I like to call these Rage Cages.
He points to a short steel beam.
It rests upright in a secure slot marked with black and yellow caution stripes.
A cement block, gouged and cracked from repeated impacts, supports the beam.
Two ropes are attached to either side of the beam, with loops at their ends.
The loops are hooked around upward bent nubs of malleable metal.
Multitudes of these nubs are present all the way to the top of the cage.
Jeremy eyes Cecil to verify that he's serious.
CECIL (CONT’D)
The idea is to haul the beam up to the
top, and then release it.
Cecil wraps a loop around his shoulder.
Jeremy reluctantly does the same.
They begin to climb, sharing the brunt of the beam's weight.
JEREMY
Why don't you go on ahead of us, Tara?
Tara begins climbing up through the center of the cage.
Jeremy looks over at Cecil.
JEREMY (CONT’D)
Plan on launching any more civilians in
the near future?
CECIL
Was the moon not enough for you?
JEREMY
I must admit, the thought of going back
up has a certain appeal.
CECIL
The Arcus was a special case. The whole
idea of that flight was to send
civilians. I need trained professionals
from here on out.
JEREMY
What if I was to become a trained
professional? I've already passed
spacesuit training and have a week's
experience offworld.
CECIL
Are we negotiating? Because I was
thinking more along the lines of a cash
transaction for the crystal.
JEREMY
I've decided that I can't part with the
crystal, but I'll give you all eighty
pages of data for the right price.
CECIL
What's the right price?
JEREMY
I don't know...
CECIL
I'll give you ten million for the
information. You keep the crystal.
JEREMY
Make it twenty.
CECIL
Done.
Tara is waiting for them at the first tier, eighty feet up.
Jeremy bends one of the nubs upward. He hooks his rope around it.
Cecil does the same.
JEREMY
Are you sure this is good for us? Because
I think it's killing me.
TARA
Why are you guys dragging that thing up
behind you?
Tara stretches. Breathes deeply.
TARA (CONT’D)
This is actually a lot of fun, Mr.
