standing there holding them open. I could see him now, clumping toward me. He almost fell once but regained his balance and kept coming. When he saw me, I heard a frustrated sound deep in his throat. “Get back in the lander, Chase.”
But I had this thing about the doors, and I stayed with them, holding them until he'd cleared; and then we were both running across the grass. I went up the ladder first, reached back and took the AI from him, and got into the pilot's seat as he climbed in.
The missile was visible by then.
“Gabe,” I said, “get us out of here.” I grabbed Alex and dragged him on board as we rose off the ground. Alex half fell into his own seat. He reached for the box, got hold of it, and hung on while the harness slipped down around his shoulders. The outer hatch closed.
I took over from Gabe and went full throttle. The missile was coming up our tail, and it was close enough to count bolts. I cut sharp left. It followed.
It was big and clumsy, slow to respond, and I had a suspicion it was something that the AIs had designed and assembled on their own. There was no record of armed combat or even of military tension on Villanueva. So maybe we'd gotten lucky.
I turned again, toward a cluster of very tall trees. Alex sucked in his breath but said nothing, and the missile stayed with us. At the last moment, when even Gabe was making gasping sounds, I pulled up. The missile ripped into the trees and blew. The explosion rocked us, and something tore into the hull. But I got us back under control, and we weren't losing altitude or coming apart. Gabe started describing damage, damage to the tail assembly, hole ripped through the cargo compartment, main cabin leaking air, communication pod not functioning, sensors out, and one tread disabled. “We will have trouble finding the Belle-Marie,” Gabe said. “There wasn't time to get the sensors stowed.”
“AG?” I asked.
“It seems to be all right.”
“Well,” said Alex, “I'm glad there's nothing serious.”
“We should be okay,” I said. I'd been in enough crashes in my time.
Alex put a hand on my shoulder. “Time for a security measure.” He proceeded to open both airlock hatches, inner and outer, and he left them ajar.
I started to ask what he was doing, but then I understood. If Charlie showed any sign of being something other than what he pretended, if he said the wrong thing or made any threat, he would get tossed immediately. This, of course, was why Alex had insisted on the suits.
I hoped Charlie wasn't carrying a bomb.
“Did it get the school?” Charlie asked.
“No,” said Alex. “It was nowhere near it.”
“Good. I'm grateful for that.”
“It's over now.”
“Not really. There are others trapped down there. With no hope of escape.”
Alex took a deep breath. “I'm sorry.”
“How high are we?” Charlie said.
“About twelve hundred meters.”
“I don't guess,” he continued, “your systems are at all compatible with me, are they? I'd like very much to be able to see the sky and the ground, to feel what's happening.”
“You can't see, Charlie?” I asked.
“No. I can pick up sound, but that is all.”
I wasn't sure whether we could arrange it. But it would be too dangerous to tie him in until we knew more about him. Maybe even then- “I'm sorry,” I said. “It wouldn't work. We'll look into it later.”
Inside my helmet, a blue light came on. Gabe wanted to talk to me privately. I switched on his channel. “Go ahead, Gabe.”
“Another missile incoming, Chase. But it does not seem to present a threat to you or to the lander. We are both too far away and moving too quickly.”
“Okay. So why-?”
“It is on course for the school. I thought you might want to let Charlie know.”
“Thanks, Gabe.” I didn't say anything. Gabe kept me informed, and, two and a half minutes later, the missile impacted.
Alex looked at me. Tell him.
I did.
“I envy you,” Charlie said, as we rose toward orbit. “To travel through the sky. To sail from world to world. You really are from another place, aren't you?”
“Yes,” I said.
“You do not know how fortunate you are. I have seen nothing for seven thousand years except the interior of the school. Even in the days when children and teachers roamed the halls, I could not see outside save for those parts of the grounds visible through three windows. I have never seen the ocean. Never seen a mountain. I know what moonlight looks like, but I have never seen the Moon.”
“We'll get you set up,” said Alex, “as soon as we get home.”
“If you do not mind my asking, how much longer will you be staying here? “
“Not long,” said Alex. “A couple of days. I hope not much more than that.”
“It's odd,” Charlie said. “I've been patient so long, and suddenly I find that I cannot wait to go elsewhere.”
“I can understand that.”
“You are Chase.”
“Yes.”
“I'm glad to know you, Chase. Thank you for what you have done. You and Alex.”
“You're welcome, Charlie. Tell me, how did you come by that name?”
“Charlie?”
“Yes.”
“I was named for a local politician, Charles Ackermann. But the kids changed it pretty quickly.”
“I see.”
“If I'd had my preferences, I'd have gone for Spike.”
“Spike? Why?”
“There was a local band leader once, in the good times. And I was quite skilled at reproducing the sounds of the entire group. Including the vocalists.”
Alex smiled. “Gabe's pretty good at that, too. Maybe the two of you can form a group.”
I was a bit more prudent in maneuvering the lander than I would normally have been. With a door not quite closed, and the sensors down, and assorted other problems, I didn't want to run into any turbulence. Eventually, we left the atmosphere behind and entered orbit. I matched the Belle-Marie's altitude, and went looking for a familiar landmark. Anything we'd passed over. Eventually, I found the horsehead lake.
I put us back on our original course, and slowed down, dropping well below orbital velocity. That was going to burn fuel, but it was a good way to find the Belle-Marie. “Or rather,” I said, “to let her find us.” Because she'd be coming up behind us.
“Are we in orbit?” asked Charlie.
“Not exactly,” I said. “But almost.”
He seemed excited. “I used to run programs for the kids. We had a chamber where they could sit and experience all the physical reactions to achieving orbit. Or traveling off-world. My favorite was a trip to Korporalla.”
“Which is-?”
“I'm sorry. It's the sixth planet in the system. It's about twice as massive as Villanueva. Completely covered with frozen methane. It has huge mountains. It's extraordinarily beautiful. The students loved skimming across its surface.”
“I'm impressed,” said Alex, “that you remember it after so many years.”
