Tales From The Underground: 3 The Dirgible Read online

Tales from the Underground

  3: The Dirigible

  Wanda La Claire

  Copyright 2014 Wanda La Claire

  ISBN 978-0-9916725-4-7

  License Notes

  Chapter 16

  Jerome steps in front of me, blocking my path. “Rachael, I need you to go topside again.”

  “What?” I ask confused by his abrupt manner.

  “Brent just told me we have a red light on one of the pressure gages. We need a place to tie down.” Jerome’s worried look scares me a little.

  “But…” I object, terrified that I’ve forgotten all my training.

  “One of my crew is in sickbay, shot. I’m a man down.” Jerome thrusts a personal communication device into my hand. “Take this PCD; it’s charged.”

  “But…” Fear makes my mind blank, as I fumble with the unit, trying to adjust it so it will fit over my ear properly.

  “You’re trained,” Jerome calmly states, pulling my eyes to his face. “And I need you.”

  “Jerome!” Brent’s voice rings out. “I’ve got two more red lights!”

  “Go,” Jerome shoves me toward the stairs.

  Scared and confused, I climb the stairs to the observation ports as I try to remember the procedures. Rushing to the center of the room, I check the map laid out on the table as I continue to fumble with the personal communications device. The PCD is set for someone larger and I can’t size it down so I pull it off and peer at it, struggling to find a way to make it fit. A small jerk slams me into the table, forcing me to drop the PCD as I grab hold of the edge to prevent myself from flying across the room.

  Quickly, I snatch the black device off the floor and fumble with it. Finding the proper adjustment, I fit the unit over my ear just as a voice squawks, “I need a landing place!”

  The sound is so distorted it takes a moment before I figure out that it was Jerome yelling. Depressing the button, I bark, “Give me a minute.”

  Carefully checking that the PCD will stay on, I stand up to read the map. Seconds tick by as I search for my town in order to get orientated. Voices screech in my ear, yelling for help, issuing instructions. It takes a bit of work but I manage to shut the noise out while I focus on finding the town. Keeping one finger on the map, I twist around, scouring the view for something recognizable.

  Trees, trees, and more trees. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I vaguely recall a site that could be used in an emergency, one that wasn’t too far from my town. Suddenly, I remember the towers. Abandoning the map table, I snatch the binoculars out of their holder. At first, I see nothing but when I turn the other direction, I spot the spires. Tall, thin pinnacles in a cluster about thirty degrees to our port side. Heat disperses for the underground city.

  “Captain,” I say, remembering the protocol. “I have a landing site.”

  “Where?” Jerome demands with an edge to his voice I have never heard before.

  “The heating towers,” I suggest, as I jam the binoculars back into their holder.

  “Aren’t we past those?” Jerome asks, sounding a little confused.

  “No, they’re ahead of us.” I assure him. “Thirty degrees off our port side.”

  “I’ve got them,” Brent announces. “Do we land there?”

  I wait for Jerome’s acknowledgement but just hear chatter from the engineer room. A voice I don’t recognize shouts a warning that we might list to port. The silence continues as I start checking the map for a back-up landing site in case we can’t make it to the towers. There is another clearing ahead of us but as I measure the distance, I figure it will take us a couple of hours to reach it. Checking the time, I realize we won’t reach that clearing until dark. Not the best time to make repairs or to attempt a landing. I’m just about to offer the second landing site when Jerome announces, “We’re going to land at the heating towers. Prepare for manual landing. Rachael, I need you to Jump.”

  Fear and excitement run through me at the thought of doing another jump as I stride over to the stairs, the procedure for the tie-down flowing like a litany in my head. At the head of the stairs, I pause and glance back to the spires, remembering Jerome pointing them out to me on my first transport run. At the time, we stayed away from them because they emit so much waste heat from the underground city that the surrounding area is uncomfortably warm but he also told me they were an excellent marker for a safe tie-down in an emergency. Grabbing the railings, I do the run-slide down the stairs that everyone enjoys practicing.

  I let go of the rails at the bottom of the stairs and run across the catwalk. Slammed against the railing, I manage to grab on before I slip underneath the rail and fall to the deck. My shoulder wrenches as I stop my fall and hang, staring at the deck several meters below. I have to twist a bit to get my right hand on the rail and pull myself to my feet. Mildly cursing myself for neglecting safety procedures, I start running along the catwalk this time holding onto the railings while feeling bruised and stupid.

  Chapter 17

  Racing across the main floor, I only have time to see Jonathon and his friends huddled on the couches with terror on their faces. When Jonathon sees me, he makes a move to come toward me.

  “Stay there,” I bark, striding past them.

  Jonathon settles back down, looking uneasy while Adam flashes me a smile filled with confidence. I don’t feel I’ve earned Adam’s trust and it makes me apprehensive but that thought dissipates as I notice the scowl on Paul’s face. Clearly, Paul doesn’t trust me.

  “Strap in.” I shout over my shoulder as I start down to the Deployment Deck. As I near the last step, the dirigible lurches again, jolting me to the right but fortunately I’m holding onto the railing.

  “We have fifteen minutes!” Kate calls out as I enter the brightly lit deck.

  Glancing around I find five of the stations filled and head directly to the empty position.

  “Rachael, thank god,” the relief in Kate’s voice is clear as she unclips her line and rushes over to meet me at the empty station. “I’ll check you.”

  “Thanks,” I reply. “It’s been a long time.”

  Kate flashes a smile as she pulls out the harness and holds it out to me, “Yeah, it’s not something you want to be rusty on.”

  As I raise my right foot to step into the harness, the dirigible lurches, throwing me into Kate’s arms.

  “Thanks,” I mutter, managing to get one leg into the harness.

  “Not the best time for a refresher,” she agrees as I slip the straps over my shoulders. Kate adjusts the fit at the shoulder while I fix the leg loops.

  “Finished,” I say and take one step back.

  Kate checks my buckles by the numbers. In times like these, the drills help make sure you don’t make mistakes.

  “Confirmed,” Kate announces and reaches for the rope. “Do you still remember how to jump?”

  “I’ll do it by the numbers.” I assure her with a nod while I remember the thrill of the jump. Part of me is looking forward to it.

  “Clipped and locked,” Kate confirms while I settle my PCD into a more comfortable position before pulling on my helmet. I almost smile as I realize that the PCD check was an old habit of mine before a jump, almost like a nervous tell. Some hind part of my brain remembers what to do.

  Completing the usual double check, I squeeze the gate on the carabineer and find it doesn’t move. “Confirm, clipped and locked.”

  Consulting her watch, Kate calls out, “Eight minutes.”

  With a reassuring smile, she strides back to her station and clips in. One of the other jumpers calls out, “Kate, confirm your rope!”

  Kate squeezes the gate on her bi
neer and it opens. Muttering, she resets her gear as a wave of guilt runs through me. I should have checked her.

  The guilt disappears under a wave of excitement as the jump time nears. I always loved the jump even though it is the most dangerous job on the dirigible. Looking around, I see the others gave me a rear jump position, the safest station. It’s the position given to newbies and, I guess, jumpers who’s skills might be a be rusty. Through the forward windows, I see trees and the heat towers. A little shiver of fear runs through me as I realize this will be the most dangerous jump I’ve ever performed. If we jump too soon we could be impaled on the trees, too late and we’ll hit the towers. I don’t know exactly what would happen if we hit the towers. Hitting trees wouldn’t be a big deal for the dirigible but the towers might be different. Would the heat damage the balloon envelop?

  “Two minutes!” Kate’s voice sounds tinny in the headset.

  Stepping into the station properly, I set my feet and wait for the countdown. Nervously, I adjust my helmet a bit, making sure it won’t fly off on my jump.

  “One minute!” Kate shouts.

  The door whooshes open and a blast of hot air hits me in the face. Peering down, I see the trees give way to dried almost burned looking grass.

  “Thirty seconds!” Kate calls and she trips the countdown sequence.

  As computer takes over the countdown, I watch the light, ready for the jump. At twenty seconds, the numbers change to yellow. When the computer countdown reaches ten, the numbers turn red. Red, red, red, green. The thud of the anchors firing reverberates from the deck into my legs and I jump. The thrill of the decelerated decent hits me even as I scan the ground for my anchor. Pounding into the ground, I flex my legs a little too late, causing a sharp pain to run through my right ankle but no damage. I have to run a couple of stumbling steps so I can grab the anchor cable and wait for the command.

  Tension thrums through the cable as it strains to hold the dirigible. Without even thinking about it, I step back as the line goes slack when the ship does the bounce-back but still ready to hit the release if the command comes.

  Brent’s tinny voice sounds in my headset, “Equalizing.”

  I watch the cable carefully, worried that we’ll have to release. Briefly, I wonder if the retractors would get us high enough to clear the towers if we have to do an emergency launch.

  “Equalized.” Brent’s announcement sends a ripple of relief through me. “Beginning descent.”

  Taking a deep breath, I look around at the dry grass, suddenly aware of the intense heat for the first time since I jumped. I take a couple of steps back from the anchor and automatically check for damage to the environment but it looks like the anchor seated cleanly. I pull off my helmet as I look around. The heat emanating from the towers has created its own microclimate, allowing tropical trees to grow in a region much farther north than normal. Turning in a circle, I wonder why the town hasn’t taken advantage of this microclimate to grow some tropical fruit. The trees wouldn’t need regular maintenance so the distance wouldn’t be a big problem. Maybe I’ll mention when I get home. A sick sensation turns my stomach as I remember the fire. Maybe there’s no town to return to.

  “Equalized descent complete in two minutes,” Brent’s voice warns me over the PCD as sweat drips down my face.

  I shift my weight and the dry brittle grass crackles under me. The dusty air has an odor of ozone lacing the heavy scent of summer. Sending out my hearing, all I catch is rustling and scrabbling, indicating only small animals are nearby, most likely rodents. Scanning the horizon, I see a pillar of smoke. Clearly, they haven’t managed to stop the town from burning. I force myself to look away. I’m still on duty; still have work to do to protect the ship’s landing.

  “Equalized descent complete in one minute,” Brent’s voice sounds little more relaxed than a minute ago.

  The shadow of the dirigible grows over the ground toward me as the ship descends. Relief from the heat is only moments away and anticipation grows as the shadow nears me. The moment it touches my shoes, it appears to pick up speed, swiftly engulfing me as it continues its steady pace over the ground. Stunned, I realize the shade hasn’t affected the temperature.

  “Landed, jumpers disengage,” Brent announces. “Nice work people.”

  Spinning the lock on the carabineer, I open the gate and unclip from the rope. Before I release the rope, I check the number to learn I am number six. Watching my rope ascend, I wait through the roll call until I hear number five clear.

  “Jumper number six, safely disengaged.” I state as my eyes wander over to the heat towers. Rubbing my chin, which feels oddly sore, I wonder if my imperfect landing jarred my teeth or if I’ve been clenching my jaw because of stress. The clanging sounds of the emergency staircase fitting into place fills the silence, scaring off any animals in the area.

  As I walk out of the shadow, I decide that there weren’t large animals in the vicinity. It’s hard to imagine any creature spending time in this heat but the dry crackling grass beneath my feet indicates it might be tolerable at other times. Otherwise, the grass wouldn’t have grown. Maybe in midwinter this place is not just tolerable but comfortable. An image of the surrounding area cloaked in snow while on bare ground animals lounge in groups, warming themselves between the heat towers, fills my mind. The thought makes me smile and I shake my head at my own whimsy as I stroll over to the towers for a closer look.

  My feet slow as I approach the nearest tower. Sweat rolls down my cheek and, as I wipe it away, I wonder what the temperature is. Staring at the leveled field stretching out before me, I marvel at the damage that the cities still manage to do to the surface even though they are underground. Near the center of the towers, I spot an access building covered with some sort of antenna array. Searching the perimeter, I find no other buildings.

  I guess it makes sense. Once the people descended into the cities, they no longer cared about the surface. Climbing a small hill to the flattened surface, my first step onto the plain causes a reverberation that feels like stepping onto a huge drum. The sound sends a creepy feeling down my spine. Maybe animals stay away from here even in winter. It’s hard for me to imagine timid deer crossing something that makes so much noise, practically screaming ‘here I am’.

  “Rachael!” a voice calls out, breaking into my thoughts.

  Turning, I see Kate waving me back to the dirigible. I spot the others walking up the staircase. Surprised they already have the staircase down and locked in position, I start walking back when an odd sensation crawls up my spine. The others obviously feel it too, judging by the way they stop and peer around. Forcing myself to keep walking I reach Kate who hasn’t moved, except to scan the area.

  “You feel it, don’t you?” she asks.

  I nod, “Yeah, but I don’t know what it is.”

  “Jerome told me you entered the city yesterday. Did you feel anything like this?” Kate’s nervously fingers her gun.

  “No,” I respond, suddenly nervous that I didn’t remember to grab a gun.

  Kate glances at my hip and notices the lack, “Drew! Sandy! Patrol!”

  Abruptly, the sensation ends, causing a weird shudder to run through everyone.

  “Brent,” Kate calls over the PCD. “Are you picking up anything strange?”

  “Yeah,” his tinny voice drawls the words out. “We just got swept by someone.”

  I turn back to Kate and point, “It must be the building.”

  Kate looks at the structure for a moment, “Rachael, would you go with me?”

  “I’m unarmed,” I remind her. “But I’ll go.”

  Tapping her PCD, Kate keeps her eyes on me as she says, “Decker, gear up and get out here. Oh, and bring an extra gun for Rachael.” Clicking off the unit, she asks me, “You still remember how to shoot?”

  I nod, “Weekly practice. It’s still required in town.”

  “Really?” Kate looks surprised.

  “Yeah,” I turn away. “Consi
dering what happened today, I think we should have practiced a bit more.”

  “Sorry,” Kate murmurs as she gently touches my shoulder.

  The two of us wait for Decker while we both check out the surrounding area. Hearing noise on the staircase, I turn to see a guy I’ve never met descending the stairs with his arms full of stuff. Our eyes meet and he pauses for a moment while a smile spreads across his face. Kate nudges me and we stride over to meet him at the base of the stairs. He has an oddly square face with huge eyes set wide apart. A little cleft in his chin and a full mouth indicate he was born on the surface. Nothing about his face fits with the classic good looks but he is gorgeous.

  “Watch out for him,” Kate whispers as we approach the base of the stairs.

  With a smile that’s starting to look more like a smirk, he holds out a couple of black vests.

  “Rachael, this is Decker.” Kate announces with a nod toward the new guy. “Decker, Rachael.”

  “Call me Liam,” Decker leers in a friendly sort of way.

  Kate undoes the top half of her harness so I follow suit but when I start to strip it off, she stops me.

  “Put it back on over the vest,” she instructs. Her words send a chill through me but I comply while starting to regret agreeing to accompany her. I feel Decker’s appraising gaze on me as I shrug into the vest and zip it up. As I refasten my harness, Decker holds out a gun. Taking it, I quickly check the load and safety.

  “Heard you were a good shot,” Decker’s voice is quiet and mellow, surprising me a little. I guess I was expecting something harsher. As he hands me an extra gun clip, I look up to discover his eyes are a light green.

  “I’ve kept up my skills,” I assure him, thinking it’s a little scary walking into a possible fight with someone you’ve never worked with before. The thought makes me wonder why Kate has pulled the three of us together for this. I also feel slightly amazed by the rumour mill on the ship. Kate mentioned that Jerome knows I was in the city yesterday and now Decker knows about my gun skills. I’d only be on board for a few hours, a few very eventful hours; I would have thought people would have been too busy for rumours.

  Chapter 18

  “Ready?” Kate asks.

  When I hear Decker cock his gun, I do the same and give Kate a nod.

  “Spread out,” she instructs needlessly.