The Navigator, page 46
Quill felt her stomach shoot into her throat as gravity ceased. The craft plunged down toward the ocean in a complete free fall.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Quill screamed the entire way down, a seemingly infinite, ten-minute drop. The zero-gee fall was stomach-churning. Her body floated up from her seat and tugged against her harness from the negative gravity. She shut her eyes, trying to will the vomit back down her throat, before looking straight up at the ceiling.
The top of the shearwater had a large sunroof-style roof, capped with four panes of one-way glass. Quill stared through the glass as the craft continued to drop. The giant, bulbous Tear Drop above, began to shrink into a tinier and tinier dot as her craft rocketed toward the ocean's surface like a meteor.
Just before the shearwater splashed down into the sea, Quill saw the speck of the Tear Drop disappear in a gigantic fireball, several times more luminous than the sun.
- 71-
Quill closed her eyes and listened to the loud taps bits of debris from the Tear Drop made as they intermittently rained down on the protective bubble-shield that surrounded her shearwater.
Tink. Tunk. Tink. Tiing.
The little chunks of metal were white hot and looked like falling fireworks. She watched them sparkle overhead as she leaned forward in her seat, almost sticking to the upholstery from her sweat. She unfastened her seat-belt harness and wiped her clammy skin off on the alien fabric.
"We did it. We made it. Unbelievable."
Petal was also looking up at the sky, watching the artificial meteors rain down. When a baseball-sized chunk of debris struck against the shearwater's shield with an unusually loud 'ting,' she ducked her head into her chest like a turtle.
"Are both of you able to hear me?"
Cynax's cold voice echoed out from the shearwater's intimidating control panel. One of the empty screens lit up and projected a green, holographic image of its body.
"Yeah." Petal leaned back in her seat, away from the projection. She looked over at Quill who gave her subtle nod. "We can hear you."
"Congratulations on completing your first task. The Tear Drop has been successfully destroyed."
"They're all dead now, right? All the Aii in the Tear Drop are dead?"
"Negative. Aii evolved to live in the vacuum of space. They are usually found in planetary rings and asteroid belts, traveling in fist-sized, spore capsules. These spores can survive extremely hot temperatures as well as temperatures approaching absolute zero. It is thus nearly impossible to kill Aii by means of a thermonuclear explosion. However, Aii are a terrestrial life form. In a liquid environment like this planet's ocean, Aii cannot bond with one another. Instead, they will disperse and eventually dissolve in the sea or be deactivated by ambient, pelagic viruses. The surviving Aii from the Tear Drop no longer pose a threat to this planet."
Petal bit her tongue, confused by the longwinded explanation.
"So those were Aii up there then? The bug things? Those were Aii?"
"Correct. Their insectoid appearance is just one of their innumerable, protean forms."
Quill stood up. The shearwater shifted from her weight. She huddled down to avoid clipping the roof, and then stretched out her tired muscles.
"What now? Can we rest for a while? Are you piloting this thing down to Amanahora for us?"
"Unfortunately my initial plan has become unfeasible. This shearwater is a surface vessel. Not a submersible. All of the Tear Drop's submersibles were away from the station at the time of the Aii infestation and are now inaccessible."
"How do we get to Amanahora then?"
"You will not. There is a dive suit in the rear cargo hold of your shearwater. Only the Khoi can wear the suit. The dive suit will allow her to reach the city, which is directly below your current position. She will have to proceed down to Amanahora alone - unescorted."
"We're not splitting up - not after all of this." Quill shook her head. "Not now, not ever."
"You must. There is only one dive suit and only Khoi are capable of wearing it."
"It's okay, Quill."
Quill knelt down next to Petal, putting her hand on her knee.
"No, it's not. We can't split up like this."
"It's okay." Petal rested her hands on top of Quill's and then undid her harness. "I can do this on my own. I have some memories of Amanahora. And I can read Khoi. I'll be fine. Trust me."
"What about me? What about us?"
"I have an important task for you to complete while the Khoi is engaged."
"What?" Quill glared at Cynax's flickering projection. "What do you need from me now?"
"When you were inside my Monitoring Station you told me that you may have sighted an escape pod from the Tear Drop. You indicated that this escape pod was taken back to your mother country."
"Yeah. The fallen star. What about it?"
"According to the Tear Drop's computer, an escape pod detached from the station less than one solar orbit ago. That pod was assigned to a Khoi crewman. Crewman Io. Since there has been no word from crewman Io since the Aii outbreak, and since you found the pod floating dead in the water, it is safe to assume that Aii contaminated the pod and consumed its assigned occupant."
"Too bad for him. . .or her."
"As I explained to you previously, opening that pod would pose an extreme hazard. While the Khoi proceeds to Amanahora, I will pilot this shearwater back to your mother country, where you can appraise its leadership of the danger."
"You're going to take me back to Hesperia? No. You can't do that. I'm an exile."
"They need to be warned to not open that pod."
"They won't listen to me. They will flat out kill me if I try to set foot on Kudu."
"Then I will deposit you on the nearest inhabited island. But it is imperative that you get word of the danger of opening that pod back to your homeland."
Petal licked her dry lips. "And what do you need me to do, exactly?"
"You will proceed to Amanahora. The data from the Tear Drop's computer indicates that the city is intact and structurally sound. Once you locate the city and enter it, you will need to find your way into its fusion plant. Use the last cube from the nanite-kit on the plant's controls and I will take the reactor off line. This will cause the protective dome that surrounds the city to fail, burying the Aii under several miles of ocean."
"So you'll guide me around Amanahora like you did in the Tear Drop?"
"Negative. Your communication device will not function while submerged. The dive suit has a communication device, but that device will only function up to a certain depth. Past that depth, you will not be able to communicate with me until you have affixed the nanite-kit cube to the controls of Amanahora's fusion plant."
"That's suicide. Petal's just supposed to wander around, blindly, on the bottom of the sea, in a city full of Aii? Alone?"
Cynax began to answer, but before it could, Quill continued.
"What's even the point of this? You just said the Aii can't survive underwater. Now they're trapped underwater. Why don't we just leave them where they are? They can't hurt anyone down there."
"Aii cannot survive underwater, but they can survive within the confines of Amanahora. As the station degrades, segments of it may detach from the superstructure and float to the surface. Some of those segments could carry Aii spores with them. There are also many self-contained underwater vehicles and emergency escape pods within Amanahora that the Aii may have contaminated. If those ever resurface and wash-up on shore, the Aii could spread to dry land."
"How will I find my way around Amanahora? My memory of the city isn't complete - just bits and pieces. How will I even find my way to it? I mean, it must be really dark down there, on the bottom of the sea."
"Amanahora is maintained by a Consortium A.I. named BLUE-HUE. I spoke to this A.I. during your descent from the Tear Drop. It is hostile to our aims, but it is programmed to be of aid to all Consortium crewmen-"
"Another A.I.? Like you?"
"BLUE-HUE is more primitive than I am, but it should still be of aid to you. Its programming requires it to follow any orders you may issue. It will activate Amanahora's lights as you approach the city."
"No." Quill continued to fume. "We're not doing this. You're using us, Cynax. You almost got us killed up there and now you're sending Petal down, alone, into an abyss? No. We're done helping you."
"I told you. It's okay." Petal tried to calm her. "I know what I'm doing. I'll be fine, Quill. Stop worrying about me."
"Something else is going on here. Please don't trust him anymore. He's separating us on purpose. He's using you. He doesn't care about you, and he doesn't care about Junk."
"I know. . .but I have to go. Trust me, okay? I have my own reasons."
Cynax watched the two girls in silence. "Do either of you require further instructions?"
"Yeah. How do I escape from Amanahora before you blow it up? And how are you getting me to Baffin Island afterwards?"
"As I have already mentioned, the city is equipped with numerous submersibles that you could use to get back to the surface. After I am connected to its fusion plant, I may be able to locate additional, alternative means of exit for you. Once you are able to resurface, I will reroute the Kingfisher to your coordinates. The Kingfisher will transport you to Baffin Island."
"So once again - the plan is there is no plan."
"As I have already explained-"
"It's fine," Petal interrupted. "I understand. You'll tell me when I get there."
"Correct. Do you have any additional inquiries?"
"No. Not right now. If anything comes up, I'll use my ear piece thingy to talk to you."
"Excellent."
"Petal. Listen to me, just this one time," Quill begged. "Please."
"There is one more thing," Cynax reappeared.
"Huh?" Petal turned to face its projection.
"As I have already mentioned, BLUE-HUE is a Consortium A.I. and thus is hostile to our aims. It may try to mislead you. Remember your task. Do not let it deceive you or prevent you from destroying Amanahora."
"Okay."
"Good luck."
Cynax's hologram switched off, leaving the two girls alone, standing in the cabin of their shearwater, smack-dab in the center of Ea's largest ocean.
***
Quill watched Petal try to shimmy her way into an oversized Khoi dive suit. The suit was roughly as tall as she was, and was made of some kind of alien fabric that Quill couldn't even begin to recognize. Although it seemed bulky from the outside, its inner lining was full of foam, making it almost skin tight on Petal. She had to remove everything but her underwear to be able to slip it on.
Once Petal was suited up, she rummaged through the shearwater's cargo hold, searching for a helmet.
Quill didn't understand how such a meager outfit could protect Petal from the immense pressures she'd have to endure on her way down to Amanahora, which lay miles below the waves. She tried to avoid picturing the disgusting image of all the water squishing her into a bloody, meaty pulp.
"Please don't do this."
Petal turned back. "I'm sorry. I have to."
"Why?"
"I have to find out who I am. And to do that, I have to see where I grew up. Where I was born."
"Nothing that's down there is going to change who you are. You don't need to go there. You can discover yourself up here, with me, Petal. We can figure out ourselves together. Don't believe Cynax. Everything will be fine. You don't have to go."
"I want to go. Amanahora is mine. That city is mine. My people. I need to see it. I need to go there to be whole."
Quill looked away, staring through the shearwater's windshield, out at the heaving surface of the sea.
"Nothing I say will change your mind?"
"No." Petal shook her head, which looked ridiculously tiny in the bulky dive suit. "I'm sorry, but I'm only going to have one chance to do this. One chance to find out about myself and my people. I can't just give that up and go through the rest of my life never knowing about my past."
Quill kept her eyes locked on the sky. It was approaching afternoon and the area where the Tear Drop had once been was now obscured by gray clouds.
Petal continued to dig through the cargo hold, carelessly tossing away anything she didn't recognize. She picked up what looked like a coiled rubber hose, and saw a helmet lying underneath it. She snatched it up and went to put it on.
She turned around before fastening it to her suit.
"This is it." Her voice trembled. "Do you want to say goodbye?"
Quill continued to stare out at the sea.
"Okay."
Petal pulled on the helmet and clipped it to a large lip that went around the neck of her suit. She was now fully encased in the alien outfit. She stood in place, taking in its feel. The foam that pressed up against her skin was body temperature, making it difficult for her to tell that it was even there. Her hands and fingers felt confined and sweaty, like she was wearing long rubber gloves. The helmet was heavy around her neck, and it had a strong odor of plastic and galvanized rubber.
"Cynax?" Petal peeped from inside the suit. Her voice echoed loudly. She took a step forward and nearly fell on her face. The soles of her dive boots were weighted, making each step ungainly.
"Yes, crewman Fatima?"
"I'm suited up."
"Excellent. I will prepare the shearwater for your descent."
The shearwater shook and the rear wall of the craft retracted into the ceiling.
Quill was startled by the sudden jolt. She turned around and saw a large gap where there used to be a wall.
Petal inched over to the back of the shearwater and stared down at the sea. She grabbed the front of her helmet and pulled the visor up.
"Goodbye."
"Wait," Quill whimpered. She fluttered over to Petal. "Before you go, I have to tell you something. I should have told you this before."
"What?" Petal grabbed the neck of her suit and pulled her helmet off.
"I'm pregnant."
"What? Ha - how?"
"Naris. . ." Quill sat on a chair near the rear of the craft. Her legs shook nervously. "That's why I had morning sickness and all these mood swings. Well at least some of them. Goddamn hormones. I wish I wasn't so weepy all of the time. I feel pathetic."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I'm sure."
"I'm happy for you."
"Happy?"
"Aren't you happy? You're going to have a baby."
"Yeah, but-"
"And you're going to make a great mother."
Quill's eyes glazed over. She hid her face while rubbing them. "Thank you. I - I really needed someone to tell me that."
"You've been like a mother to me, and a best friend, and a sister." Petal was choking up as well. "Don't worry. You're going to be fine."
"Thanks. I don't have any support and I'm so insecure about myself. When Cynax told me I was pregnant I wanted to die. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but I was just so. . ."
"You're going to be fine. Your baby is going to be fine. You're both going to be fine. . ." Petal paused. "I really hope I get to see your baby."
"Of course you'll see it. Don't say that. We'll find each another. Tell Cynax to let you know where he drops me off. Tell him to take you to me. If he doesn't, or if you can't find me, let's meet up on the Raft. I'll wait there for you. And don't worry; I won't have this baby for months. We'll have plenty of time to find each another."
"Okay. I'll meet you on the Raft. If Mordecai lets me back on it."
"He will, because if he doesn't, I'll claw his eyes out."
"Take care of yourself and your baby. And don't worry so much." Petal tried to swallow her emotion. "You taught me so much. . .after all of this time. . .I never thought that I would be the one leaving you . .but. . ."
Quill shot forward and hugged Petal, wrapping her arms around the bulky suit.
"I'm going to miss you so, so much. I hope to God you find Junk. Please stay safe for me. Be careful."
"I will."
After a long hug, Petal made her way to the back of the shearwater. Quill walked next to her, holding her hand. Petal leaned against her to keep her balance. Once she made it to the back of the craft, she pulled on her helmet, fastened it to her suit, and snapped the visor shut.
"I'm ready, Cynax. Do I have to turn this suit on? Am I okay to just jump in?"
