Free Blood and Fire by David Gerrold Page B

to a sealed hatch. On the other side was the Bridge.
    Easton knelt to examine the frame. “It’s locked and glued.”
    â€œSomething on the other side?” asked Bach. “Or something on this side?” She glanced around.
    Hodel shook his head in an “I don’t know” gesture. He listened to Brik’s advice in his earphone and relayed the decision. “This was sealed for a reason. Let’s go back and see if there’s another way in.”

    They came back down the ladder and found Korie working at an open wall panel, trying to tap into the ship’s autonomic systems. The fiber optics were dark—this part of the system was dead. Korie clipped his probe back to his belt and looked up as the others approached.
    â€œâ€˜Broadway’ is sealed off,” Bach reported. “No survivors. No bodies. No ghosts either.”
    â€œWavicles?”
    â€œPlenty of them.”
    â€œYou heard about our ... little phenomenon?” Korie asked.
    â€œSaw it on our displays,” Hodel acknowledged. “You guys looked like Christmas trees.”
    â€œSave it, Hodel. Were any of you ... infected ?” There. He’d said it.
    Hodel and Bach and Easton exchanged glances. They shook their heads.
    â€œWell, keep your scanners turned on—but keep them on low, and pointed away from us. They’re ... uncomfortable.”
    â€œAye, sir.”
    â€œI should send you back.” Korie was thinking out loud.
    â€œYou should let us do our job, sir,” Bach said calmly. “We don’t know that scanning fields are one hundred percent effective in keeping the wavicles away. Let’s not assume anything. We could be just as infected.”
    Korie stared at her sharply. What’s wrong with me? So many bad decisions?
    â€œYou’re right,” he said. “Let’s deal with the situation at hand and worry about detox later. That’s Dr. Williger’s worry, not ours.”
    â€œRight,” said Hodel. “So let’s give her something to worry about.”
    â€œMike—” Korie cautioned him. “Stay on purpose.”
    Bach nodded upward, indicating the corridor above them. “Was that hatch sealed to keep something in —or out?”
    Korie shook his head, unwilling to guess. He was suddenly feeling uncertain in his judgment. He indicated the panel. “This is dead.” He waved vaguely toward the stern. “Let’s see if we can get in through the keel, up through the Fire Control Bay.” They headed aft.
    A thought occurred to Korie. “HARLIE?” he asked.
    â€œYes, Mr. Korie?”
    â€œDo you have anything yet on the wavicles?”
    HARLIE hesitated—
    Korie caught it almost immediately. HARLIE hesitated!
    â€”and said, “I’m sorry. I have nothing useful.”
    Nothing useful? What did that mean? Did he have something or not? HARLIE wouldn’t lie— couldn’t lie. And yet ... he could misdirect . Korie
was about to ask more, but HARLIE interrupted his thought to add, “I am reviewing material with Dr. Williger now. If there is anything pertinent to your situation, she will brief you.”
    So there was something!
    He put the thought aside for the moment. They had come to a sealed security hatch, closing off the forward part of the keel from the rest of the ship. It too had been glued. Easton was already examining the frame.
    â€œCan you cut it?” Korie asked.
    â€œNo problem,” Easton said. He was already unclipping the appropriate tools from his belt and mounting them onto his rifle. The weapon could double as a very efficient cutting laser.
    â€œBrik?” Korie spoke softly to his helmet communicator. “What does mission control think?”
    Brik didn’t answer immediately. Conferring with Parsons? When he came back, his voice was uncommonly dispassionate. “Captain says it’s your call.”
    â€œThanks,” said