First 4 chapters from
SORROW'S ECHO
Three
Pato shifted nervously as he stared down the four-hundred-foot drop to the rocky bottom of the cliff. Beneath him, the Burro purred and clicked, the metal warm under his legs. The harness that held him in place astride the robot dug into his thighs.
How, he wondered, did I let myself get talked into this? In answer, he glared at Marcos. His friend stood a couple yards from the Burro, leaning back over the cliff in his own harness—a standard rappelling one. Marcos saw him looking and gave him his patented jackass smile and a big thumbs-up. Pato turned away, feeling sick.
“Vivek? How’s it going?” Sven called into his radio. It crackled with static before the guide’s voice came back.
“The cable is secure,” Vivek said over the radio. “Send them down.”
“Roger,” Sven replied. He lowered the radio and stepped close to Pato. With a comforting smile, the project leader reached out and patted his shoulder. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sure,” Pato said, hearing the squeak in his voice and hoping Stacee didn’t notice. “Yes,” he repeated, sounding a little less like he was about to wet his pants.
“You look great, Pato,” Stacee called.
He glanced at her. She was standing next to Helene a few yards away, her dark, curly hair dancing in the wind. He tried to grin at her, but his facial muscles didn’t cooperate. The result was a confusing twisting of the lips and cheeks that probably did more to frighten the girl than anything. Feeling the blush rise in his cheeks, he looked back down the cliff. Falling didn’t seem so bad all of the sudden.
“Marcos, you ready?” Sven called past Pato.
“Ready and waiting,” Marcos shouted back.
In his peripheral vision, Pato could see his friend doing some kind of funky dance along the rim. Even without looking at him and seeing the drop to the bottom, it made his toes curl.
“All right,” Sven said, stepping back. “Take it nice and slow. Remember, this is just a test, and we have a long way to go.” He waved dramatically at the cliff and the world beyond. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Pato swallowed and stole a final glance at Stacee. She smiled and waved, causing his stomach to flip. He looked back at the bottom of the cliff, set his jaw, and triggered the sequence to move forward.
The Burro responded immediately, whining and clicking as gears and servos engaged. Moving slowly at first, it inched toward the cliff. It paused at the edge, sensors and electronics registering and testing the empty space. Pato tightened his grip. In one swift movement that jerked Pato back in his harness, the robot went over the edge and started to climb down the sheer rock.
The ride was not as bad as Pato had feared. The Burro’s movements were smooth and graceful as it walked down the cliff, carefully picking its way around outcrops and over cracks. Pato swayed gently in his harness as they went, listening to the whir of the winch that attached the robot’s rear to the anchor planted at the top of the precipice as it spooled out more security line with each step.
Marcos flanked them, steadily rappelling backward down the cliff, matching their pace. Every once in a while, he would whoop his excitement to the wind. Otherwise, they walked in silence.
“You’re about a quarter of the way,” Sven’s voice came over the Burro’s shortwave radio. “How is it going?”
“Uh, everything is under control. Situation normal,” Marcos replied in his horrible Han Solo impression. “We… uh… had a slight weapons malfunction, but everything’s perfectly all right now. We’re fine. We’re all fine here, now. Thank you. How are you?”
“Just stay focused.” Sven sounded annoyed.
Both Marcos and Pato laughed.
They continued walking, carefully making their way down the cliff. Three minutes passed, then five, then ten. They were halfway to the bottom.
“You know what would be fun?” Marcos said suddenly.
A chill went through Pato. He glanced at his friend in time to see a very dangerous grin spread across his face. “Whatever you’re thinking, the answer is no,” he said, trying to sound firm.
Marcos put his hand on his heart and feigned offense. “All I was going to say is that we should really test her.” Marcos pointed at the Burro. “Open her up. See what she can do.”
“Says the one not strapped on top of her.”
“I was just thinking…”
“No,” Pato snapped. “We’re doing this by the book.”
“Fine.” Marcos stepped away, looking sullen.
The silence lasted about five seconds.
“I was just thinking,” Marcos said, “that with Stacee watching and all…” He trailed off, letting his words linger in the air.
Another chill shot through Pato. He swallowed and tried to glance behind him, though the harness made that impossible. Even still, he could picture the beautiful mechanic leaning over the cliff, following them with binoculars. He shivered in the heat.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Pato said, feeling himself give in.
“You’re probably right,” Marcos agreed in that way he had of agreeing and disagreeing at the same time. “Besides, Sven would have a cow.” He paused then added dramatically, “But Stacee would love it.”
Pato swallowed again as the memory of her standing so close to him that he could smell her perfume flashed into his mind. Every word she spoke, every gesture and blink, were captured in the memory. Even more was the electric moment when she had touched his arm while asking a question about the Burro and how it worked.
Stacee would love it.
“Let’s make a bet,” Marcos said. Somehow, he’d moved closer without Pato noticing. “First one to the bottom wins first shot at her.”
Pato hesitated.
With a whoop, Marcos was gone, racing down the cliff as fast as he could go.
For an eternal second, Pato watched him. Conflicting thoughts raced through his mind, meshing and overlapping, trying to out-yell one another.
Stacee would love it.
“Sven is going to kill me.” Pato leaned over the controls, tapping out the new commands.
He tightened his grip and braced himself. The whine from the Burro’s rotors grew louder, and then the robot shot forward.
Pato screamed.
How, he wondered, did I let myself get talked into this? In answer, he glared at Marcos. His friend stood a couple yards from the Burro, leaning back over the cliff in his own harness—a standard rappelling one. Marcos saw him looking and gave him his patented jackass smile and a big thumbs-up. Pato turned away, feeling sick.
“Vivek? How’s it going?” Sven called into his radio. It crackled with static before the guide’s voice came back.
“The cable is secure,” Vivek said over the radio. “Send them down.”
“Roger,” Sven replied. He lowered the radio and stepped close to Pato. With a comforting smile, the project leader reached out and patted his shoulder. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sure,” Pato said, hearing the squeak in his voice and hoping Stacee didn’t notice. “Yes,” he repeated, sounding a little less like he was about to wet his pants.
“You look great, Pato,” Stacee called.
He glanced at her. She was standing next to Helene a few yards away, her dark, curly hair dancing in the wind. He tried to grin at her, but his facial muscles didn’t cooperate. The result was a confusing twisting of the lips and cheeks that probably did more to frighten the girl than anything. Feeling the blush rise in his cheeks, he looked back down the cliff. Falling didn’t seem so bad all of the sudden.
“Marcos, you ready?” Sven called past Pato.
“Ready and waiting,” Marcos shouted back.
In his peripheral vision, Pato could see his friend doing some kind of funky dance along the rim. Even without looking at him and seeing the drop to the bottom, it made his toes curl.
“All right,” Sven said, stepping back. “Take it nice and slow. Remember, this is just a test, and we have a long way to go.” He waved dramatically at the cliff and the world beyond. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Pato swallowed and stole a final glance at Stacee. She smiled and waved, causing his stomach to flip. He looked back at the bottom of the cliff, set his jaw, and triggered the sequence to move forward.
The Burro responded immediately, whining and clicking as gears and servos engaged. Moving slowly at first, it inched toward the cliff. It paused at the edge, sensors and electronics registering and testing the empty space. Pato tightened his grip. In one swift movement that jerked Pato back in his harness, the robot went over the edge and started to climb down the sheer rock.
The ride was not as bad as Pato had feared. The Burro’s movements were smooth and graceful as it walked down the cliff, carefully picking its way around outcrops and over cracks. Pato swayed gently in his harness as they went, listening to the whir of the winch that attached the robot’s rear to the anchor planted at the top of the precipice as it spooled out more security line with each step.
Marcos flanked them, steadily rappelling backward down the cliff, matching their pace. Every once in a while, he would whoop his excitement to the wind. Otherwise, they walked in silence.
“You’re about a quarter of the way,” Sven’s voice came over the Burro’s shortwave radio. “How is it going?”
“Uh, everything is under control. Situation normal,” Marcos replied in his horrible Han Solo impression. “We… uh… had a slight weapons malfunction, but everything’s perfectly all right now. We’re fine. We’re all fine here, now. Thank you. How are you?”
“Just stay focused.” Sven sounded annoyed.
Both Marcos and Pato laughed.
They continued walking, carefully making their way down the cliff. Three minutes passed, then five, then ten. They were halfway to the bottom.
“You know what would be fun?” Marcos said suddenly.
A chill went through Pato. He glanced at his friend in time to see a very dangerous grin spread across his face. “Whatever you’re thinking, the answer is no,” he said, trying to sound firm.
Marcos put his hand on his heart and feigned offense. “All I was going to say is that we should really test her.” Marcos pointed at the Burro. “Open her up. See what she can do.”
“Says the one not strapped on top of her.”
“I was just thinking…”
“No,” Pato snapped. “We’re doing this by the book.”
“Fine.” Marcos stepped away, looking sullen.
The silence lasted about five seconds.
“I was just thinking,” Marcos said, “that with Stacee watching and all…” He trailed off, letting his words linger in the air.
Another chill shot through Pato. He swallowed and tried to glance behind him, though the harness made that impossible. Even still, he could picture the beautiful mechanic leaning over the cliff, following them with binoculars. He shivered in the heat.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Pato said, feeling himself give in.
“You’re probably right,” Marcos agreed in that way he had of agreeing and disagreeing at the same time. “Besides, Sven would have a cow.” He paused then added dramatically, “But Stacee would love it.”
Pato swallowed again as the memory of her standing so close to him that he could smell her perfume flashed into his mind. Every word she spoke, every gesture and blink, were captured in the memory. Even more was the electric moment when she had touched his arm while asking a question about the Burro and how it worked.
Stacee would love it.
“Let’s make a bet,” Marcos said. Somehow, he’d moved closer without Pato noticing. “First one to the bottom wins first shot at her.”
Pato hesitated.
With a whoop, Marcos was gone, racing down the cliff as fast as he could go.
For an eternal second, Pato watched him. Conflicting thoughts raced through his mind, meshing and overlapping, trying to out-yell one another.
Stacee would love it.
“Sven is going to kill me.” Pato leaned over the controls, tapping out the new commands.
He tightened his grip and braced himself. The whine from the Burro’s rotors grew louder, and then the robot shot forward.
Pato screamed.
