Approaching Oblivion (Jezebel's Ladder Book 4) (38 page)

By Herk’s count, this milestone
meant that the team only had one gift left and only ten more weeks of worry
till they left this rock.

Soon after, the Meteoropolis
district was hit hard by storms and massive waves. Remote cameras recorded
scores of pandas floating on the lake in the aftermath. The rebels hailed this
disaster as the judgment of the gods. During this huge loss of life, the crew
of Elysium debated whether they should send aid. They asked Pear Blossom to use
her influence in the region to minimize looting and to spread the teaching of
clean water.

In the chaos, Herk was the first to
notice that Toby had slipped his leash and departed the mesa.

Nothing was ever easy.

Toby needed help to escape from his cell. People came to
Yvette to unburden themselves. He was never allowed to listen in, but when he
saw Oleander crying, he sensed she was carrying Johnny’s child. When Oleander
came to drop off samples that afternoon, Toby said, “Give me your keys and
password.”

“Screw you. Why would I do that?”
the head scout asked.

“Medical conditions affecting work
detail have to be reported to Rachael,” he hinted.

Oleander handed over both and said,
“I never want to see you again, you evil bastard.”

He used the keys to access the
cabinet with the original sneak suit. “Everybody hates me, but sooner or later,
everybody needs me,” Toby said, slipping out of his clothes and into his
wetsuit. “When you want a healthy baby, you’ll come begging.”

Oleander averted her eyes and
seethed with anger. After he pulled on the bottoms to his shimmer armor, she
grabbed the back of his suspenders and muttered, “If I didn’t like Yvette so
much, I’d toss your sorry ass off the mesa.”

“I put the first two months
prenatal vitamins and treatment in your locker in case I don’t make it.”

She let go in surprise. “You don’t
get to be nice.”

“I also left a codicil to my will,
leaving the child my allotment as an heir,” he said, donning the mail shirt.

Oleander stared at him in disgust.
“This child isn’t yours. I’d never let you touch me.”

“I know that. Yvette also knows
that but would want me to assist you. The others might be convinced by the
implication. You can claim rape, and they’ll all nod sympathetically.”

“No.”

“You prefer the alternative? How do
you get exiled from Hell? You’ve seen how many shit jobs Rachael assigned your
main squeeze when she
suspected
infidelity. What do you think she’ll do
to you with proof? I’m afraid for the child’s safety.”

Narrowing her eyes, she said, “But
you just threatened to expose me.”

“No, I cited regulations. You
supplied the rest. I would never endanger one of Yvette’s friends and the
person who guards my back.”

“Then why?”

Toby cocked his head.
Sometimes
she can be so blonde.
He tried to remain polite. “The current chaos is the
ideal time for us to find out what is really happening at Meteoropolis and Crown Island. If anyone else suggested this mission, Rachael would agree but send
you
.
The embryo would not survive.”

“So you’re blackmailing me as a
twisted favor?” Oleander asked incredulously.

“I’m giving you plausible
deniability. If I find something, which I will, none of this is going to
matter.” Toby pocketed his last obsidian listening device just in case he found
someone interesting in Meteoropolis.

“It’s sundown now. I’ll find everyone’s
whereabouts Out-of-body and signal you when it’s safe to descend,” the tall
woman offered. “I’ll tell Yvette not to leave your bedroom till lunch. That
might buy you some more time.”

“Thank you.”

****

For the first leg of the journey,
Toby took the aqua sled. The forty or so rebels camped around the cave of
secrets knew better than to get too close to the river, so there were no
witnesses. The heavy transport rover would be waiting for him on the north
cliff tomorrow. For the sake of Yvette, he faced his fear of drowning once
more. This would be his last mission. After this insubordination, Herk would
literally chain him to a desk as punishment. Toby kept his radio turned off so
no one could intercept him or order him back to base.

Unlike Yvette, he was able to
circumvent the waterfall by dragging the sled along the portage path under
cover of night. When his panda alert went off, he shoved the bulky device off
the steep embankment as a distraction. He didn’t worry about the vehicle
because it would anchor itself and await his return. He crouched on the rocky
slopes, waiting for the encounter.

Two alert pandas armed with spears
crept along the path, searching for the cause of the disturbance.
What are
they doing out this late?
They wore black, linen shoulder straps on their
packs.
Is that the equivalent of a uniform?
The clothing and spearheads
resembled the soldier he’d killed on Crown Island, which made them members of
the dominant Bloo tribe. These males were a little smaller than normal, about
four Earth years old, the developmental equivalent of thirteen-year-old human
children.

All night he coasted with the
river, not daring to use the motors because he kept encountering large groups
of armed males on each sides of the river. Most of them were barely out of
cubhood. He had been expecting a surge in the Green tribe population from all
the extra food produced by fertilization and crop-rotation technology, but the
Bloos had taken the surplus. The crew from Elysium had inadvertently swelled
the ranks of the slaver armies
.
Oops.
The soldiers hugged the
canopy of the jungle the way modern troops would have used to hide from
satellite surveillance. Only a few years more mature, the leaders of each group
of ten had new weapons, hardwood staffs banded together with copper hoops.
Are
they determined to wipe out the rebel brain trust, or do they want revenge
against the gods for the tidal wave?

He recorded everything but didn’t
risk a transmission. That’s when he encountered the barge. Dozens of burly
pandas on both sides of the river were pulling a large boat upstream while
overseers beat a rhythm on a drum. On the top of the barge’s main cabin sat the
black Magi throne.

Toby crouched in a tide pool on the
north bank, not moving as he recorded every detail. Behind the barge were
scores of armed pandas and two similar royal barges. It occurred to him that
this was beyond a war party—this was a genocide mission only seventy kilometers
from his home. The rebel school didn’t stand a chance.
Did we help this
civilization or doom the only hope it had?

By now, the lead slaves were almost
close enough to touch. The deciding factor in his risking a transmission was
the rack Toby could now see below the throne. It had six slots, but only one
was occupied with a white, ceramic rifle. The muzzle was three centimeters
across, and a large gemstone was embedded in the stock.
A mahdra power
supply?
Six slots—one for each arm in the control saucer. With that many
alien weapons, a tribe could rule the world.

The slow cargo rover was close
enough to relay a radio burst, but physical safety was at least five hours away
through hostile territory. When he verbally uploaded his findings and position,
the slaves halted, looking for the source of the muffled noise.

To create a distraction, he toppled
the row of slaves like a line of dominoes. When the overseer came to
investigate, Toby stabbed his drum with a knife. He had to slow the army to
give his friends time to react.

While the pandas swarmed the shore
looking for him, Toby dove back into the water. He swam underneath the stalled
lead barge.

When the radio channel was
established, Herk first tried to order him back. Then, the head of security
spotted the rifle and swore. “That’s why the Magi pricks wouldn’t let us have
any weapons—to make it easier for the poor sons of bitches that come after us.
Lucky for us, you spotted them while the main body is still a couple days’
march away.”

“They’ll arrive during umbra. With
the eclipse, their natural night vision will give them an advantage,” Toby
said, thinking like a predator. “Even slowing the army a little would help.”

“What do you propose, Baatjies?”

“If I can grab the last weapon,
maybe I can torch the ships and return the device to Elysium for Nadia to
analyze,” he said, deep underwater. He had limited air without heavy scuba
tanks. His visor mainly protected him against unexpected submersion. He could
hold out ten minutes—five if he kept talking.

Herk said, “Wait. Take off your
camel pack and attach it to the hull of the barge near the front.”

“Why?”

“I put the failsafe for my combat
suit into your water pouch in case you ever wandered off on us again. I could .
. .”

“Hide the hand of the uplifter?”

“No. If you ever went rogue again,
I figured it would be because you stopped taking your meds,” Herk said grimly.

“You planned my quick death if I
ever hurt Yvette again.”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you,” Toby said sincerely.

“Just attach the explosives and
swim clear. When they start to sink, you should be able to search the deck
during the confusion.”

Rachael interrupted on the link.
“We cannot blow up natives who haven’t fired on us. It’s against UN policy.”

“And the Charter,” Toby added.

Herk said, “It’s my job to keep you
all safe.”

“I just sent the signal to wake Z.
He has to weigh in on this,” Rachael announced.

“I need to swap batteries and
recharge in three hours,” Toby insisted.

“What’s Z going to do different
than we would?” Herk asked.

Rachael replied, “Maybe tell us to
leave.”

“And abandon Pear Blossom’s
people?” Toby said. “He wouldn’t. They are our seed on this planet. They’re
spreading the ideologies we encouraged. If they get wiped out, all this was for
nothing. We still have one more gift to deliver before we can leave.”

“Okay,” Herk said. “I’ll make you a
deal. If you let us plant the explosives just in case, I will help Risa and
Nadia prep
Ascension
. Because we’d have to wait for Sanctuary to
rendezvous, we’ll need to stock extra food and air for twelve people. Since
it’s still rigged to haul ice, we’ll have to rip out the cargo partition and
put seats back in. Those two tasks will take half the crew working twelve hours
straight. The accommodations won’t be luxurious. Takeoff will be strenuous in
the cheap seats.”

Rachael snapped, “Toby, forget the
bomb and get back here.”

“Shouldn’t I stay to observe?”

Rachael sighed. “What happens if
you’re captured? You speak Pandanese and can’t lie.”

A chill went through him. “Every
male uses sharp, wooden toothpicks that are about ten centimeters long. I would
commandeer a set. They might even give me one with meals.”

“And do what? Those won’t penetrate
the first layer of fur.”

“No. I’d use them to puncture my
own eardrums so I couldn’t hear the questions,” Toby offered.

“Get back here, or we’re leaving
your dumb ass behind,” Rachael ordered. “I’ll check the perimeter defenses. Who
should I take with me?”

“Ole,” Herk recommended. “She knows
explosives almost as well as I do, and she’s trained in the new sneak suits.”

“Lou’s trying to talk to me on the
other channel,” Rachael said. “Eliezer out.”

Toby ordered the aqua sled back to
home base without him. Risa would take over the controls on the rapids. As he
swam for the north shore, Toby tried to hold back the information but couldn’t.
“Herk, you need to read my will before you send Oleander into combat. Baatjies
out.”

Unhappy with getting this close and
doing nothing, Toby debated leaving his wrist computer behind to listen in, but
he couldn’t control the rover without it. Then he remembered the obsidian
listening device and extracted it. Taking great care not to get it wet, he
lobbed the bug behind the throne.

The entire procession upstream
stopped minutes later. He listened to the bug to determine why.

A panda who growled deeply asked,
“Have you heard from the elevated ones?”

“No, sire.” It was hard to tell the
pandas apart with Mercy’s voice performing both.

“Sleep here. Soon we shall hear the
death wails of our enemies. It stirs me like woman-song.”

Definitely hostile. Toby was able
to use the confusion of the pandas setting up camp to slip into the jungle
unopposed. Still, there were so many people clogging the game paths that it
took him the full three hours to reach the shelter of the canyon wall. He
climbed two-thirds of the way up until the slope turned to a vertical wall. His
camouflage had begun flickering from the low battery. He charged it for two
hours while waiting for the rover, on edge the entire time. He gripped the
panda Taser in one hand and his survival knife in the other.

The rover carried a giant spool of
rope strong enough to carry two men. When the transport arrived, he had the
machine lower a cable. He clipped on and very slowly ascended so that his armor
blended against the cliff face. He should have gone faster, but the incredible
heat combined with the scars on his lungs made breathing difficult. While he
rested on a ledge, he had the rover reel in the extra cable.

He paused mid step when he saw a
pink sand dog sniff the place where he had been charging his suit battery. His
hands started to ache. That dog was joined by two others. They circled and
coughed for an eternity. By the time they gave up, Toby had no arm strength
left. The rover had to winch him the rest of the way up.

Toby’s armor was scuffed a little
as he was dragged through the brush and shale, but he was out of harm’s way—for
now, at least. He climbed into the cargo hauler and ordered it back to base,
crawling at its top speed of 4 kph. This gave him a chance to doze. He wasn’t
likely to get another nap until he left this world, one way or the other.