Crashland by Sean Williams Page A

here that way,” said Clair.
    â€œExactly. And thanks for stealing my thunder, by the way.” He looked genuinely peeved, which gave her some small satisfaction under the circumstances. He deserved it for needling her. “But yes, that’s essentially what I had in mind. The VIA network is still in place, after all. The booths are still receiving power from orbit, and the capacity is there to carry data. It’s just not operating. So why not make it operate?”
    â€œYou make it sound easy,” said the tech. “There are multiple firewalls, and no operating oversight—”
    â€œI know, but you wouldn’t believe the resources RADICAL has at its disposal. If the best hackers on the planet can’t hijack one little booth, they should hang up their hats and go home.”
    â€œWill it be safe without the AIs?” said PK Drader. “Only . . . isn’t that why we had them?”
    â€œSure, but there’s only a few of us, and the system is empty right now. Most important, it’ll be safe from the dupes, too, since they won’t be expecting anything like this.”
    â€œI don’t like it,” said Jesse.
    The building shook beneath them as the next wave of water struck.
    â€œI told you you wouldn’t,” said Devin. “Got an alternative?”
    â€œSwim?” Jesse said.
    â€œNo,” said Clair, taking Jesse’s hand and squeezing it. “There are no alternatives.”
    He swallowed but didn’t say anything. She hoped that meant the matter was resolved.
    â€œRight, then,” said Devin. “Give me a second.”
    Devin’s gaze turned inward, and he drifted into a corner to do whatever he was doing over the Air. His eyes moved, following information sparkling across his lenses.
    The booth door slid open. Clair peered inside. The mirrored interior was small, as befit a private executive suite, large enough for two or three people. It didn’t seem possible that they would all squeeze in there.
    â€œCan you activate another one?” Sargent asked. Her businesslike facade cracked for a moment, revealing something that might have been anxiety, and with good reason. She was as big as Clair and Forest combined. She would be taking up more than her fair share of space.
    â€œMaybe,” Devin said, glancing at her. “But my pals in RADICAL have been working on this particular line since we left the cage downstairs. It’ll take them a while to hack into another.”
    â€œWe don’t have a while,” Clair said.
    The building shook again. The roar of water was echoing up the stairwells now, not just from the outside. The air was getting colder.
    Xia looked anxiously at PK Drader, then the others.
    â€œI could stay behind,” she said.
    â€œThat would give us more space,” said Drader, earning a sharp glance from Forest.
    â€œShe would drown.”
    â€œI don’t mind,” Xia said. “I’ve had more time than I deserved, I know—”
    â€œNo. You are too valuable to this investigation.”
    â€œAnd she’s a person, too,” said Clair. She couldn’t believe she was sticking up for a murderer. “She’s coming with us even if we have to squeeze in there like sardines.”
    â€œWhat if she blows up?” asked Jesse. “The last dupe did.”
    â€œWe know she won’t because she didn’t before,” said Devin. “Right?”
    Clair nodded. She hoped that was correct. Xia was designed to be a permanent dupe, not a temporary swap to be erased if discovered.
    Sargent, watching her, nodded too.
    â€œSo . . . is anyone claustrophobic?” asked PK Drader, performing a nervous warm-up.
    â€œNot for long,” said Devin. “Who’s getting in first?”
    Sargent stepped through the sliding door and into the corner.
    â€œYou next,” Clair said to Xia so the woman wouldn’t try to escape.
    PK Drader