Mars Descent (Cladespace Book 2) Read online

  “What was that?” Raj asked.

  “Sandstorm. It shifted toward us a half hour ago,” the lieutenant said, turning his head toward the horizon outside the dome. “It will be here soon.”

  Another rumble. Grace felt as well as heard it. At the head of the unit, the captain cocked his head as though listening to the sound, but he may have been getting instructions through his dermal. He pointed across the dome.

  “Move out!”

  “You heard the captain! Move out!” shouted the lieutenant, running to the front of the platoon.

  Grace and Raj had to jog. The crush of untrained conscripts was overpowering, and it was far less painful to keep pace than to stop or resist. Running was difficult for Grace and Raj, whose instincts were at war with Martian gravity. They eventually managed a kind of awkward skip-bounce.

  “That’s where we’re headed,” Grace said to Raj. She pointed to a squat building, into which the soldiers and conscripts streamed without queues. Raj swallowed and nodded to her. She saw his fear. He was no soldier.

  And he wouldn’t have to be. Halfway to the barracks, Grace put one hand behind Raj’s shoulder, as if to buddy-hug him.

  “What are you doing!” Raj blurted, right before Grace slung her other arm under his knees.

  “Physics 101, Raj. Are you sure you’re a scientist?”

  Grace leaped. She flew in the opposite direction of the throng of soldiers. At least a meter above the heads of the tallest, she cleared the ranks and landed near an abandoned shop, ducking inside.

  She held her breath for a moment, but the sounds of the soldiers receded. Grace panted, laughing to herself.

  “That was easy,” she said.

  “Put me down Grace, umm, or marry me,” Raj said, stuttering from the shock.

  Another rumble, this time accompanied by a shower of shards falling from the top of the dome, some hundred meters above. Red pressure spheres raced toward the apex while klaxons signaled a leak. Grace put Raj down and they watched, crouched beneath the shop window.

  The repair spheres disappeared near the top of the dome in a flash of light. An explosion, followed by a wave of dust. The concussion hit them, sending Grace and Raj to the ground, tangled in broken window plastic. In the distance, she heard the officers screaming orders.

  Grace scrambled over Raj. She grabbed his helmet and snapped it onto his head. Then she fastened hers. Through the visor, she watched the pandemonium, muffled now, and distant. Most of the troops had moved away from their area.

  “Raj, can you hear me?” she said into the helmet. Grace watched for acknowledgement.

  He nodded.

  “Most of them are gone or distracted. Now’s our chance to run.”

  “Where?”

  She scanned the horizon. Bright yellow and blue flames licked the exit nearest to them. The other side of the dome looked better, but she didn’t relish running out in the open.

  “We’ll move away from the fire, but stay along the dome wall again, ok?”

  “Why the wall? Is it safer?”

  Grace shrugged. “No, but at least we’ll have a frame of reference. Bounce!”

  Chapter 2

  Grace led Raj down the empty street. It had been several hours since the landing, and they were both getting tired. Sleep squeezes weren’t perfect: their bodies were overtaxed with activity so soon after suspended animation. They needed to find a place to rest. And food. But going to their cruiser was out of the question while the city was in chaos. Grace had looped back, but soldier presence was strongest near the rails.

  They neared the edge of a promenade bordered by high-rise buildings. These weren’t the dainty spires that Grace had seen on their approach. They were enormous, jade green structures soaring to the top of the dome. Their construction was different than the stacked or tapering pancakes of Port Casper, Wyoming, which was the only city Grace had ever known. These buildings were more organic: they were rounder, with fewer seams. The surfaces looked deposited, like sculpted sandstone. None of their bases were rectilinear, their foundations being more ellipsoid than anything else. Even the windows and doors had rounded corners.

  Grace glanced over her shoulder. The dust had settled and fire suppression crews were extinguishing the blaze from the earlier explosion. That must have normally been a job for robots, too, Grace thought.

  At the end of the promenade were a few shorter, humbler buildings. She paused at a single-story café. It was empty. Half-eaten meals sat atop tables while chairs were pushed back or toppled over. A low wall separated the open-air portion of the cafe from the interior.

  “We’ll stay here for a bit,” Grace said, indicating a booth. She confirmed standard exterior pressure on her helmet menu, then unlocked her helmet, lifting it off. The air smelled of burnt plastic. Raj said nothing. He had said nothing for at least an hour. His eyes were dilated and his mouth was frozen in a hard line.

  “Raj. What does the Hippocratic Oath say about killing or maiming someone to save your own hide?” Grace said, hoping the random subject would distract him.

  “Wha…?” He blinked. Grace helped him sit down.

  “Is there any clause in there that says you can’t brain someone if your life’s in danger? I mean, I figure you have to save a guy after you choke him or something, but—”

  “Is this an attempt to calm me down or reassure me that things are under control?”

  “What, not working?”

  “A little,” said Raj shakily.

  “Why not dim your visor for a bit, Raj?” She knew the interior of the pressure suit would comfort him. “I’ll contact Tim and devise a plan.”

  “Yeah…ok.” Raj’s eyes moved to the blink menus in his helmet.

  “And lower the sound,” she added. “I can always ping you by dermal if necessary. This spot is safe. More or less.”

  A moment later, Raj’s visor went gray. Grace could no longer see his face, but she noticed his breathing had slowed. Good. She leaned back and considered the tactical situation. Considered Raj. Was he a liability? Grace shook her head, feeling guilty. That wasn’t fair. Just a few weeks ago, Raj and Tim had risked their lives to rescue her. But still, she thought ruefully, all those gadgets he has screwed into his body, and not one offensive weapon.

  “Tim? You there?”

  “Yes, Grace.”

  That’s a relief. “We’re going to be delayed getting to the cruiser.”

  “I’ve been delayed, as well. In transit, though. Monitoring the situation. Why have you removed your helmet? Where is Raj?”

  “He’s fine, Tim. Sitting here with me. Can you tell me what’s going on here?”

  “I’m piecing bits together. Elysium has been isolated for a few weeks. Ours was the only interplanetary ship that has docked here since the exodus of the mechanized workforce—”

  “Robots?”

  “Yes, Grace. Robots. Though most Martians call them twofers. Anyway, their exodus has left the domes severely understaffed. Citizens are barely able to keep basic necessities operating, and—”

  “Ok. What’s the best way out of here?”

  “I’m only partially prowling the dome network. But from what little I know, you’re going to have to wait. Elysium Authority locked down all cruisers about ten minutes after you disembarked.”

  “Keep looking for a way out, Tim.”

  “Not like I have anything else to do, Grace.”

  “You, there!”

  The voice took Grace by surprise. A young soldier sporting legitimate insignia rushed at her from deep within the café. Geez, Grace! From behind you? Inside the café? Pay attention! she told herself.

  Grace scanned the soldier. His stance wasn’t hostile. He was wearing a mediocre battle suit, no helmet, and held a middling phasewave in his left hand. He had a handsome face, she thought belatedly. Two sparkling brown eyes beneath heavy lashes and a lock of black hair dangling on his forehead. Sensitive mouth.

  He grinned. “A good defensive position, righ
t?” he said. “How are you for arms? Need a weapon?” He held out a compact phasewave with a Kwong Amory logo. Grace winced.

  “It’s ok. I’ve got four more.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t need your weapon,” Grace said, standing. Raj remained unmoving, his legs crossed and his head tipped down in meditation.

  “Every little bit helps.” The soldier moved forward. “Here. Take it.”

  Grace folded her arms.

  He frowned. “Listen. You don’t have to worry about the Elysium Authority. We’re not the bad guys. Just conscripting labor to keep things running. It’s the others you need to worry about.”

  “Others?” she said. “Sorry, but I’m an Earther. What’s going on?”

  The man’s eyes darted to the street.

  “Happened this morning. After a big labor roundup, this section was deserted. I was ordered here as security when they showed up.”

  “They?” Grace said.

  “Thugs. Thieves.” He grunted. “Demanded I look away while they looted the place.” He shrugged. “Scared ‘em off with this.” He brandished the phasewave.

  “How do you know I’m not one, then?” Grace smiled.

  The soldier laughed. “Your suit. Not a speck of dust on it. I figured you for an Earther the moment I saw you.”

  “Guess I’ll have to get dirty, eh?”

  “That depends. Which platoon you with?”

  “I’m with the—” Grace closed the distance rapidly, grabbing the soldier’s phasewave and pointing it toward the ceiling.

  “What the hell!” he exclaimed.

  “Listen, sergeant.” She twisted his wrist, keeping the gun pointed upward. “Just leave us alone, and nobody gets hurt.”

  Grace thought he would try to push her away. Instead, his hand came down hard across her face. It was a glancing blow, but the sting in her jaw focused her attention.

  She twisted the phasewave out of his hand. Then, before he could recover, she brought her forehead down hard onto his nose, and the weapon’s butt against his head. He staggered back and collapsed against the legs of a chair, unconscious.

  Grace looked down at him and sighed. He was probably a good person, if not a good soldier. She leaned down and brushed the hair out of his eyes, assuring herself that his wound was superficial. She regretted the headbutt. He was so pretty. Perhaps it would teach him to wear a helmet next time.

  Grace rested a hand on Raj’s shoulder. His helmet pivoted up and the visor cleared.

  “Yeah?” he said.

  “Let’s go.”

  Raj stood up. She watched his gaze shift to the soldier, then back to her face.

  “Uh, what happened?”

  “Nothing to worry about. He’s fine,” Grace said.

  Raj stepped over to the soldier. He knelt, removed a glove, and checked the man’s pulse. Then he looked at the contusion on the side of his head.

  “He tried to enlist us,” Grace said. “I told him no.”

  “Bit forceful, Grace. He’ll have quite the headache. And now he’s at risk, unable to defend himself.”

  “I think he’ll be fine here. He was a coward, anyway. He’d been hiding in the back of the shop.”

  Raj stood, brushing imaginary dust off his legs. “And are you all right? That blood’s all his, I hope.”

  She smiled. “Dad always complained I was hard-headed.”

  “So what next? What did Tim say?”

  “We can’t catch a ride to the cruiser like he did,” Grace said. “He told us to stay put and wait.”

  “Great. Did you find any food?”

  “Sorry, no.”

  Raj stopped at a table and grabbed a wad of napkins. He made a wiping motion with his natural hand, and extended his upgraded arm to Grace.

  “Soldier blood.”

  “Oh, right.”

  Grace used and tossed the napkins, then pulled up a map on her ptenda. It didn’t take her long to find what she wanted.

  “There.”

  “Where?” Raj leaned over.

  Grace pointed. “That building’s the tallest one under the dome. I want to get to the top. We’ll get a better view of what’s going on.” She noted Raj’s confused look. “It’ll help us plan our escape.”

  “Won’t they have the same idea?”

  “Dome Authority may have posted a few sentries,” Grace acknowledged. “But all the buildings they’ve been securing are low. Probably underground. And this district seems largely deserted.

  Raj shrugged. “Just as long as there’s food up there.”

  They jogged down the avenue, bounding awkwardly in the low gravity. Grace was still certain that their ungainly progress would draw attention.

  As they neared the building, she motioned to Raj and they ducked into a garden. Hunched behind a pair of shrubs, Grace surveyed the entrance of the target building. Sure enough, there were soldiers nearby. They hadn’t noticed her or Raj; they were gesturing animatedly at each other, pointing up. As she watched, one of the soldiers yelped, crouched and wriggled behind a pillar in the courtyard. Injured? Seconds later, the soldiers unleashed several crackling volleys of phasewave fire. They were aiming somewhere high up the building.

  Great, she thought. Someone else with the same idea.

  After several exchanges of fire, the soldiers rushed the front entrance, ramming the doors with a metal bench. The clang echoed, and Grace heard a splintering sound.

  “One more time!” shouted a uniformed woman.

  The doors collapsed, buckling inward as the soldiers surged into the building.

  Raj started up. “The street’s empty now, Grace, let’s go. And may I suggest somewhere else?”

  “Yeah.” Grace entered a second route into her ptenda for Tim to monitor. Another building in the area. Tall, but not as tactically sound. It would have to do.

  Grace and Raj crept out from the garden and started down the street. There was more phasewave fire from the soldiers inside, and then a shrill sound. At first it didn’t register, but when she heard it again, a chill of recognition ran up her spine.

  Grace skidded to a stop and turned around toward the building.

  A child had screamed.

  Chapter 3

  Raj stood dismayed as Grace bolted into the building. He didn’t want to go in, but he didn’t want to stay outside, either. He glanced around the deserted street one more time. Much better to be close to Grace.

  “Wait for me!” he called, hoping Grace was still within earshot. He bounded through the entrance, over twisted metal and plastic shards. The building interior was unlit. Raj waited a moment until his mechflesh lids came online and acclimated to the lobby.

  Grace was outlined in green. She had stopped just inside the doors. Beyond her, to the left, was a row of offices with plasti-glass walls. They stretched deep into the building. To the right was an array of lifts, no floor indicators or lighted control panels.

  “Lift controls are offline,” he said.

  “You can see that?”

  “I can see just fine. How about you?”

  “Not everybody chooses mechflesh, Raj.”

  She’s wrong, he thought. Maybe on Earth it was a choice, but Mars is built on mechflesh. He’d watched Grace’s attitude toward tech evolve since she left cloister, but she was still too backward to live in a place like this. He hoped she adjusted soon. Her next destination, Ceres, was even more dependent on technology.

  Bypassing the lifts, Raj led Grace down one of the halls, following the dusty boot tracks of the soldiers. Grace trailed her fingers over the wall to keep her balance. They were gorgeous walls. Marble and mahogany, fabulously faked using local ore and industrial printers. He wondered if this was normal décor on Mars.

  Grace yelped as she stumbled over a large potted plant, and Raj reached out a hand to steady her.

  “Sorry. Should we call Tim and have him turn on the lights?” Raj said.

  “No. Even if he could find a virtual switch, I’d tell him to leave it be. We
should stay stealthy for now.”

  “Not if you keep tripping over stuff.”

  Grace frowned in thought. “How about this? Could you pipe an auditory collision alert through your lids to my dot? We’d have to stay close, but this way I can keep from falling over things.”

  “It wouldn’t help much in combat.”

  “I’m not here for combat. I’m here because there’s a child involved, and it’s my job to protect. Besides, they’ll have lights.”

  Will they? But he let Grace have her way. “Gimme a sec to set something up.”

  He was still getting used to his gray grafty, the brain implant embedded in the side of his head. Communication with the grafty and his lids was a simple one, but he usually didn’t change something without extensive testing. The brain was a delicate organ, graft or not.

  They continued down the hall until they came to an elegant staircase, covered in velvet carpet, framed by crystal chandeliers. It spanned wide and high into the dim.

  “Leave the wall and take two steps forward, Grace.”

  He watched as her right foot came down a few centimeters from the beginning of the stairway.

  Ping!

  Grace stopped. “Was that you? Was that the alarm?”

  “Absolutely,” he said. Then, pleased with himself, “It worked!”

  Grace put a finger to her lips, then pointed upstairs. They began their ascent. The stairway lead up to a second floor landing circling the lobby. As they reached the third landing, he saw that every floor was similar. A staircase leading to a circular landing surrounded by rooms. Everything seemed in order down here. All of the sounds of booted feet came from higher in the building.

  Raj put his grafty to work with the building’s network. A power outage didn’t mean that the system was down. Sure enough—

  “I found the infodoc for this building,” he said, careful to keep his voice in Grace’s dermal.

  Grace couldn’t respond verbally without making noise, but she signaled her interest.

  Raj recited the information streaming through his thoughts. “The infodoc says this building was the most recent one to be built in the dome. Fifteen sub-basements, a lobby, twenty-eight floors, and a two-floor penthouse. Business, ninety percent. Some housing. All floors have lift access and this staircase.”