DUALITY /#Wattys 2021

Chapter 15

Ridley squinted and peered between the ships, moving her head from side to side to try to get an idea of how many there were.

Dozens. At least sixty on the ground. And two more tiers of warships hung tethered to the ceiling above them.

"Reb ... they're starting their own private air force down here," she whispered.

"Precisely."

"Who are they planning to attack? Us? The other superpowers? Mannaz?" Mannaz was the country to the north, once part of Midgarde, now fortified on the other side of the Wall.

Reb glanced over at her and gave his head a small shake. "I don't think they've decided yet." He looked up.

Ridley followed his gaze. Reb studied the serial numbers painted on the tails of long, pointed fuselages. Ridley heard a curse word.

"They've moved ours."

"Ours?"

"You don't work undercover in this place without building an escape hatch."

"Under—" Ridley stopped herself. This was no time for questions.

But she needed to ask one. "You can fly these things?"

"They're manufactured on the other side of the Wall. An earnest Mannazian aircraft manufacturer selling out his own country for a few bil." He pointed. "There we are."

Ridley read off a serial number. "AIX?"

"Yep, that's the one. I can just climb up the ladder and walk the catwalk to that ship, but I can't take you with me. You'd be shot on sight."

Ridley patted his shoulder and pointed to another ladder a few feet from their little alcove, which ran almost to the ceiling. The lattices that supported the floodlights that lit the hangar spread from that point like a spiderweb.

"Absolutely not! You'd fall off of there and get killed!"

Ridley gave him a level stare. "Two words, Reb: Balance beam."

"All the way across the hangar to AIX?"

"In our line of work, it pays to keep in shape. I practice in trees all the time. I don't even have to do any elements up there ... just walk on it. And it's above the lights, so no one will see me."

"I can raise the ship, so you don't have so far to jump. I'll open the top hatch," said Reb. He nodded once. "I'll meet you at AIX."

Ridley scowled. "These things are tethered down. And how do you expect to open a door to fly out of here?"

Reb reached into his pocket and held up the device that had unlocked the door earlier.

Ridley shrugged. "Okay, then."

Just then a hideous blaring siren sounded in their ears. Yellow lights blinked on the walls. A recorded baritone boomed, "Lockdown. Phase III lockdown."

Reb waved a hand at her. "Go! Go!"

Ridley rushed to the ladder and climbed, pushing rung after rung away beneath her as fast as she could. Still, it took her a while to reach the top. She grabbed the bar carrying electric wires out to all the hangar lights. It turned out to be an I-beam with holes drilled in it, suspending the lights and wires on hangers. It felt like it would hold her weight, although it was only two inches wide, and she was used to a four-inch balance beam.

She swung one foot over, then the other, then reached with her other hand, transferring her weight onto it. She got her bearings and stood up.

It was so high up. That cancelled out any relief she felt not having any required elements to perform up here. She could have refused to look down, but she needed to see where she was going, and she needed to know whether anyone had spotted her. She took a deep breath and glanced down.