We're aboard the soda can, which Rupert referred to as a space elevator, for only a few hours.
"This is why it had to be the Galapagos, Ms. Anderson," Rupert explains as we strap into seats that are anchored to the wall instead of the floor. "The elevator has to be on the equator, and Volcán Wolf is the perfect place: a peak on that central line."
"How did you figure all this out?" Austin shouts over the growing roar of the craft's revving rocket engines.
"I did nothing of the sort. It was their kind." Rupert gestures towards a lanky silver android. It's busy folding itself into an alcove for launch. "They designed and built it."
The view is unbelievable. As Earth recedes, it fills the little windows on either side. It's so perfect, with the pale line of atmosphere curving above it. Fr
