by H. B. Hickey
simply we solve the problem?" Arndis asked. "Ben Sessions willreturn to Earth and there will be no search. He will report that he foundnothing and request that he be allowed to try again. By that time we shallbe ready to attack."
Ben's arms had been untied, and now he put his hand to his face, as thoughto rub some tender spot. The move attracted no undue attention. An instantlater he had two fingers inside his mouth and was working loose the capover his tooth.
His next move took them completely by surprise. With a leap he was half wayacross the room and lunging for his double. Ben brought the man down with aflying tackle and for seconds they wrestled on the floor. Then a hairy handtore Ben loose and he was hauled to his feet. He had done little harm tothe other.
"Not quite fast enough," Arndis said. "Within minutes he will be aboard theRapier and on his way." Her voice rose. "Take this one back to the locks."
* * * * *
"Doesn't it ever get dark here?" Ben asked.
He and Murchison and the others had been allowed to come out of the tubeafter what seemed hours of toil. They sat now in a tiny cell into which aircame through slits in the wall.
"No," Murchison said. "But Bannon has a good watch and we're able to keeptrack of time. It's exactly six days and three hours since you were put towork."
Ben nodded thoughtfully. There was not much time left. Work on the lockswent on endlessly, and sooner than he could have believed possible theywere being completed. Given enough slaves, he thought, anything could beaccomplished.
Gluing his eyes to one of the slits, he peered out. The last of the giantgates was being installed. Their own crew would have only one more shiftbefore the job was finished.
Beyond the excavation Ben could see the tower from which the locks werecontrolled. Bannon, who had been in Teris longest and who had managed togarner some information, had explained their operation to Ben.
"I worked on the new controls when they were being installed," he said,ranging himself alongside Ben. "They're fully automatic. There are fivelocks in each tube between the interior and the surface of Teris."
"How many ships did you say were kept at the tower?" Ben asked.
"About ten. They make inspection flights each day, although nothing hasever gone wrong that I've heard of. But the tubes and the locks are theonly outlets to the surface and they watch them carefully."
"What are our chances of getting to the tower?"
"Zero, I should say. Only the women are allowed to enter it, or a smallcrew under their supervision."
"Willing to make a try?" Ben asked. He swung around to face them all. Untilnow he had not taken them into his confidence, given them no inkling ofwhat was in his mind.
"We've talked about it before," Murchison answered. "But there's so littlechance we gave up the idea. Better to stay alive and hope for a rescue."
"I can't tell you how I know," Ben told them, "but there isn't going to beany rescue." He kept his eyes on the girl. "How about you, Sally? Willingto trust me?"
She nodded and Ben heaved a sigh of relief. Rather than leave her behind hewould have stayed with her. Gathering them about him he outlined his plans.The men were more than skeptical but no one had any suggestions.
* * * * *
Ben and Davies were the last to finish their work, and as they fastened thelast rivet to the last hinge Ben looked up and shook his head. To the giantwoman who stood watching him it seemed only that he was tired. She failedto notice that Sally had drifted off to one side and was coming up behindher.
Sally's foot suddenly caught the overseer just behind one knee and knockedher off balance. At the same instant Ben stepped in close and wrenched theviolet ray cylinder from the woman's hand. The others screened them fromsight. Ben looked around and saw that the slight flurry of activity hadgone unnoticed by others of the giant women who were nearby.
"We're going to walk to the control tower," he told the woman grimly. "Ifanyone asks you're to say we have to do some work there. I'm going to havethis ray gun trained on you under my robe, so don't try any tricks.Understand?"
She understood all too well. A flicker of fear in her eyes told Ben thatshe knew he would blast her without mercy. They fell in behind her.
When they reached the doors of the tower a pair of women barred their way.
"We have received no notice of work to be done," one of them said. Ben sawher eyes narrow with sudden suspicion, and then her hand darted for thecylinder at her side.
Ben's ray gun spouted violet death and the charred bodies of three womenlay in the doorway. Ben scooped up their guns and thrust them at Bannon andMurchison.
"We'll give you five minutes before we take off," he shouted as they ranpast him for the control room.
Behind him and Davies and Sally there were shouts as the two men went intoaction. But they had their own job to do. The closest inspection ship wasseveral hundred feet away and already women were running to cut them off.Ben cut loose with his cylinder before they had a chance to use theirs.
Then he and Davies were lifting Sally into the ship. While they covered theopen door Ben ran for the controls. Somewhere an alarm was wailing and ashe swung the ship about Ben saw other ships being boarded. But Bannon andMurchison had not failed. Just beyond the tower a lock swung open.
Ben skimmed along the ground, figuring to pick up the two men as they cameout of the tower. Then he saw Murchison wave him on. He had planted himselfin the doorway and was refusing to budge. Ben saw why as Murchison blastedaway at a group of giant women who were trying to rush the tower.
There was no more time. Already other ships were taking off. Another wastedminute and they would beat him to the lock. Ben yelled to Davies to closethe hatch as he turned on the power.
A moment later they were in the blackness of the tube. Davies ran forwardto the controls. "There's a light on the ship," he said. He found theswitch and threw it in time for them to see the next lock open for them.
"Three to go," Ben muttered. "Looks like we're going to make it."
"Maybe not." Davies tapped his shoulder and pointed to the rear of theship. Looking back through a porthole, Ben could see other ships behindthem.
"As long as we're in the tube they won't fire," Davies said. "But neithercan we get very far ahead!"
While he spoke the ship had gone through another lock with the others stilldirectly behind. It looked like Davies was right. But Ben was not yet readyto concede defeat. The fourth lock loomed ahead and he watched it swingopen. Just a few minutes more and they would go through the last one. Itwas still hundreds of miles ahead but at the rate they were travelling theywould be on it soon.
He waited until the last possible second and then cut his speed sharply.Behind them the other ships were forced to use their retarding rockets forfear of ramming them. It was just what Ben had expected. As the last lockopened he threw the accelerator all the way forward and felt the ship leapahead.
That alone would not have been enough, but as the ship roared out of thetube above the surface of Teris he cut sharply to the right. Had their shipbeen faster it might have worked. But it was not fast enough. Through theblackness of space the exhausts of their pursuers flamed closer. Ben'steeth clamped down on his lips.
"I guess we're out of luck."
There was nothing more to say. It was only a matter of minutes before theguns of the ships behind them would blast them to pieces. They held theirbreath and waited, watching the exhausts come through the darkness.
And then suddenly there was no more darkness. A light as bright as the noonsun flared. Ben let out a shout, for beyond the light were lined the battlecruisers of Earth. His pursuers turned tail and ran.
"Where the devil did those ships come from?" Davies gasped.
"I sent for them," Ben told him. "We had it all arranged. When I tackledthat double I managed to slip a microfilm capsule into his pocket. It had acomplete picture of my radona chart. As soon as the double reached Earth,Intelligence g
rabbed him. All they had to do was follow my chart to Teris."
They were passing the flagship of the Earth fleet, and Ben dipped the noseof his ship in salute. Then he turned to see what was going on.
There was going to be no attempt to invade Teris. Instead, its surface wasilluminated with more of the flares. A moment later Teris was gone, blastedby the guns of a thousand cruisers. And for the strange women who wouldhave enslaved a universe, Ben felt no pity.
THE END
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
The sentence on Page 61: "It was that department's job to take the shipapart, fix what needed fixing, and put it." is exactly as it appears inthe original.
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