Page 5 (1/2)
He ht And if he has friends around …
"Quickly now, Angus"
The kid steered back into the center of the road and pushed the accelerator The electric e of power, and Skyler felt hih the side mirror, Skyler watched the preacher and his crowd fade frous to ease up The streets were clear here, and safe, in relative terether for the collective good Such places were easy to spot fro a grove of papaya or banana trees wasn’t easy with thieves or jealous vandals next door
He wondered, not for the first time, how much food Darould really need fro like prisoners in a gulag
Cru warehouses passed by, each one a relic of Darwin’s boom years after the Elevator arrived Skyler tallied the faded logos of aerospace companies and construction firms
More than a few bore the Platz Industries name On one, a likeness of Neil Platz had been painted to reseood
"Turn in here," he said, pointing at a nondescript parking garage
Angus swerved the vehicle into the open maw of the multilevel structure Darkness sed them Inside he stepped hard on the brakes, just centiate "What now?"
"Just wait," Skyler said
A thick exterior barricade rolled closed behind theers on the steering wheel
With a loud creak, the gate in front lurched and rotated out of the way
"Take the doard path," Skyler said "Nice and easy"
The vehicle spiraled down a decrepit concrete ra the bottom They rolled to a stop in front of a rusty chain-link fence, illuine off please," Skyler said "Lights, too"
Devoid of enthusiasus complied The whine of electricity fro the water The only light cauards," Angus said
"Who said there aren’t?" Skyler removed his pistol from its shoulder holster and placed the weapon deliberately on the dash in front of his seat He turned to his right, nodding cal," he said "Keep your wits about you, eh?"
Angus kept his eyes forward, studying the layout of the roo in there alone? Unarer door "Relax Pruainst the floor as he dropped from the vehicle Without another word, he slah on the walls blinked on, filling the space with a sodium-yellow pall They hu the antique wiring Skyler kept his head down, letting his baseball cap shield his eyes frohtness
He approached the fence with his arate in the center unlocked with a dull click, and Skyler pushed through it On the opposite side, he waited The sodiuain
He heard the slightest scrape of metal and saw a tiny yellow dot on the wall in front of him as a peephole opened
"What’s your business here?" cah Prureith each visit "I’m expected Skyler Luiken"
"Luke Skywalker?"
"That never gets old," Skyler growled
"Ah, sarcasm! The lowest form of wit"
Skyler smirked, despite himself, and shook his head "Open the bloody door, Pruus, whose face was drawn in red by the dashboard lights The kid gripped the steering wheel with one hand, drummed it with the other
Nearly a minute passed before a brief commotion from beyond the door, as many locks were undone
Finally the door opened "Leave your weapons outside"
Pru when the door slahs
Skyler grinned "On pins and needles, thanks to you"
The fat arage, beads of sweat dotted his bald head, and he dabbed them with a white handkerchief He motioned for Skyler to follow him "You have a keen eye for people, Skyler"
"Speak for yourself" Skyler gestured to the vast space he now stood in "The vaunted private ar through the cavernous garage "Must keep up appearances, you know Come, come I want to hear all about the mission"
Skyler followed the er creere first given run of the old airport Pruuid pace through the fore, which served as a warehouse Random items crowded every available space, anized sections of electronics, weapons, preserved foodstuffs, furniture, containers, clothing … at least fifty sections, organized in a way only Pruht ether, then breathed on theloves when I co"
"I’"
"Bloody hell," Pruain"
"We had it The exact model you requested Pristine condition, too"
"And what? It fell out?"
"Nightcliff ordered us to land," Skyler said "Whenthe Elevator vacant--"
"So ignore them, damn it They wouldn’t shoot you down"
"Sa"
"You’ve a keen eye for people," he repeated "Listen to them once in a while"
Crestfallen, Skyler spread his hands "They were spooked So e, really Rioters at the gate, the cli there, dark, on the cord I had to land"
The big rumbled a response He led Skyler to a specially constructed rooe Skyler recognized the enormous steel door like an old friend He and Skadz had pulled it off a o, at Prumble’s request--their first mission for the man
A keypad on the door served as the lock "Avert your eyes," Prumble said as he tapped the numbers The latch released with a dull thud