Discarded by Mark A. Ciccone

Author:Mark A. Ciccone [Ciccone, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Unbound

Chapter 17

Longhouse, Old Evergreen State College Campus

Greg paced in measured steps, back and forth, back and forth. The soles of the clinger made only a faint whispering against the concrete floor. Above him, the wooden beams and rafters of the Longhouse creaked in a steady wind coming down out of the north. Most days, the Council handled any issues where they happened – in the field, in the Library, anywhere – and without much formality. Nonetheless, when the Sanctuary was first put together, it had been decided to set the small building aside as a meeting house, to give him and the other members a spot to go over matters in more detail.

A huge, carved wooden eagle, wings rampant and painted in vivid black, white and red, hung over the main doors. The inside was stark and simple – concrete floor, brown wooden walls polished to a high sheen and vaulted ceiling. A round fire pit sat in the middle of the central area, dark and cold. There were wide benches along the wall to the left, and another exit at the end of a short hall. To the right of these, a collapsible wall gave onto a larger assembly area. Three long conference tables had been set up end to end against the far wall and covered with plain forest green cloth. It was this area that Greg paced now.

The main doors opened. A man strode into the Council room, dressed in a brush-patterned clinger; he must have come straight from patrol. His deep black hair was close-cut and swept back from a high forehead. His eyes – a bright brown – were probing and intense. At the sight of the other man present, a pleased smile bloomed across his Asian features, tanned and weathered by sun and wind. ‘Greg! Good to have you back.’ He extended a hand.

Greg shook, firmly. ‘Same to you, Hiroshi. Any trouble on the Kitsap run?’

‘No,’ Hiroshi replied. ‘Nothing really worth salvaging, either, not with the gear we had. The radiation was too high to search closely, either, in some spots.’ The smile became fixed, for a moment, before returning to normal. ‘We did find one interesting thing, or close to it… I’ll fill everyone in once they’re here.’

As if on cue, the doors opened again. Jorge, Leah and Megan walked in, Jorge carrying the canister in both hands. After everyone had exchanged greetings, Hiroshi beckoned them into the meeting area. He took his place at the centre; Jorge and Megan moved to his left, Greg and Leah on his right. When they were all seated, he held out a hand to Jorge, unspeaking. With infinite care, the engineer placed the canister in his hand. The Council leader stared at the device, eyes raking over every inch. Beneath his ever-present calm exterior, there was a glimmer of excitement. ‘This is really it?’

‘No question,’ Greg replied. ‘We still don’t know what’s on it – but the amount of effort being put to recovering it argues for something major.

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