Jupiter's Reef (26 page)

Mary was out of her chair, kitten tucked tightly under her arm, before Alex finished his sentence. He tried to think of something positive to say, but nothing came to mind. What came out was, “This is going to be a long trip.”

As if in agreement there was a loud pop outside the ship.

There was a moment of silence before Johnny spoke. “We lost a balloon.”

“What?” said Alex. “You’re kidding, right?” He switched the rear camera, already pointed at the balloon array, to a small monitor on the dash.

Alex studied the image. “Dingers,” he said. “I see the cable. Was that ...?”

“The same one that the dagger bird was stinging,” said Johnny in a sullen voice.

“Eleven to go,” said Tony. “We still have five more than you had on your first trip down here.”

Alex ignored Tony’s dry attempt at optimism. “Why didn’t it pop when the thing was stinging it?”

Johnny cleared his throat. “I’m guessing here, but I think it deposited something corrosive. An acid or something.”

“You’re reaching, Professor.” said Tony. “Those balloons are made of polycer. It’s impervious to almost everything.”

“Not fluoric acid,” said Johnny. “Polycer is a ceramic. It’s an efficient reflector of EM radiation and it can withstand micrometeorites. But I’m not sure how it would stand up under a drop of fluoric acid on a weakened seam.”

“Great time to think of that,” said Alex, staring angrily at the monitor.

Lightning flashed. Illuminated by its ghostly light, a frayed piece of the balloon flapped in the breeze where it clung to the cables holding the other balloons in place. Then a gust of wind whisked it away.

“It must be a fluke,” said Tony.

“Two more and we’re outa here,” said Alex.

Alex’s comment brought a quick response.

“What did you say?” roared the Professor.

Alex was shocked to see Johnny hauling himself out of his chair.

He stammered the words,: “Dingers, Professor, I was just ...”

But Johnny angrily cut him off.

“I never took you for a quitter, Alex,” said the Professor. “When we’re down to seven balloons, maybe we can start to worry. But this is no time to talk about bailing.”

Alex held up his free hand. “Okay. Calm down, Professor. Whatever you say.”

“Then what was that about? I’ve been waiting all my life for this and I’m not letting you or anyone else cut it short. As long as I’m in charge, I’ll say when we leave.”

“Your mission,” said Alex. “But it’s my ship and our lives that are on the line.”

“It’s not just my mission,” snapped Johnny.

Mary was rigging Babies’ leash at the rear of the cabin. She’d put the kitten in its litter box and was glaring at Alex and Johnny.

“Listen to you two,” she said. “Fighting over what?”

The Professor looked at Mary, then at Alex.

“She’s right, Alex,” admitted Johnny. “I guess I overreacted.”

“Guilty all around,” said Alex. “Sorry.”

A gust of wind hit the ship and sent the Professor sprawling onto the floor. Alex wanted to help Johnny but he felt a hard tug on the drive stick as another gust pushed the ship further into the clear space between the clouds. “Someone help Johnny get buckled in,” shouted Alex. “Tony?”

But Tony was already at Johnny’s side. The Professor, red-faced with embarrassment, waved him off.

“I’m all right. Don’t be a fool, get back into your chair,” he barked.

Tony slunk away. “Fine,” he said.

Diver
adjusted automatically to new airflow. Its engines whined momentarily as its attitude lifters stabilized the ship.

“I see no reason to fight this thing,” said Johnny, now safely back in his bubble. “The radar’s clear. Why not follow this clear space and see where it leads?

“Because we’re headed down, not sideways,” answered Alex. “Sideways leads to the rim. The edge of the spot. I’m in no hurry to test this ship on those air currents.”

“That’s thirty five thousand clicks away,” said Tony. “Not exactly around the corner.”

“Does everything have to be an argument for you men?” asked Mary, returning to her seat. Behind her the little kitten strained at its leash, but Mary staunchly ignored its plaintive mews. She looked at Johnny with knitted brow.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “You took quite a fall.”

Johnny only grunted.

Mary strapped into her seat and glanced at Alex. In the background the kitten’s protests persisted.

“She’ll get used to it,” said Mary. “But I’m not so sure about Johnny.”

The ship poked along the huge clear air cavern that divided masses of roiling fog. The airspace was like a moving river that Johnny found fascinating. “This is a three dimensional landscape, you know,” he remarked at one point, as
Diver
made a wide gradual turn around the corner of a great bank of stratified cloud. “I’m reminded of gorges cut through rock.”

“Maybe you should start working on your guidebook,” quipped Tony. “Or are you already?”

The Professor merely responded with a humorless breakdown of their speed, relative position in the Spot and their altitude, relative to the cloud tops.

The Professor reminded everyone that they had to adjust to a different kind of landscape. Their new world was now defined by negative ceilings and pressure strata. No longer could they think in terms of land and sky. “Jupiter is all sky,” boomed Johnny’s voice as he ducked back into his bubble. “Right now we’re moving laterally, west by north west, at two hundred seventy kilometers per hour.”

“Hey,” said Alex. “I thought you were going to patch me into your virtual viewer?”

“Oh, that’s right.” said Johnny. “That was just before we lost the balloon, as I recall.”

The Professor punched the appropriate buttons that fed his virtual universe to holographic projectors above the com.

Alex and Mary suddenly found themselves suspended over a smooth blue-green cavern floor. Here and there, wisps of cloud tore away in the slipstream, but otherwise everything looked eerily motionless. There was no clue to size, so it was impossible to tell how far it was to the cloud deck below. Alex asked Johnny.

“Three kilometers.”

“Don’t you want to see the reef?”

“In due time. Measurements, Alex. Science is measurement, yes?”

Alex wasn’t inclined to argue. He realized that after they dove into the clouds, there would be little to see until they reached the reef. Here, at least, he could savor the sensation of flying though the monstrous canyons of cloud.

Mary touched her temple.

“
Cornwall
is taking heavy hits of radiation from the solar storm,” she announced reflexively. “Electrical system problems. Will contact when they regain ...” Mary sighed. “That’s all.” she concluded. “The signal was weak. A relay amplified by a comsat. The
Cornwall
is out of range.”

“Shit on that,” said Tony. “We had an experiment going.”

“Well,” said Professor Baltadonis. “There goes a big reason for staying up here. The clear space might have helped facilitate the link. But now ... I guess we’re on our own.”

“They didn’t say they were leaving” protested Tony. “We can’t just write off the link that easy.”

“We were never sure that such a link was possible, Tony. You know that.”

“Yes, I know,” said Tony. “But ...”

Johnny ignored him. “Take her down, Alex,” he said.

6
A torn shard of balloon still clung to the cables that held the remaining balloons in place. Every time Alex checked the rear monitors the flapping material was a reminder of their vulnerability. For the second time in a year, Alex was going into the second largest gravity well in the solar system, protected only by a little cocoon of technology.

Alex guessed that Johnny had gotten cold feet after their incident with the attacking dagger birds. He sympathized with the Professor, but rather than wanting to hesitate he wanted to hurry. As he saw it, the sooner they saw the reef and got their specimens, the sooner they could get the hell out of there.

When Johnny gave the nod, he pushed the drive stick forward, saying, “Next stop, ladies and gentlemen, Jupiter’s Reef. Sorry, all hotel accommodations are booked at this time.”

No one laughed at Alex’s attempt at levity as
Diver
dove toward the cloud deck. Small wonder, since it looked like they were heading at top speed toward a crash landing. Mary gripped her chair tightly as the all-too-solid looking clouds approached. Lighting flashed twice nearby, brightening the holographic view and making the illusion of imminent disaster even more palpable.

“Forward, into the breech,” said Johnny.

They passed silently into the cloud deck and darkness.

“This is where we use the far infrared sensors and the radar data in combination,” said Johnny. “Hold her steady while I switch over.”

A moment later the holographic image changed. The cloud around them was suddenly visible in a way that made Alex dizzy. Their surroundings weren’t so much cloud as zones of dark and light material that they were moving through. It seemed they were swimming through some kind of strange ocean.

“Dingers,” said Alex. “I’m not sure if I like this view. How far ahead can we see?”

“A thousand meters ... maybe,” said Tony.

Alex looked at him doubtfully. “Maybe?”

“He’s right,” said Johnny. “A thousand. What you’re seeing are radar echoes from water molecules. They’re getting more common as we dive. The clouds are now above freezing.”

“What if it, the water vapor, gets too thick?” asked Mary.

“Tune to a different gas,” replied the Professor. “Carbon dioxide, maybe?”

“Then how will we see the reef?” asked Alex.

“The reef is solid. Not a problem. Besides, as I recall, the last time you visited there was a clear space surrounding it. Isn’t that right? It should be visible with lights.”

Alex nodded. “I wouldn’t bank on it, though.”

“Shouldn’t we deploy the skirts soon?” asked Tony.

Alex had completely forgotten about the skirts – the ring of inflatable packs served as floatation and as a ramp on the original voyage. Alex had designed and built them from used life pods and had discarded them as they left Jupiter’s atmosphere.

Until now, no one told Alex they’d been rebuilt. Tony explained the modifications and improvements that had been made to Alex’s design. Now, he said, they really could serve as both additional buoyancy and a service ramp where they could stand and meet the creatures from Jupiter.

Upon hearing about this, Alex shook his head doubtfully and said: “I wouldn’t have wasted time with that. We won’t want to go out there, I don’t think.”

“But how will we get the samples?” asked Johnny.

“I thought you had some plan, like a grappler or something.”

“No,” said Tony. “Why do you think we’re carrying sample canisters inside the ship?”

“Dingers,” shouted Alex. “What kind of plan is that? Doesn’t anyone talk any more? The reef is possibly hostile. Didn’t you see that when you reviewed the data?”

“Sure. We thought about rigging the ship with a sampling armature, but it would have added weight,” said Tony. “The thing would have weighed hundreds of pounds and might not have worked anyway. Stubbs figured ... well, we had to take space suits along anyway. Why not put them to some use. You’ll have to admit, he has a point. Right?”

“That’s your call,” said Alex, smiling. “Okay, then. Which of you is going outside to meet the clicker boys?”

“This is your ship and you’ve done the airlock thing before, Alex,” said Johnny. “You really are the most qualified.”

“I expected you were going to say something like that,” said Alex. “Here’s my answer.” Alex raised the middle finger and saluted with it. “Until someone comes forth with some cash.”

“We gave you a ship, Alex,” said Johnny. “Do you know what
Diver
is worth? I do.”

“I’ll bet you do,” said Alex, his eyes narrowing.

Alex bit his lip and tried to concentrate on the scene before him. But there was nothing to see. Nothing but clumps of cloud and vapor. Everyone had been doing fine. But it seemed like the deeper they penetrated Jupiter’s cloud deck, the more hostile they were becoming to each other. Or was it lack of sleep? Or ordinary tension? Mary looked at him sympathetically. Her eyes said she understood but couldn’t say anything.
But it was all right
, he thought;
there was nothing to be said
. All he wanted to do was lie down with her for a while.

Staring at the undulating forms that propagated out of nowhere and moved past them like ghosts, Alex’s mind wandered easily to memories of Mary as he knew her, in the dark.

He thought about her lips, her hands, her touch. The sweet places she loved him to nuzzle. Alex smiled as he thought of the way Mary tasted. He looked over at her. She was staring straight ahead, also smiling.

Alex knew she was hearing his thoughts and he liked the idea. Perhaps some people in his situation might be put off or feel exposed having their thoughts read by one’s lover. But Alex liked the idea. And currently that was all they had.

Mary looked at him. “How long before we hit the reef,” she asked.

Alex looked at the control panel. Its illuminated screens showed through the illusion of passing globs of air. “We are moving toward thirty, excuse me, minus thirty klicks. Tethers still numbering about one or two every thousand meters.”

Alex glanced back at the Professor, then over at Tony. Sciarra had folded his arms across his chest and was leaning back in his chair, headphones clamped firmly to his head.

Johnny was lost in his bubble.

Alex took a deep breath. Mary did too. Soon their breathing synchronized exactly.

Johnny switched his voice to the intercom. The cabin speakers squeaked as he connected.

“I’m getting a trace with the long range,” he said.

A few pensive moments passed, then Johnny squawked so loud that it woke Tony, despite his earphones and ear numbing Nova-Altraz tracks.

“What?” he said, coming to life and throwing his stereo phones to one side.

“We are nearing the reef,” said Johnny. His exacting diction belied his excitement and tension. “I’m switching to the forward infrared floodlights. I don’t want to startle the locals with our landing brights.”