"Steve Jordan - The Onuissance Cells" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jordan Steve)

What did you think?”
“Beautiful city,” Thomas nodded. “Can’t wait to see the inside. Tell me, isn’t there one other member
of this station?”
“Yes, Mr. Laird,” San replied quickly. “He’s checking out a distress call southwest of the city. I just
spoke to him before you touched down. He shouldn’t be much longer getting back.”
“Nothing serious, I hope.”
“Sounds like a ditched glider pilot stranded with a broken ankle. Teez... Mr. Laird will be bringing him in
for medical attention, but he’s otherwise okay.”
“Glad to hear it,” Thomas said. The smile he’d worn since stepping off of the Drake was slowly
draining away. San was being more professional than polite, and Thomas had the distinct feeling she was
trying not to seem upset. It could have easily been a case of her feeling she had been passed up for
promotion... something that, since the announcement of the second Mars mission, had happened all too
often to Peacekeepers around the world... but Thomas knew that wasn’t the case here. He had seen the
cells on this station when he was assigned, and there was a lot more going on here than simple professional
jealousies.
“Well,” Thomas picked up on the pregnant pause, stuffing his free hand in his pocket. “I’m sure it’ll be
great working with you both. I’m just sorry the posting couldn’t have been under better circumstances.”
San’s brow furrowed a bit. “Do you know the circumstances?”
“Well, just that Commander Cartier didn’t work out, as it was described to me at Jetstream.” Thomas
noted San’s reaction, and it was clear that she wasn’t pleased with his reply at all, although she couldn’t
quite decide which one—he or Jetstream—was the bad guy. “How long has he been posted here?”
“Six years,” was San’s quiet reply.
“Six years!” Thomas had known that, too, but he also knew the value of expressing his concern to his
subordinates. “And now he’s supposedly not working out? That doesn’t make sense to me at all.”
San shook her head. “Nor to me.” She reached out and took Thomas’ flight bag. Although it was
heavy, he noted she had no trouble shouldering it. “Why don’t we take you on up to the station?
Commander Cartier is still in Midland... I think... so we’ve arranged temporary quarters for you.”
 They started walking, through the massive entrance that led into Midland. “You say you think he’s still
in Midland?”
“He was out in the mountains a few days ago,” Frank explained. “He was due back today, but we
haven’t seen him yet. We haven’t locator’d him yet, though.” They stopped at a lift, and Frank pressed the
announcer. The doors opened almost immediately for them.
“He’s still officially off-duty,” San added. “I felt there was no need to locator him.”
“Mm.” Thomas stepped into the lift with them. “Well, he’ll turn up.”
The lift started up, and Thomas immediately noted half the lift’s wall was clear. There was only
blue-gray wall beyond it, though, and Thomas watched it swiftly pass below them. Abruptly, the wall
disappeared, and they were exposed to the vast interior of Midland City. Midland was mostly open inside,
with numerous major and minor levels that ended in freefloating balconies jutting out into the vast open
center of the city. Even the level now below them, which suggested itself as the “ground level” of the city,
had a large open space in its center, through which the supply and machinery levels could be seen below.
The power levels, Thomas knew, were also down there, and it was clear from this vantage point that
Midland extended far below the actual ground level Thomas had entered upon.
Above them, Thomas saw more levels, some open at balconies, some solid or windowed walls.
Tapestries hung along many of the balconies, and multicolored shrubs and plants adorned the edges of many
more. Many of the walls were covered with solar glass, just as they had been outside. In fact, most of the
interior looked like the exterior of the city, as if someone had taken an outside wall, copied it, bent it inward,
and placed it around the interior. Far above, the “roof” of the city gaped open to the sky, where clouds slid
overhead. Many of the upper levels were brightly glowing under the mid-morning sunlight, and the huge
semicircle of light spread throughout the interior and created a bright ambient light all the way to the ground.