The Lost (Legacy 2 of 2) by Jo Graham & Amy Griswold

Author:Jo Graham & Amy Griswold [Graham, Jo & Griswold, Amy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
Publisher: Crossroad Press & Fandemonium Books
Published: 2011-03-12T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty: Tip of the Iceberg

“Dr. Zelenka, this is Lorne,” Lorne said as he steered the jumper out of the bay and up through the hatch out into the snow. The wind was gusting unpredictably, and it took concentration to keep the jumper level. “We just had what felt to me like some kind of impact, like maybe something hit the city. I’m taking Jumper Two out to have a look.”

“Yes, seismic instruments are recording an impact on the south-east pier,” Dr. Zelenka said. “The currently south-east pier — ”

“I got you,” Lorne said, swinging the jumper around. Sheppard had landed the city oriented with a different facing than they’d had on New Lantea, and everyone who had gotten used to calling things ‘the east pier’ and ‘the north side of the city’ for the last couple of years was having to learn to adjust. He’d asked Sheppard if he couldn’t have parked straighter than that, and Sheppard had snorted and told him that next time he could drive.

Lorne thought that he’d get the chance to do that approximately the same time that pigs flew. Or when everybody with a better chair interface rating was out of commission and they had to move the city, which wasn’t a set of circumstances he could really hope for. Beside him, Hernandez was looking more cheerful. Flying spaceships seemed to be more what he’d been hoping for out of this posting.

“I think the most likely thing is ice,” Zelenka said. “The sensors on that part of the city are out again, though.”

“So it could be anything,” Hernandez said.

“You’re getting the picture,” Lorne said.

“Did you get a chance to check out those life sign readings?” Zelenka asked.

“We have pigeons,” Lorne said.

“Come again?” Zelenka said. “Communications may also be — ”

“Pigeons,” Lorne said again patiently. “Papa, India, Golf, Echo, Oscar, November, Sierra. As in small birds.”

“Yes, I know what a pigeon is,” Zelenka said. He sounded testy, which Lorne figured was reasonable at this point in the day.

“We were parked on Earth all that time,” Lorne said. “And since we had the shield up when we launched, it’s not like we gave them a chance to leave. So, no crisis on that front. Just a few casualties among the pigeons.”

“What did you do to the pigeons?”

“It was kind of an accident,” Lorne said. “Involving weapons fire.”

“You shot at defenseless birds,” Zelenka said, in a tone that made Lorne wince. “It is that they were threatening you in some way? You feared for your life if they pecked you with their little pigeon beaks?”

“I said it was an accident,” Lorne began, and then broke off as he brought the jumper down just past the end of the pier, hovering over the waves. “Okay, I think I see what we hit,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of ice in the water here, and there’s one big piece that’s jammed up against the pier. It looks like it’s maybe five meters across and about as high at its highest point.

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