The Darwin Elevator

Chapter Forty-three

Approaching Gateway Station

14.FEB.2283

Skyler feigned sleep on the journey up the Elevator.

A harder task than he’d hoped. More than once an anxious soldier had nudged him, wanting to talk about the experiences that awaited above. Skyler kept his eyes closed and grumbled annoyed responses. Eventually, they gave up and left him alone.

Eavesdropping proved most valuable. Much of the conversation centered on the notoriously gorgeous women of orbit, and what they planned to do with them upon arrival. By the third boast, Skyler wanted to strangle each of them. By the fourth, his thoughts shifted to Tania Sharma, so far away on Anchor Station. He wondered if distance alone could protect her from such men.

There was talk of battle against Platz and his haphazard army. This generated much more debate, and Skyler listened closely. Rumors all, but every good rumor had a kernel of truth.

“Platz built a secret army of superwarriors, armed to the teeth with exotic alien weapons,” one said, drawing laughs.

“No,” another said, “he’s just given gun-shaped cucumbers to his cooking staff.”

“Nonsense, he has no army—just a catapult to sling his bullshit!” Everyone laughed.

“Doesn’t matter,” another said. “Platz is dead already.”

Skyler mulled the ramifications if that was true. The conflict would be over before it really started, and he could return to a normal life.

No, he thought. Whatever happened, his normal life could never be restored, and his future would only be as good as he made it.

“What about the Ghost?” someone asked.

“A myth,” came the response.

“No, it’s true. The Ghost has been killing any grunt who walks Gateway Station alone.” This drew nervous laughs, and Skyler fought the urge to ask what the hell they were talking about.

Much later the topic of Russell Blackfield’s position on the council was discussed more soberly, after the other topics had run dry. Eyes still closed, Skyler listened as two men in particular, clearly students of current politics, appraised the situation.

“Platz still holds the power, sure, but if Russell hadn’t stood up to him, to all of ’em, Darwin would be at their mercy.”

“About time Platz got slapped around,” the other soldier said, “Darwin’s been sucking at that tit too long.” A hoo-rah went up from the rest of the squad at this.

The talk turned to more mundane bravado after that, and Skyler drifted toward a light sleep.

Just before dozing off, he realized the climber had not suffered any power failures.



Last out of the climber, Skyler floated through the bustling cargo bay at the rear of his adopted squad. Most flailed awkwardly in the low-gravity environment, pushing off at odd angles, bumping into containers and fellow soldiers alike. As a result he found it easy to blend in.

Station personnel pushed water containers and compressed-air tanks out of the newly arrived climber with an efficiency that rarely occurred outside military operations. Random Gateway personnel hovered about, helping the soldiers who drifted into dangerous places or managed to get stuck in midair.

The Nightcliff troops far outnumbered the Gateway staff helping them.

It occurred to Skyler then that Russell was either grossly overreacting to an uprising by Neil Platz, or his ambitions were much grander.

His squad mates rallied at the entrance to an access tube, where a native Gateway Station guard awaited them. Skyler pulled his helmet low and kept his focus on the floor in front of him.

“I’m Corporal Sobchak,” the Gateway guard said in a raised voice.

One of the soldiers shouted back, “When do we see some action?”

“When do we see some women?” another said, getting a few chuckles.

“That’s what I meant,” said the first, earning even louder laughs.

“Knock it off,” Sobchak barked. “Follow me and mind yourselves, the farther we go from the hub, the heavier you’ll be.” With that he turned and drifted “down” the harsh metal corridor, one hand always in range of the red-painted ladder that spanned the entire length.

Skyler lagged back, following the last man into the tube. As they floated down, the man in front of him got sloppy, drifting too far from the ladder as the simulated gravity began to pull. Skyler grabbed his collar and yanked him back to safety.

“Thanks,” he said.

“No worries,” Skyler replied.

“Zero-g, man!”

“Yeah,” Skyler said, “crazy.” He kept his voice monotone, hoping to kill the conversation. It worked.

At the bottom of the shaft, at their normal weight again, the troops followed Sobchak past the decontamination area. It had been a wide hall before, but now beds and mattresses lined the walls.

The sight of wounded men, some from Nightcliff, silenced all remaining chatter from the fresh arrivals.

“Who’s that?” someone asked Sobchak, nodding toward a curtained-off area at the far end of an adjacent room.

“Alex Warthen,” said the corporal. “He runs security—”

“I’ve heard of him. What happened?”

“Took a bullet through his shoulder on Platz Station, shattered his collarbone.”

“They get the son of a bitch?”

“Not on that attempt. Second time’s a charm.”

That caught Skyler’s attention. “Neil Platz is …?”

“Dead, yeah. Shot through the forehead.” Sobchak motioned for the group to follow him. “They put his body out the airlock and everything.”

Skyler leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.

The end of an era. Everything would change. Neil dead, and Russell brazenly establishing himself in orbit? Whatever semblance of balance that existed before would surely evaporate.

His thoughts turned to Tania. He wondered about her fate. Would she take her orders from Blackfield now? The idea sickened him.

The council would fall apart, he suspected. None of the other members were well known to him. Platz was the face of the group, the leader by right of fame. Somehow Skyler doubted the rest of them could band together against a personality like Blackfield.

“Shit,” said a grunt to Skyler’s left. “There any fighting left to do?”

“Most of his staff and mercenaries fled,” Sobchak said. “Platz was the last one on the station, our men said. Gotta give the old goat respect for that.”

Some of the men smirked at that. Skyler did not.

“Where’d they all go then?”

“That’s what everyone wants to know,” the corporal said.

Odd, Skyler thought. He took a chance. “Where’s Blackfield?”

“Took a squad to Anchor, in case the enemy ran there. If not, they’ll work their way down and we’ll work our way up. Sooner or later, we’ll sandwich them.”

Skyler took the information in stride, but his mind raced. Blackfield, on Anchor, with Tania. He tasted bile and swallowed it.

Sobchak led them past Ten Backward, the bar where Skyler had last seen his crew. The place bustled with soldiers and station crew. No signs remained of the bloodshed that had occurred there.

An impressive, muscular man with sand-colored hair approached from the bar. Sobchak snapped off a salute the instant he saw the man. “Captain Larsen.”

“At ease.”

The man had keen eyes, and Skyler made sure to meet them as the captain’s gaze swept the group. To do otherwise would only draw unwanted attention.

Satisfied, Larsen consulted a clipboard he was carrying. “This bunch is going …?”

“Station patrol,” Sobchak said. “Sections B and C.”

One of the young Nightcliff guards spoke out. “Security? To hell with that, I want—”

“That’s enough,” Larsen said. He did not look up from the clipboard, and his voice, though calm, exuded absolute authority. “Security detail. All climbers are inbound right now, anyway, so there’s nowhere to go at the moment. Food is more important than you guys.” He paused, commanding attention. The anxious recruits settled down. “Platz may be dead, but he had a private army of unknown size. How he managed to train or arm them is anyone’s guess. The problem is they are God-knows-where. When they’re found, we’ll have work to do. Until that time, we have a local problem to deal with.”

Skyler fixated on the fact that climbers were coming down, not going up. A ride to Anchor would have to wait.

Someone asked, “Problem. You mean the Ghost?”

“Insurgents,” Larsen said. “Two women, at least.”

“Samantha,” Skyler muttered. Aloud, he realized.

Larsen glared at him. “Come again?”

“Sounds easy,” Skyler managed.

The captain held his gaze. Skyler felt his heart pounding and fought to maintain composure. Finally, mercifully, Larsen looked away.

“Brief them,” Captain Larsen said to Sobchak, and marched out.

“Sir.”

With a slow exhale, Skyler willed himself to be calm. Two women. One must be Kelly, he thought. The other, he could only hope.

The squad crowded around a table in the center of the tavern. A map spread out across it showed Gateway Station in every detail.

“Every hallway and room in this bloody place,” Sobchak said, “is connected to a complex network of tunnels and shafts that circulate and process air, route water and waste, hide all the wiring, et cetera.”

“What are the red marks?” someone asked.

Sobchak exhaled a long, frustrated breath. “Where our people have been ambushed.”

Skyler glanced across the schematic. The marks were surprising in both their number and spread. He thought of Kelly and the amazing speed at which she’d led him through the maintenance shafts.

As the briefing continued, Skyler worked his way through the crowded room, moving casually, until he reached the door. Without looking back, he stepped out of the tavern.

In the hall beyond, he took a long thirty seconds to tie his boots. Sure that no one noticed his exit, or cared at least, he walked away, up the gently curved hall, looking for a ghost.



He had no plan other than to simply wander. Make himself visible, and see if the so-called Ghost would try to jump him. He just hoped she’d recognize him before inflicting any damage.

Section B proved too crowded for Skyler’s needs. Weaving his way around loitering groups of station staff, some of whom eyed him with open contempt, he took the first junction tunnel that led to Section C. The bulkhead at the end of the tunnel had six guards, whom Skyler found in raucous conversation. They wore Nightcliff uniforms like his and barely acknowledged his passing. He kept his pace steady, eyes forward, and turned left to walk down the vast curved hallway. Once the junction guards passed out of view, their conversation faded and Skyler was totally alone.

He slowed to a stop and moved to the wall, kneeling next to it. The bottom half of the surface had a fine pattern of tiny holes. Placing a hand over it, Skyler felt the slightest brush of cool air.

Scanning the hall around him, he saw that every third section of wall had a similar half-height vent. He remembered his flight from the station with Kelly, and the maintenance tunnel she had led him through with all its twists and turns. Finding her now would be impossible, he knew. Best to let her come to him.

A patrol of guards approached. Skyler quickly stood and saluted.

“Nuts to be out here alone, friend,” one said.

“Orders,” Skyler muttered. “Sobchak said I should report to the brig and help out.”

There were three of them, wearing the Gateway uniform. The one speaking was middle-aged; the others Skyler judged to be just shy of twenty.

“And he sent you to do this alone?” asked Thomas, according to the name on his jacket.

Skyler knew the tone of someone looking for a fight. He’d heard it often enough. He looked left and right, mocking the rhetorical question. “Apparently.”

Thomas took a step closer. “Getting smart with me?”

“I’m not getting un-smart.”

“What?” said the younger guard on the left.

Skyler rolled his eyes. “I am getting smart. It’s a double negative. Never mind.”

Thomas took another step toward Skyler, now within arm’s length. “You know what I think, mate? I think you arrogant bastards don’t know how to take orders.”

“No,” Skyler said, “it’s just it doesn’t take three of us to handle a couple of women.”

All three had their weapon slung over a shoulder. Slow to bring ready, awkward to fistfight with it hanging there. Skyler felt he might have a chance, if it came to blows—

The soldier on the left lurched backward, an arm around his neck. He cried out in surprise as he was pulled into a panel that had opened on the wall behind him.

Skyler took the opening and smashed his forehead into the nose of Thomas. Blood exploded from the man’s face, and his instincts became his worst enemy as he grabbed at the shattered mess. He howled so loud, Skyler thought the whole station would hear it.

Skyler crouched, lowered his shoulder, and pushed off, throwing himself into the man’s midsection, lifting him from the floor. The guard on the right, who gawked like an idiot at the space where his companion had been seconds before, had no time to react as Skyler pushed the leader straight into him. All three went down in a tangle of limbs.

A fist caught Skyler on the jaw. The blow had no weight behind it, a punch of desperation. Skyler ignored it and focused on the machine gun over the leader’s shoulder.

Without warning, the second of the young guards vanished through the air vent. He screamed, a panicked, terrified sound. From inside the vent Skyler heard a dull, wet thud, and the noise stopped.

“Kelly, it’s me, Skyler!” he yelled, finally pulling the gun away from the leader.

The man began to flail wildly as he realized death loomed. He punched and scratched at Skyler, rolling on to his back, blood streaming from his nose. Skyler kicked once, a powerful connection directly against the man’s shattered nose. The man’s eyes rolled back and he dropped, limp.

Skyler sat in the middle of the hall, breathing hard, clutching the gun. He saw a shape in the vent, and then a face appeared.

“Well, you idiot,” Samantha said, “come on.”

Seeing her familiar face made him instantly forget the melee. “You’re alive,” he said.

“Save it. We need to get the f*ck away from here.”

Skyler looked left and right. The curved hallway looked empty. No, Skyler realized, listening. Footsteps, a lot of them, and close. He pushed the gun across the floor to her and rolled into the vent.

Kelly waited deeper inside, crouched over the bodies of the two guards that had disappeared. She grinned at him.

“They heard,” Sam said; “we’ve got to move.” She pulled the vent cover back into place, as if it were second nature.

“Lead the way,” Kelly said. “Hello again, Skyler.”

He clasped hands with her. “Good to see you.”

“So you can handle a couple of women, eh?”

Skyler grinned. “All thanks to my boyish good looks.”

Samantha chortled and crawled deeper into the ventilation shaft while Kelly pushed the guard into a corner.

“The body in the hallway …,” Skyler said.

“His face,” Kelly said, “will scare the hell out of them. Adds to our reputation, and buys us time.”

He crawled as quietly as he could, struggling to keep up. Samantha’s movements were fluid, familiar. She made no noise at all despite the hurry, and yet Skyler seemed to buckle every weak spot along the crawl space.

She was comfortable here, he realized.

Kelly kept right on Skyler’s heels. He tried to crawl faster, his back scraping the top of the tunnel. Neither of the women said a word, so Skyler kept his silence.

After nearly two minutes of crawling, taking corners and intersections in stride, they entered a utility tunnel that seemed identical to the one Kelly had led him through during his previous escape.

Skyler’s lungs ached for air, but no break was to be had. Samantha continued to lead them at a fast pace through the dark hallway. He followed her lead, ducking under obstacles he could barely see in the dim light.

“Sam,” Skyler said.

“Later,” she replied. She didn’t break stride. Skyler realized he couldn’t hear Kelly behind them, and so he chanced a look back. It was too dark to tell, but she didn’t seem to be there.

“Where’s Kelly?” he asked.

“She’ll be along. Don’t slow down.”

They ran and ran, then climbed. A series of tiny panels lit the vertical shaft, and looking back Skyler saw Kelly enter the base of the tube, ten seconds behind.

The shaft extended all the way to the central ring, but Samantha stopped at the halfway point and opened a recessed access door. As Skyler followed her through, he noticed the locking mechanism had been covered with duct tape.

“They tried to track us by the locks,” Samantha said.

Closer in to the center point of the station, gravity tugged at two-thirds its normal strength. Skyler had to adjust his stride to keep from bouncing into the ceiling. Thick pipes and cable conduits lined the narrow passage.

Samantha finally stopped. For the first time since Skyler had known her, she hugged him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and squeezed him until his arms ached.

The fierce embrace made his entire journey worthwhile.

She pulled away abruptly. “Can’t believe you f*cking abandoned us,” she said, the words pouring out through a confused mix of laughter and crying.

“Good to see you, too.”

Her hands still gripped him by the shoulders. “Takai and Angus …”

The look on her face finished the sentence. Tears welled into his eyes and he blinked them away. He could see the two of men, lying lifeless on the floor of that tavern, staring up at the ceiling with lifeless eyes, staring right at him. Skyler tried and failed to shake the vision, to replace it with a happy moment. Instead all he could envision was their dead stares, boring into him, accusing and sorrowful.

“So it’s just you and me now,” he said, numb.

Samantha bit down on her lower lip, her entire face hardening as she held back a wave of anguish.

“I’m so sorry,” Skyler whispered. “I thought … we, Kelly and I, thought all three of you—”

“I know,” Samantha replied.

“I tried to get to you, but we were too late.”

“I know. Kelly told me. I’m just glad you didn’t … what’s with the goddamn Nightcliff uniform?”

Confused, Skyler glanced down at his clothing. “Oh. I hitched a ride up.”

Samantha’s eyebrow arched.

Kelly came through the door, finally, and closed it behind her. She gave Skyler a quick embrace. “When I saw that latch still on your bird, I thought for sure it wouldn’t fly,” she said.

“It didn’t,” Skyler said, frowning.

Samantha released his shoulders. “The Mel is gone?”

Skyler did not need to respond; his expression was enough. “I had to bail out, ten klicks south of the Aura.”

She frowned at that. “Any trouble getting back?”

“Nothing but trouble. It’s a long story,” Skyler said, “and we’re a bit short on time.”

Kelly said, “Somewhere to be?”

“I’d hoped to find you,” Skyler said, “and head to Anchor.”

“Anchor?” Samantha asked. Then, “Oh. The scientist.”

“Blackfield’s up there, and you know what he’s like. I have to help her if I can.”

Grudgingly, Samantha nodded. “And here I thought you came back for me.”

The remark landed like a punch to the gut. “I did. Originally just to offer myself in exchange for you and the guys,” he said. “But then I heard about Blackfield heading up to Anchor, and Platz getting killed.”

Kelly’s face tightened. She sucked in her lower lip.

“Sorry,” Skyler said. “I figured you knew.”

“I knew,” Kelly said. “Doesn’t make it any easier.”

Samantha gripped the back of her neck and gave a soldier’s squeeze.

“Platz told me that Tania is the key to everything,” Skyler said. “We have to get to her.”

“You realize,” Kelly said, “that Anchor is at the ass end of a forty-thousand-kilometer street the enemy controls.”

He shrugged. “All of this started because of her research. What she knows. Platz gave his life for it, and I’m guessing he wouldn’t do that in vain. So if you believe Platz had a reason for everything that’s happened—”

“—then this scientist is the person who can finish it.”

Skyler nodded.

Samantha folded her arms across her chest. “The climber port is crawling with Nightcliff goons, Sky.”

A quiet moment passed. Then Kelly said, “I know what to do.”



Kelly took the lead.

She insisted on silence as they moved along a complex path, often crossing normal station hallways. Her knowledge of the station’s layout might be absolute, Skyler thought, but he wondered how long she could last now that there were so many patrols looking for her. Samantha at her side probably made the risk greater, even if their actions were more effective.

At one point she stopped them in a large, cube-shaped room with fans spanning two entire walls. The noise made for good cover, and the breeze felt good on Skyler’s sweat-soaked uniform. Kelly called for a rest.

“We’re close now,” she said.

Skyler worked to control his breathing. “What’s the plan?”

“There’s a launch bay in Section E, not far, where the older utility crafts are stored. Construction and repair, that sort of thing.”

“What will we do there?”

“Steal one,” Kelly said, “and you’ll fly us to Anchor.”

Skyler moved closer to the fans, letting the constant flow of air dry the sweat on his skin. “What if I can’t fly them? What if they don’t have that kind of range?”

“They do,” Kelly said. “We overheard some workers. This is how Russell and his men went to Anchor without passing through the other stations.”

Grudgingly, Skyler nodded.

Kelly shrugged. “It’s the best idea I’ve got.”

The fact that Russell Blackfield had made use of them to get to Anchor meant they had the range. Of course, Skyler realized, they wouldn’t need much fuel in space. He needed to stop thinking like an Earth-bound pilot, and soon.

“Can’t hurt to have a look,” he finally said.

The issue settled, Kelly took point again, her pace even faster than before. Twice they had to crawl through tight spaces, which renewed the aches in Skyler’s healing shoulder and ribs.

Kelly had been right when she said they were close, however: A short time later she held up a hand as they reached the end of a warm, dark corridor.

“Wait here,” Kelly said. “I’ll scout ahead.”

Skyler half-expected Samantha to argue. She would have if I’d given an order like that, he thought, but his old crewmate scarcely reacted. It amazed him how quickly the two women had bonded. They worked together like veteran partners.

Standing alone with Samantha now, Skyler found himself unable to think of anything to say. He felt like an outsider. The unspoken truth was that she’d left his crew and joined Kelly’s.

Not that Skyler had a crew anymore. Or a ship, for that matter.

“What will you do when all this is over?” he asked her.

“You know I don’t think that far ahead.”

His gut told him to apologize, for everything that had happened. In the end he couldn’t bring himself to voice the words.

Kelly returned with a body in tow, a Nightcliff regular. Skyler could see a splotch of blood on the back of his head. “The only guard. Let’s go,” she said.

The man could be wounded or dead, and Skyler feared asking. A weariness grew within him from all the violence in the last week. It reminded him of the Purge, and that was something he preferred not to think about. The darkest time of the darkest decade in human history, from his perspective.

An expansive bay waited for them as they exited the corridor; it was nearly half the size of the hangar at the old airport. Strewn about the floor were a half-dozen utilitarian vehicles in various states of disrepair. Miscellaneous parts littered every flat surface, and the corners of the room were stacked with old containers, barely visible in the shadows.

Kelly held her hand up and dropped into a crouch, Samantha immediately echoing the move. Skyler took a knee as well, and let his ears adjust.

He could hear voices. Distant, casual, getting louder.

“Skyler,” Kelly said, at a whisper.

He moved up to her position.

“Take the guard’s place.”

“What?”

She shot a glare at his helmet, and Skyler remembered he still wore Nera’s uniform. He nodded once and hurried across the docking bay. At the far end he found a pair of large bulkhead doors, both open, and beyond that a standard Gateway hall running perpendicular to the room.

He guessed there were two people approaching, perhaps three. With only seconds to spare, he reached the entrance, leaned against the wall, and began to chew his fingernails.

Two men rounded the corner. One was a Gateway officer; the other wore the gray coveralls of station crew.

Skyler was thinking they might not even acknowledge him, but then the officer suddenly stopped.

“Don’t get lazy,” he said, analyzing Skyler’s stance. “Blackfield is on his way back, and there are still the two prisoners loose.”

Mind racing at the news, Skyler feigned a look of surprise. “You didn’t hear?”

“Hear what?”

“They caught ’em,” Skyler said. “The Ghost. Er, ghosts. Just a few minutes ago.”

“Bullshit. Where?”

The station worker had stopped now, too, and was listening.

“Up at the climber port, trying to escape.” Skyler gauged the man’s reaction carefully and sensed indecision. He pressed. “You should go take a look.”

The officer shifted on his feet, looking at the worker he’d arrived with. Then he turned to Skyler. “Can you help him out? He needs to lug some tools over to Section B.”

“Sure,” Skyler said. Too quickly, he thought, and added, “No point guarding this place now, eh?”

The officer had already stepped into the hall, his back to Skyler. “Thanks, mate.”

Skyler turned to the worker and saw Samantha emerging from the shadows behind him, quiet as a cat.

To his surprise, she didn’t kill him. Or even knock him out.

Instead Samantha positioned herself behind the man and put her gun to his back. “I sure hope you know how to launch one of these boats,” she said to him.



The captive worker, it turned out, was a big admirer of the Ghost.

“I’ve got no love for these Nightcliff thugs,” he said, and offered to help without conditions.

He led Skyler quickly to one of the repair ships. “It’s the only one in any shape to fly, I’m afraid.”

Skyler focused on the controls in the cockpit. There weren’t many. Three flat-panel touchscreens and fewer buttons than a soda machine. At least there was a fairly standard flight stick, probably for emergencies.

Samantha and Kelly talked in hushed tones behind them.

“There’s some emergency rations under the seat,” the man said. “Can’t help you with the controls, I’m afraid.”

“I’ll figure it out,” Skyler replied. The little craft looked at least as old as the station. Belatedly, he realized it had a single seat. “Hang on, this one won’t do. Only room for one.”

“That’s okay,” Kelly said. Her level response came instantly.

“We’re staying here,” Samantha added.

Skyler stepped away from the craft. “What about Anchor?”

“Look,” Kelly said. “You heard that guard. Blackfield is on his way back. Your scientist may be the solution, but he is the problem. This is our chance to sabotage his power grab once and for all.”

“Besides,” Samantha added, “Tania could be with him, for all we know. We need to cover both possibilities.”

It fit Russell’s reputation to take a woman like that as prisoner. The thought sobered him. “Good point.”

“And if she’s not, we can buy you time and get a crack at Blackfield.”

He searched for a counterargument, some alternate plan. Nothing came to mind.

She stepped in close and gave him a soldier’s embrace.

“Quickly now,” she said. “We’ll give this fellow an alibi after you leave, and cover your departure. No one will know.”