Zero by Charles Seife

Author:Charles Seife
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Non-fiction, Philosophy, Biography, Science, History
ISBN: 9780140296471
Publisher: Penguin
Published: 2000-10-12T10:00:00+00:00

XIII

The hardest part was splitting up from the others and trusting them to do their bit. But he had to. And, though he didn't say as much, when he looked in himself he didn't find any doubt. Hugo would get it done.

Still, it was easy enough to trust him to do his duty, he thought. Not as easy to trust him to not get himself killed in the process. But Webb shook the thought away and carried on down yet another maintenance way, flattening himself against the wall as a couple of technicians wandered past at a junction.

He scrambled up and out of the next exit hatch and took a moment to stare up into the murk and listen to the sound of traffic and machinery permeating the chill air around him. He reassured himself that, one way or another, he wouldn't have to come back to this godforsaken colony again after tonight.

He pushed the tangled feelings aside and started to run. Houston Block reared up ahead, a towering spread of orange and white lights, shuttle platforms and skyway junctions, so huge that no matter his pace he never seemed to get any further towards it. He skidded to a halt in the shadows behind one of the relay blocks, held his breath then pushed a button on his wrist panel. A burst of red and orange reared up above the buildings behind Houston and the ground trembled.

“Back up generator destroyed, Captain,” Webb mumbled into his wrist panel. “How are you two doing?”

“Nearly there,” came Hugo's clipped reply.

Webb fished his night goggles out ready and craned his neck up to look at the megastructure, counting down under his breath. He had just started to panic that something had gone wrong when all the light from the block went in one go and he was plunged into darkness. He let out a sigh of relief, feeling his heart start to pound and pulled on his goggles and set about pulling a tarpaulin off their stolen flyer. The chaos of the suddenly blind skyways filtered down in a series of crashes and beeps as well as the whining of thrusters reversed in a hurry. Closer by there was the screeching of tyres as the groundway entrance choked with confused traffic and then, slowly, shouts started to build in volume.

Webb clambered into the flyer's pilot seat then started to count, fingers tapping on the wheel. “Hurry, Hugo,” he hissed, then heard booted footsteps sound in the darkness nearby. Harvey and Hugo clambered into the flyer, both shouting for him to go.

He gunned the thrusters before Hugo was seated and jerked the stick up. They climbed until they were zooming up parallel with the darkened levels of the block. He dodged amongst the confused skyway traffic and pulled them round a shuttle parked at a blackened platform that rang with panicked shouts, and then he could see the top of the structure approaching. With every breath he felt a suffocating heat build inside him. He clenched his teeth and pulled on the air brake.

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