpleasantly. 'Those ending up there call it hell. Rather quaint,
don't you think?'
'Strange. I
always thought I would end up there one day.'
The elevator
stopped and the door pinged open and Loretti stepped out.
'Welcome to my
world.'
Chapter 31
Friar tried
again. 'Captain. Sam. Can you hear me? Anne?'
Nothing was
coming from the stricken shuttle. Friar had seen the tiny craft
burst from Spero's outer atmosphere into deep space. It was
spinning like a top, and the normal blue exhausts had gone. With
the momentum from its flight through the atmosphere carrying it
forward, it was destined to float through space for an eternity.
Friar had followed it, calling them repeatedly. 'Sam. I'm catching
you up. Can you hear me?'
'Joe. Yes.
We've lost all drive power. Life support is failing. We only have
the suits to keep us alive.'
'Damn! Anyone
hurt?'
'Wait...I...Jay
Jay. Ok. It's ok, Jay Jay. Anne?'
Lee said,
'Nothing broken. Jay Jay. Talk to me.'
'Who the hell
beat the crap out of me?'
Lee said, 'You
bounced around like a ping-pong ball. Any bones broken?'
'I don't think
so. Sam. Did you say all the air we have is in the suits?'
'Yes. A little
in the shuttle, but that won't last long. We have...less than two
hours. Joe?'
'I'm thinking.
Right. You will have to come over to my shuttle. I should
rendezvous with you in...ninety seven minutes.'
Jay Jay gasped,
'You want us to leave this shuttle?'
Friar said,
'Probably a good idea unless you're keen to die.'
'But I've never
space-walked before.'
'A first time
for everything. I'll get as close to you as I can and a simple leap
across with a safety-line into my airlock and I'll get us all back
to the Goliath.'
'You can do
this, Jay Jay,' said Sam. 'Joe. We have about twenty minutes in
which to get the three of us across. Perhaps a couple of minutes to
spare. That's cutting it fine, Joe.'
Friar said, 'If
you all keep calm, that's plenty of time. Don't go exerting
yourselves and preserve what air you have.'
'We'll be ready
for you, Joe,' said Lee.
It took just
ninety eight minutes to catch up with the floating shuttle, leaving
eighteen minutes to get everyone over to Friar's shuttle alive.
Friar had made a good job of matching the floating speed and it was
fifty-five yards between airlocks. Jacobs, Clifton and Lee were
ready and waiting in the airlock, each tethered to a
safety-line.
'You all need
to be in my airlock together,' Friar told them. 'That way we don't
keep wasting the air
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