The Treasure of Lei Fong Wu

Chapter Twenty-Two

“How long has she been out there?” Simon asked, his breath fogging up the viewport.

“Almost six hours. Suit’s rated for ten.”

“Six . . . hours,” Simon said, amazed. “I woke up and she was gone. I thought she was just wandering the ship again.”

“Tinker noticed her suit was gone a couple of hours ago. I thought she was just trying it out again,” Althea said. Her voice carried in a tone that was more concerned than worried – a mother’s tone, he realized with a start. Not a tone he could ever recall his own mother using.

“Is she all right?” he asked, returning his attention to the viewport.

“She’s alive. She’s conscious. She’s alert. But there ain’t no way that girl’s even a noddin’ acquaintance to all right.”

Simon could see River’s suit outside of the lock, floating about a hundred feet away from the ship. To his relief, she had strung a lifeline to a support. Even though her new suit had built-in maneuvering jets that could, theoretically, bring her back to the lock, he didn’t trust them. Or her ability to use them properly. River was a genius, but some things you only learned from experience.

She was at the very end of her tether, and twisting slowly in one direction – then a moment later he saw the spray of jets, and then she rotated in the other direction.

“So . . . what’s she doing?”

Althea looked at him, as if he was blind. “She’s . . . she’s dancing.”

“Dancing?”

“It’s odd, I’ll be the first to admit. But that’s what she told Tinker when he asked.”

Simon turned and rested his back on the bulkhead. He closed his eyes and sighed in frsutration.

“She’s . . . she’s insane!” he finally got out. “I spend every credit I’ve ever earned, and all of my inheritance, to break her out. I get us hidden on the most disreputable, trashy freighter I can find. I come to blows over whether or not we both live or die. I shield her from every negative influence, try to keep her safe. And she goes dancing – in a space suit – d