48
The convoy manoeuvres into line and gets ready to cross the dam. Rex and Pete Tyler’s tow truck leads the column, followed by the Landcruiser and the DC1 gasolene tanker, the heaviest of all the colony’s vehicles. You help Rickenbacker, Macy, and Langdon to steward the crossing, making sure that the vehicles stay in line and do not get too close to each other. With the passing of the larger vehicles, you notice that the road surface rapidly deteriorates, Cracks appear in the concrete, some more than a foot wide, exposing the rusty steel rods embedded within, which were placed there to strengthen the structure. Near the centre of the dam, the concrete is powdery, and when the time comes for you to cross, large chunks of the road are simply no longer there.
With difficulty, Macy and Langdon make the crossing in their Trans-sol, leaving you with the unenviable task of bringing the roadster, the last colony vehicle, across a rapidly disintegrating surface. Rickenbacker advises you to leave the vehicle and cross with him on foot, but you are loath to abandon your car.
‘It’s OK,’ you say, waving away his protests. ‘I’m sure I can make it.’
‘You’d better hurry then, Cal,’ he replies, ‘before the whole centre slips away.’
With your stomach churning, you climb into the driving seat and reach for the ignition.
