Kylee walked around, checking that no roots were near the fans before saying, “All right, let’s go. Stay right behind me. Put your feet where I put my feet. Keep as far as you can from holes, crevices, and gaps in the roots. Touch nothing!”

“You make it sound like even the air’s dangerous.”

“Remember that column of mobbers we saw?”

“What happens if they show up?”

“Might have a chance if we can get up off the roots and freeze. Best outcome? We end up looking as scarred as Kalico. Most likely? We die.”

Chapter 53

  53  

The call came through on the military com, crackling in Kalico’s earbud. “Supervisor? You there? I need a priority patch to Supervisor Aguila. Repeat. This is Briah Muldare stationed at Southern Diggings. I need an Emergency patch to Supervisor Aguila.”

Kalico straightened in her conforming seat on the righthand side of the command deck. She glanced out the side window, seeing the red sandstone uplift where Rork Springs lay hidden among the anticlines. Capella’s light was shining down, casting shadows behind the rising teeth of the Wind Mountains.

So far, progress along the search grid had been remarkably slow, boring, and unproductive. The shuttle’s delicate sensors hadn’t picked up as much as a peep that wasn’t from a known settlement or claim. The radio silence was downright ominous.

Kalico accessed her com, saying, “Briah? Kalico here. What’s wrong?”

“I’m missing four marines, ma’am.” A slight crackle of static. “Had something curious . . . a biological trace out in the trees. Corporal Xing Ming and Privates Radagan, Cantos, and Aberash wanted to run a reconnaissance. Figured they were savvy enough about the roots, that they’d learned enough of the field craft, that they could run out and back. Get readings on whatever was up in the trees.”

A pause. “Xing argued that they were in armor, with tech, so what could go wrong?”

Outside of the fact that it was Donovan?

“Ma’am, I was listening to their com chatter. Normal stuff. Talk about avoiding roots. Being attacked by plants. Even a swarming by our local brand of mobbers. Then I heard Cantos say, ‘Guys, what the hell is this?’

“And there’s some chatter as the rest of the team cuts across to meet up with Cantos.

“Then I hear Radagan say, ‘Holy shit! You see that?’ And a moment later, Xing calls, ‘Rad, get back!’ Aberash, sounding excited, yells, ‘Fry that pus sucker!’” A pause. “Then there’s grunts. Sounds like thumps. Then nothing. I got no response on my inquiries. Nada. Thought I’d better call it in.”

“Yeah, thanks for the update. You’re sure they were armored? Had a full charge in the packs? All their tech was functional?”