The day after contact was lost with the counterweight station, the space elevator unexpectedly initiated a descent toward Earth.
Executives and officials crowded into an office in Quito and debated the possible explanations for this unauthorized approach.
“We all know exactly what this means,” one adviser warned. “That climber must not reach the surface. We must move to intercept.”
“There is no question,” another responded, “and that buys time for the government to evacuate the city.”
When no communication was established, soldiers packed into a second elevator at the equator station and lifted upward for a rendezvous with the unknown.