Fifth Session
Disturbed at their financial findings, yet tired from their trip, the crew decide to rest and consider what to do in the morning.
In the moring, the lax concierge tells them that their tour guide, and band, should be arriving in about half an hour. Othis and Shine decide to look for leader of the illegal Union, Timon Palov, on their own. They head down towards the elevator entry point at the station, thinking that they might find some contact with the workers down there. No one prevents them from going; the station is a bit colder, quite industrial, and nonetheless as empty, with larger corridors offsetting the additional people in view. Still, the lowest level, where the cables brought up cargos from below, had some number of people working. Even for Othis, who had been to New Buffalo, trying to figure out how to get to the leader of the illegal Union was challenging; Shine had never been here before. Although as the Union's general strike was groundside, groundside seemed like the way to go.
In a central circle of counters, two clerks were happy to explain that there was a regularly scheduled passenger car down the next day, but they could ride down after the next upcoming car arrived in about ten minutes. They were warned that all technology in their possession would have to be confiscated, due to the "dangers of explosiveness." While Shine recognized that it was a possible danger, technology was no more inherently dangerous than any fire with any careless person - this reasoning did not make sense, although Shine did not overtly challenge it. Othis realized his bionic arm would not be allowed. They were willing to offer a low tech placeholder arm in its stead.
Less reassuringly, one of the two clerks started at a new configuration on his station's panel of lights: one of the cars had detached and was falling down towards the New Ontario district, a well-populated area! They unfolded paper maps of the city below and began frantically dialing various folks. Othis, looking on, thought the trajectory of the car was a bit odd for something falling away - the car would land on one of the better, downtown areas of New Buffalo.
And then a "dangerous biohazard" car pulled up - at least two cars ahead of schedule according to the clerks. Worse, it was closed but not bolted shut. The latches where the bars should have been were missing. Monsters from the planet below burst out, "silverfish" floating and drilling through anything it could fly through, and very large, clawed, poisonous gas-wreathed beasts. An alarm was pressed; exits sealed shut. One of the clerks pointed to a gun locker at the edge of the area, and said, "Get into one of the side chambers and lock yourself in there! It's your best chance!"
Meanwhile, Linus and Phaedra were "captured" by the tour guide and her group, who had arrived ten minutes earlier than the concierge had said. At Phaedra's request, they were led to the new remote theater, which they had seen in passing yesterday. The guide was happy to oblige, leaving some tickets to the Museum in Counterweight Station for them at their hotel, as a possible option for later. Phaedra was satisified with the quality of the equipment, all virtually new. Linus noticed Marina slip in Phaedra was still enraptured with her stage and the equipment. The guide, on some unseen or unheard signal, slipped out to the hall.
Marina said, "The Board would very much like it if you would perform something for their entertainment in six hours or so." This was clearly a command performance of some kind, and Phaedra was happy to oblige and make preparations. The guide came back to confer with Marina, and Linus sidled up - there was a car falling from the cable, to the New Ontario district. This was a disaster in the making, likely with at least thousands of casualties, particularly if containment of the planet's toxic atmosphere was breached. And one of Marina quietly said to Linus, "My daughter goes to college in the New Ontario district."
