by Ray Cummings
XXVI
"Gregg, you're safe!"
She had heard the camp corridors resounding with the shouts that Wilksand Haljan were fighting. She had come upon a suit and helmet by themanual emergency lock, had run out through the lock, confused, withher only idea to stop Wilks and me from fighting. Then she had seenone of us killed. Impulsively, barely knowing what she was doing, shemounted the stairs, frantic to find if I were alive.
"Anita!"
Miko was coming fast! She had not seen him; for she had no thought ofbrigands--only the belief that either Wilks or I had been killed.
But now, as we stood together on the rocks near the observatoryplatform, I could see the towering figure of Miko nearing the top ofthe stairs.
"Anita, that's Miko! We must run!"
Then I saw my projector. It lay in a bowl-like depression quite nearus. I jumped for it. And as I tore loose from Anita, she leaped downafter me. It was a broken bowl in the rocks, some six feet deep. Itwas open on the side facing the stairs--a narrow, ravinelike gully,full of gray, broken, tumbled rock masses. The little gully waslittered with crags and boulders. But I could see out through it.
Miko had come to the head of the stairs. He stopped there, his greatfigure etched sharply by the Earthlight. I think he must have knownthat Coniston was the one who had fallen over the cliff, as my helmetand Coniston's were different enough for him to recognize which waswhich. He did not know who I was, but he did know me for an enemy.
He stood now at the summit, peering to see where we had gone. He wasno more than fifty feet from us.
"Anita, lie down."
I pulled her down on the rocks. I took aim with my projector. But Ihad forgotten our helmet lights. Miko must have seen them just as Ipulled the trigger. He jumped sidewise and dropped, but I could seehim moving in the shadows to where a jutting rock gave him shelter. Ifired, missing him again.
I had stood up to take aim. Anita pulled me sharply down beside her.
"Gregg, he's armed!"
It was his turn to fire. It came--the familiar vague flash of theparalyzing ray. It spat its tint of color on the rocks near us, butdid not reach us.
A moment later, Miko bounded to another rock.
Time passed--only a few seconds. I could not see Miko momentarily.Perhaps he was crouching; perhaps he had moved away again. He was, orhad been, on slightly higher ground than the bottom of our bowl. Itwas dim down here where we were lying, but I feared that any momentMiko might appear and strike at us. His ray at any short range wouldpenetrate our visor panes, even though our suits might temporarilyresist it.
"Anita, it's too dangerous here!"
Had I been alone, I might perhaps have leapt up to lure Miko. But withAnita I did not dare chance it.
"We've got to get back to camp," I told her.
"Perhaps he has gone--"
But he had not. We saw him again, out in a distant patch ofEarthlight. He was further from us than before, but on still higherground. We had extinguished our small helmet lights. But he knew wewere here and possibly he could see us. His projector flashed again.He was a hundred feet or more away now, and his weapon was of nolonger range than mine. I did not answer his fire, for I could nothope to hit him at such a distance, and the flash of my weapon wouldhelp him to locate us.
I murmured to Anita, "We must get away."
Yet how did I dare take Anita from these concealing shadows? Mikocould reach us so easily as we bounded away in plain view in theEarthlight of the open summit! We were caught, at bay in this littlebowl.
The camp was not visible from here. But out through the broken gully,a white beam of light suddenly came up from below.
_Haljan._ It spelled the signal.
It was coming from the Grantline instrument room, I knew.
I could answer it with my helmet light, but I did not dare.
"Try it," urged Anita.
We crouched where we thought we might be safe from Miko's fire. Mylittle light beam shot up from the bowl. It was undoubtedly visible tothe camp.
_Yes, I am Haljan. Send us help._
I did not mention Anita. Miko doubtless could read these signals. Theyanswered, _Cannot_--
I lost the rest of it. There came a flash from Miko's weapon. It gaveus confidence: he was unable to reach us at this distance.
The Grantline beam repeated:
_Cannot come out. Ports broken. You cannot get in. Stay where you arefor an hour or two. We may be able to repair ports._
I extinguished my light. What use was it to tell Grantline anythingfurther? Besides, my light was endangering us. But the Grantline beamspelled another message:
_Brigand ship is coming. It will be here before we can get out to you.No lights. We will try and hide our location._
And the signal beam brought a last appeal:
_Miko and his men will divulge where we are unless you can stop them._
The beam vanished. The lights of the Grantline camp made a faint glowthat showed above the crater edge. The glow died, as the camp now wasplunged into darkness.
