Free GeneStorm: City in the Sky by Paul Kidd Page B

Almost washed Onan and I straight down to the salt sea.” The shark sighed in frustration. “Good thing, I guess. Onan’s feathers were prickling. It was probably going to turn hot on us further up the valley.”
    “You uncle and his companions – they were not poisoned by radiation, for all love?”
    “No, the city itself was clear. But the whole zone at the base of the cliffs is one huge radiation field.”
    “Yes…” Kitterpokkie sat up and reached for the dough snake, creasing her brows in thought. “Well, never fear, never fear! We can quite certainly solve the problem. The initial radiation would have been in the form of particles. Those particles will have largely migrated down into folds and hollows. With properly designed protective equipment, and confining ourselves to exposed rock and high points… Oh, QED! We could quite definitely find a way across!”
    Snapper thought about it.
    “How would we scout a route?”
    A soft honk came from beside them. Throckmorton had been dozing peacefully in his compost tub. The plant made a lazy sketch of words with his tentacles.
    “Throckmorton will fly high and guide you.” The plant wriggled his roots and tucked his many heads beneath his leaves. “Not a problem.”
    “There we are then!” Kitterpokkie rubbed her hands together. “The seed of a plan.”
    It was an interesting idea. Snapper gave a thoughtful twitch of her long tail.
    “We’d need a grub stake.” Snapper saw that the phrase was unknown to Kitterpokkie. “You know – food, supplies, riding critters, pack animals…”
    The mantis gave a fluttering wave of her hand. “All problems have a solution. I’m sure some chips will turn up somewhere! With all the activity in Spark Town, there’s sure to be something that needs to be fixed! Improved! Innovated!”
    The shark took another bite of dough. “Where did you come from, again?”
    “Oh – Rocky Crossing, for all love. A little place given to farming vegetables, pruning vegetables, eating vegetables… and also table tennis. Very noisy place at night!” Kitterpokkie patted at a small parcel of books that she forever carried in her shoulder bag. “But the village does have a single marvel – an old cellar that held a great many books. Printed books! Marvellous place to get an education, if you don’t mind digging through the rubble.” Kitterpokkie lovingly patted her bag, pulling forth a very ancient, dog-eared book. “ Principals of Basic Chemistry’ , by a gentleman called Ballard! Written in 1938, whenever that was. A perfect introduction to an astounding world!”
    Snapper received the book and flicked through the pages. There were masses of exceedingly dry text, along with photographs showing pipes, fluids and retorts. “When did you first read this?”
    “Oh, I was about ten or eleven. I’d never have understood half the other stuff without it.” The mantis accepted the book back. “Oddly enough, it’s the most practical book of them all. There’s not much chance to exercise anything from ‘Handbook of Fusion Power Plant Operation’ – and not half as much fun.”
    Snapper raised one brow. “No?”
    “Well – after a century and a half, the things are all insanely unstable. Blow you up as soon as look at you! Hell of a bang!”
    “Ah.” The shark considered. “So – no messing with scavenged power plants. That would be bad.”
    “Decidedly not advisable!”
    Over by the campfire, Captain Beau was accepting yet another drink from the hand of one of the more attractive passengers from wagon number three. Snapper and Kitterpokkie watched from afar, then fluffed out their blankets and prepared to sleep. Beside them, Throckmorton snoozed happily, leaves twitching in some strange dream.
    Snapper rolled around in her blankets, made sure her sword was beside her, and gave a yawn well stuffed with pointed teeth.
    “All righty. Bed time.” The shark stretched. “Did you really blow up a town?”
    “People can be