“Got it,” I say as the final screw loosens, releasing the sculpture and her base.Speedfloats free, and Voller helps me open a biohazard bag and guide her inside.
“One down, one to go,” I say as Voller seals the bag.
I take it back from him, and attach it to me by bunching the plastic into a neck and knotting one of my empty tool tethers around it. It’s too loose, not a perfect solution, but it’ll do for now.
Ascending the staircase by clinging to the outside of it and holding the railing is easier than trying to navigate the narrow curves, so we pull ourselves up, hand over hand.
At the top, though…
“Shit,” I say.
The post—or pillar, as it seems would be more appropriate—holdingGraceismuchtaller than the one at the bottom. The base is about six feet off the ground. And there’s nothing else to hold on to up there.
If my hands slip, like before, I might end up floating across the open atrium with no way of stopping myself. If I hit the opposite wall, I’m lucky. If not, I might end up out in the middle of open air, under the dome, with no easy way down, while I run out of air.
“One is more than enough, Claire,” Kane says in warning. “Just forget it.”
“The sculptures are more valuable as a set,” Nysus says. “But it’s not worth the risk.”
“Just come back,” Lourdes says. “I don’t like this. At all.”
Voller jabs my shoulder to get my attention. “The bridge is that way,” he says, pointing to a discreet sign on the Platinum Level wall ahead of us. “We can just go and grab the black box.”
Since when is Voller so concerned about my well-being?
“That’s going to be worth more to them anyway,” he argues.
Ah. There we go.
“But it’s safer, too,” he says.
“We’re not going to blackmail them for the black box,” I say.
“Why the fuck not?” he demands. “We’re the ones taking the risk. This whole ship should be ours.”
“Just… shut up for a second,” I say, returning my attention to the statue. “I can get this.” But none of my tethers are long enough to attach to the start of the railing on the staircase.
So I’ll just have to be careful.
Graceis a different woman in a similar position. Her hair is in tight curls close to her skull. Her arms are up in the air and her wings are pitched perfectly perpendicular to her body, with only a slight arch to her middle, like someone preparing to dive. She, too, is dressed in precariously arranged folds of fabric but fully covered.
I pull myself up to the base of the statue and search for screw holes.
Voller makes an impatient noise. “Forget this.” He pushes off the post, his hand accidentally colliding with my feet and making me grab at the base of the statue for my balance. My heart thrums with panic at the near miss.
“Voller!” I shout.
He doesn’t respond, and when I manage to get myself straightened up enough to glance back at him, I see the back of his suit heading down the hallway to the bridge. Son of a bitch.
“I’m coming,” Kane says immediately.
“No, you’re not,” I say. “You’re staying with the LINA and that’s an order. I’m going to finish this and then I’m going to kick Voller’s ass.”
“Sorry, TL,” Nysus murmurs. “It was my idea.”
“Not your fault.” I take a deep breath. “Now just let me concentrate.”
The first two screws come out easily, the third sticks a bit, and the fourth is impossible. I’m reaching for the plasma drill when a low-level rumble starts up, all around me. I can feel the tremor of it inGrace’s base.
