“Maybe,” Paine reluctantly acknowledged the possibility as he stroked the coarse hairs of his chin while crossing his arms over his chest in deep thought.
Dear God, I hope Aldous is right, Old-timer thought. His thoughts turned to James, and he hoped that humanity’s champion could come through one more time.
18
Djanet flexed her hands in and out of fists as she prepared to open the portside airlock that would blow her outside of the ship and into the lethal environment of the wormhole. There was no computer that could take control of her trajectory for her—this would have to be all her—all her own natural athletic ability. If she timed it wrong, she could hit the wall of the wormhole and even with the immense protection of her magnetic field, there was no telling where she might find herself in the endlessness of time and space—or even if she would still be within the bounds of time and space.
“I have a theory about you,” Rich said through their mind’s eye connection from his seat in the pilot’s chair at the center of the bridge. “I think you’re an adrenaline junkie.”
Djanet grinned to herself. “I have a theory about you too.”
“What’s that?”
“You have a fetish for adrenaline junkies.”
“Ha!” Rich reacted. “Maybe. Djanet, listen, this is seriously insane. You’re gonna get yourself killed.”
“You’re not giving me enough credit. I’ve got a plan. Just make sure you release the Planck at the exact moment I take this bastard out.”
“Easier said than done,” Rich replied. “There’s no eject button on this thing, and you know what that means.”
“I know. The whole bridge will lower—”
“Leaving me exposed and trying to fire out the Planck in the one and a half seconds between wormholes. With no practice run, Djanet! No practice! That’s a lot of pressure on me!”
“I have faith in you,” Djanet replied.
“Speaking of being between wormholes, we’re eight seconds from leaving this one. Are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” Djanet replied as she crouched and readied herself for the maneuver she was seconds from having to complete.
“Are you sure about this?”
“I am.”
Rich shook his head. “I dig you, you crazy chick.”
“Told you,” Djanet replied. “It’s your fetish.”
“Three...two...one...go!” Rich shouted.
Djanet ignited her magnetic field as the port airlock opened, sucking her outside before she turned sharply to the left, making her way to the back of the ship. She used the powerful field to lock herself onto the hull, within sight of the android that was still clawing at the nearly impenetrable engine casing fruitlessly. It was, however, having some success with jamming its own arm into the engine itself, though it was only able to sustain that for short bursts before the propulsion was too much for it and it was forced out.
Another wormhole opened up, and the white lights and fury continued.
“You still alive?” Rich asked.
“Yeah,” Djanet breathed a sigh of relief. “I overshot a bit though. Fun boy back here saw me. He does not look happy.”
“No kidding. Why do they all have to look so frenzied all the time?”
The android was crawling inch by inch, digging its powerful fingers just deep enough into the hull to stay attached as it worked its way toward Djanet, who was only a little more than two meters away from him.
“Frenzied, yeah...and definitely murderous. What’s the countdown clock at?”
“Twenty-two seconds until the end of this wormhole.”
“Ugh,” Djanet reacted as the android moved ever closer. “This is going to be close. I can’t shoot this guy until we’re out, or I’ll lose him in the wormhole.”
“What!?” Rich reacted, bolting up against the straps of his seat, alarmed. “Why not? Who cares if you lose him? Shoot him, Djanet!”
“I need something from him first,” she replied as the android made it to within one meter from her. If it could dig another handhold in the hull, it would be within lunging range.
“What!?” Rich demanded, exasperated.
The android slipped its free hand into a satchel around its waist and retrieved an object that was very familiar to Djanet.
“Its assimilator,” Djanet replied. “Countdown?”
“Five seconds! C’mon!”
“All right! Do it!” Djanet ducked to avoid the android’s arm as it swiped wildly with the assimilator; she knew if it hit her, all was lost.
Rich ignited his magnetic field and lowered the bridge in preparation to release the Planck platform, complete with Old-timer’s inanimate body strapped to it. He found himself face to face with the sound and fury, in the place where mathematics and God both ceased to make sense. He found himself momentarily mesmerized before regaining his composure and blasting a powerful burst of energy at the Planck, propelling it to the starboard side of the ship.