Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1)(61)

Evans gropes for the comms unit bolted to the wall, without taking her eyes off Miss Grant. She stabs at it with one finger, but there’s no soft crackle to tell her it’s alive.

Grant shifts her grip on the tablet, and well she should—she used it just a minute earlier to mute volume on the comms unit Evans is trying to revive. Takes less time than cutting the line. “Listen, you do what you want, just don’t deny I passed on the order.” Grant’s voice is crackling with tension, but that’s not out of place on the Hypatia right now. And then, in one of the ballsier displays I’ve seen, she turns and stomps off back from whence she came.

Security Officer (2nd Class) Evans stabs the comm a few more times, issues a non-regulation curse, and stomps off herself.

Eleven seconds after Evans disappears from view, Grant comes tearing back. She fishes a cable from her jumpsuit and splices her tablet into the control panel for the hangar bay doors.

Evans makes her way along Corridor 8639, two minutes from her destination: Bay 3F.

Grant gets to work romancing the circuits. She trawls recent log-ins, fishes for any traces of passwords, then when that doesn’t work, tries the log-in she lifted to invite herself into Captain Boll’s cabin. No luck—it’s been altered already. With a soft curse, she starts dismantling the protection protocols that keep the doors sealed.

Evans turns into Corridor 8620, now one minute from her destination: Bay 3F.

Grant’s trembling now, and finally thinks to dump the infirmary bag so she can work easier. She wipes her palms on her jumpsuit, squeezes her eyes shut and tries again.

Evans arrives at Bay 3F and commences an argument with Security Officer (1st Class) Sam Ryan about whether he sent for her or not.

Grant finally gets a handhold, hauling down code with no grace at all now. This time you can read her lips as she whispers: Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease.

Evans and Ryan call in Security Section Head Wu to adjudicate. Section Head Wu advises he doesn’t care who did what, he wants everybody back at their posts where they belong.

The door to Bay 1B slides silently open, and Kady Grant’s knees nearly give in relief.

Evans starts the two-minute stomp back to Bay 1B, where that telltale open door is waiting.

Grant scrambles into the shuttle nearest the launching ramp and jacks into the engines. As they rumble to life, she coaxes the door closed behind her.

Evans turns a corner, now one minute and thirty seconds from Bay 1B.

[Surveillance footage now taken from interior cam of Shuttle 49A, in addition to exterior hangar bay and corridors.]

Grant accesses the autopilot list, scrolling through recent trips to select her route. She’s nearly hyperventilating as she finds it, and jabs at the screen to select.

Evans is sixty seconds from Bay 1B.

Grant turns her attention to opening the shuttle bay doors. Boll ordered a master override on all hangars and landing bays, in anticipation of more Alexander refugees, but the captain only has students working for her now, and they’ve done it the complicated, backwards way that takes forever to unpick. Now it’s Grant’s turn to issue a non-regulation curse, and she starts working through the sub-directories.

Evans arrives at the entrance to Bay 1B, clutching a hand radio unit. Which she starts screaming into as she spots the open door and the shuttle engines on warmup.

Security Squads 4 (ETA 60 seconds) and 5 (ETA 75 seconds) receive the call, and start running like motherf*ckers (I believe the correct term is “proceed with all due haste”) toward Bay 1B.

Evans relays an emergency message to the bridge, alerting Captain Boll.

Neurogramming Student Michelle Dennis attempts to shut down the engines of Shuttle 49A remotely, on orders from Captain Boll. No dice.

Boll attempts to hail Shuttle 49A directly. No response.

Security Squad 4 arrives on scene in time to see the airlock doors closing.

Inside the shuttle, Grant isn’t shaking or hyperventilating anymore. She’s rock still, save for her hands, dragging across the multiple keyboards before her like a concert pianist, swiping at the touchscreens with quick, efficient gestures. She might not be the best there is, but today she’s the best the Hypatia has, and that’s all that counts.

The launch bay doors open, revealing the black beyond.

Security Squad 5 arrives on the scene to join the others in studying the closed door.

Shuttle 49A engages autopilot and departs, watched by two security squads and Security Officer (2nd Class) Evans via the observation screens.

Grant rises from the pilot’s seat and picks up the infirmary bag, pulling out a green biohazard suit. Her hands are shaking so hard she drops it twice before getting a leg in.

No blown kiss this time. No strut. But this victory matters a thousand times more.

CURRENT DEATH TOLL ABOARD BATTLECARRIER ALEXANDER SINCE ATTACK AT KERENZA:

853

PERCENTAGE OF REMAINING BATTLECARRIER ALEXANDER PERSONNEL AFFLICTED BY PHOBOS VIRUS:

22%

RADIO MESSAGE: HYPATIA INITIATED—HYPATIA/SHUTTLE 49A

Participants: Syra Boll, Captain (Acting)

Kady Grant (Shuttle 49A)

Date: 07/30/75

Timestamp: 17:45

HYPATIA: Shuttle 49A, you will respond to hails in the next ten seconds or we will open fire on you.

SHUTTLE 49A: Wow, Captain, you’re grumpy today.

HYPATIA: Who the hell is this?

SHUTTLE 49A: Three guesses.