Free Revolution's Shore by Kate Elliott

the shaft.
    â€œEnough.”
    â€œDamn my eyes if I don’t ache like a Senator’s sore—”
    Noise above, an echoing, deep click, and a heavy humming. Pressure—wind—began to increase against their faces and shoulders, stirring the rifles slung over their backs.
    â€œHold on,” said Kyosti. “The elevator’s coming down.”
    Lily vised her arms around the vertical poles of the ladder and hugged herself against the metal, hooking her knees around a rung, pressing as flat as she could. Then she shut her eyes.
    As wind roared past, ripping at them, the elevator descended. The hum increased until it shook the ladder itself; the rungs vibrated as if they were trying to throw off these intruders. Just as the noise and wind seemed unbearable, the blank wall of the elevator slid past. Lily hugged against the ladder so tightly that she got seams in her skin, and she felt the wall of the elevator jostle her rifle. She held her breath until, mercifully, it slid past and continued down.
    â€œHoy,” she said as she started to climb, “let’s get out of here.” She stopped, catching her breath, and just held on until, after an interminable time, she heard Yehoshua hailing her.
    â€œAre you all three there?” she asked, in return.
    â€œAlsayid is about fifty rungs below me, and the Ridani at least one hundred below him, but we’re still climbing.”
    â€œJust one level to go.” She began the slow rung-to-rung ascent, propelled now more by a strong desire to beat the elevator’s inevitable return trip than by that burst of strength that comes from nearing the goal.
    The last gap between level 1 and the surface seemed the longest, but at last they were met by a pattern of blinking lights: red, green, and blue.
    When she reached Bach, she merely rested her head against the cool sheen of his curve for long moments. She could hear Jenny’s ragged breathing, and a little later, Yehoshua and Alsayid halted below her. Kyosti remained silent and still at her feet.
    At a brief whistle from Lily, Bach recounted his mission in beautiful four-part counterpoint, softly serenading the climbers.
    Affirmative, patroness. None discerned my ascent or trail unto the main computer. And lest they suspect my ploy, I did engage the power overrides so that it might appeareth to their technicians that an overload had occurred. Wast well done?
    â€œVery well done, Bach,” said Lily, unable to muster up the breath to whistle. “And this ladder goes all the way up to the control center?”
    Affirmative. I have ascertained that the main control center does indeed rest upon the top of this elevator shaft, and this ladder dost as well ascend to a door that should open onto such center. Although such as have built this place have also locked this door.
    â€œWe expected that,” said Kyosti, once Lily had translated. “We’ll have to send Ishmael up to set charges.”
    â€œIshmael? Kyosti, do you make up these strange names? Don’t answer. Is Rainbow up with us yet?”
    A slight voice from below. “I’m here.”
    â€œLast instructions. Alsayid, you and Bach set the explosives. Jenny, you and Rainbow wait by this ladder—when the charge goes you must be first up the ladder to the command center. And Bach must come in right behind you.”
    â€œCheck,” replied Jenny, her voice flat with concentration.
    â€œYehoshua, Alsayid; you follow me. Hawk will be going up the ramp alone into the control center. We wait until he’s inside, and then we hit as soon as he attacks.”
    â€œHold on.” Yehoshua sounded, for the first time, skeptical and angry. “I don’t intend to commit suicide. That’s a three-meter-wide ramp up to the control dome, with two mounted laser guns at the top placed for cross fire.”
    â€œChange of plans,” said Lily. “It’ll work.”
    â€œForget