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Chapters (102)
  1. Cover
  2. DAW BOOKS PROUDLY PRESENTS THE SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS OF W. MICHAEL GEAR:
  3. Dedication
  4. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. 74
  79. 75
  80. 76
  81. 77
  82. 78
  83. 79
  84. 80
  85. 81
  86. 82
  87. 83
  88. 84
  89. 85
  90. 86
  91. 87
  92. 88
  93. 89
  94. 90
  95. 91
  96. 92
  97. 93
  98. 94
  99. 95
  100. 96
  101. EPILOGUE
  102. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“That’s on this side,” Talovich whispered. “Supervisor, please, I beg you, don’t go in there. We don’t want to lose you, too.”

Kalico staggered sideways, braced herself on the portal shoring. “I see. It’s just . . . Just . . .”

“Yeah,” Ghosh told her. “We know. We’re as heartbroken as you are.”

“What did I do wrong?”

Talovich stepped up. “Nothing, ma’am. The math was right, the design was right. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine. That’s my shoring in there.”

“We double-checked everything,” Ghosh declared. “Wasn’t anything about Talovich’s design or construction that wasn’t top notch. I’m in charge, if there’s a fault, it’s on my head.”

“Mine, too,” Ituri told her. “We knew it was tricky once we got into the shocked zone.” He glanced away. “We were the ones who told you we could do it.”

“No,” she rubbed her tired eyes, staring back into the tunnel’s stygian maw. “I’m the one who sent people into that mess. Hell, it scared me that last time I was in there. It’s my responsibility for not pulling the plug. I was just . . .” She couldn’t allow herself to finish the sentence out loud. I was too damned cocky. I wanted a quick fix to the drainage in the Number One.

First the Maritime Unit, and now this? What the hell else could go wrong?

As if to feed on her gloom, another tremor rumbled through the mountain.

39

“I need some help here,” Yoshimura’s voice echoed up the stairs as Michaela braced herself against the communications room door. The room, little more than a closet on the second level, was too tight for two. Inside, Dik Dharman sat with one hand on the desk. To Michaela’s disgust, the photonic com and the hyperlink, along with the other fancy communications equipment, had been set to the side to make a place for the primitive radio. Radio? A person couldn’t even see who he or she was talking to. This was the twenty-second century, for God’s sake. How primitive could it get?

Yeah? Welcome to Donovan, my ass!

Michaela had come up to learn if Dik had overheard any communications between Port Authority and Corporate Mine about the cave-in. Not that it was any of her concern, but she did have a vested interest in knowing what preoccupied Supervisor Aguila. Disaster at Corporate Mine meant the woman wasn’t conjuring up terrible things to do to the Maritime Unit.