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The man stared at the tome with such reverence that Sam wanted to slap him "I don’t think I have to tell you," Sa sealed, to not lay even the tip of your fingernail on that thing I’ you here"
"I’ll keep it safe," he assured her
"Good Run it up to the house, and tell him I dropped it off"
He nodded, and Sam walked away, toward home, toward sanity
Chapter 32
Belém, Brazil
5DEC2283
NO FUNCTIONAL POWER source served the building There would be no shortcut via an elevator this time The less stairas shrouded in pure blackness Every step echoed along the huge vertical shaft After thirty flights of stairs with a collapsible dolly cart in tow, Skyler’s thighs burned
On three occasions Vanessa called a halt to the climb Faint, phantom noises ca Rats, more than likely Subhumans rarely sheltered thee sounds reminded Skyler of a dozen previous ed his life forever, though he didn’t know it at the tiht of steps they passed a door on the wall, labeled with the floor number and whatever business once occupied the space beyond Most indicated various multinational banks, or local Brazilian financial institutions At the fiftieth floor the sign brought a laugh to Skyler’s lips, one he quickly stifled PLATZ GLOBAL FINANCE, it said Each floor after that repeated the sa now made sense
Finally, after what seeht of the switchback stairs to see Vanessa waiting at one last door The placard was in Portuguese, but it required no translation They’d reached the roof access door
A pictograh winds beyond, and as if to hahtly in its fraainst the other side of the barricade Vanessa waited for Ana to join theroup, and pushed open the door
Outside the as stiff but not uned the entire roof Rain sprayed around thely random directions, stirred by invisible vortices that roiled up the sides of all tall buildings
Skyler’s boots crunched into thick gravel, soaked fro pools Drains hidden beneath the covering of white pebbles were functional, then, which implied the rooftop was likely stable He scanned the roof, squinting as a spray of rainwater lashed his face The surface he stood on ran around the outer edge, like a ay almost, with that thick metal rail around the perimeter Inset closer to the center of the roof was a raised square area, one led roof of corrugated ht white and slick with rain There were ventilation ducts and electrical boxes along the low sidewall of the square, indicating that the space likely housed air-conditioning and elevator onally across from the stairwell doorway’s position Skyler studied the city as he walked around the edge of the roof, and quickly cae point this tower provided Unlike the luxury hotel where they’d celebrated Ana’s birthday, which was boxed in on three sides and provided only a western view, this skyscraper had almost clear views in all directions On a clear day, if Colton and the rest of his teaood part of the city withoutmuch at all
Skyler saw the flaw in the plan ier teah their auras went The assuh as the tower itself, but no one had yet seen the need to test it So any such mission by the Eden creould require environment suits Not a deal breaker by any stretch, but perhaps a better plan would be for Skyler’s crew to borrow the camera for a day Hethe vertical height of the aura provided by the towers
He and Pablo set to work on the couard at the door Ana, bored, began to wander the rest of the roof, studying the city below As Skyler readied his gear, he watched her out of the corner of his eye until she returned to the stairwell door, said so to Vanessa, and reentered the stairwell
Skyler was ht bolts when Ana e He cut power to the plasles up from his eyes Pablo already had his rifle in hand and was crouched defensively
Ana was sest srabbed his ar!"
"See what? We’re halfway done"
"Trust uave Skyler cause for worry
Intrigued, he set the torch down and reloves that ith it Ana bounced back to the stairwell door, forced to wait, once she reached it, for Skyler and Pablo to catch up
"Coed to indicate her lack of knowledge and followed Ana into the darkness
Skyler bounded down the steps only to find the door on the landing open Ana stood there, her grin too wide to dismiss as simple mischief She waved him inside, behind Vanessa
"First door on the left," Ana said
Vanessa went through first, her flashlight on at full brightness now, and Skyler could hear a sharp gasp escape her lips He turned the corner and added his own light to the room beyond
Not just a ar
The raised square on the rooftop above the forenough to allow a VTOL aircraft in and out The space rear on Gateway Station
Like a child in a ht at the sleek vehicle that dominated the floor of the roohts offered, he could tell the plane was brand-new Or had been, before the fall If it had been flown ten times he’d have been shocked to hear it
The sharp nose cone tapered back froe Unlike the Melville, which had four engines dangling at the ends of as ainst the s that would extend during nore thrusters were mounted atop the craft, near the back by the rear fin
"Oh," Pablo said froin to describe it," Vanessa said "It’s gorgeous" She strolled along the length of the hangar, her flashlight dancing across the white body of the plane
Skyler cleared his throat "Workman Aeronautics Silver Flute," he said to no one in particular "A Mark 5, I think Executive class"
"Is it a good plane?" Ana asked from the doorway