“And the dust is centimeters thick. No one has been on these stairs in a very long time. But they could be waiting for us down below. Careful as we go.”
The noise grew with each level we dropped, until it reached an almost brain—destroying volume. Still no one in sight—nor footsteps in the dust. I went faster now, driven on by the noise. Slower when I was just above the floor of the pit with the grouped instrumentation and controls. I waved Berkk to my side and pointed; he nodded agreement. There was no way that we could hear anything other than the eternal roar. But we could see where the dust had been disturbed, scuffed and covered with footprints in front of the controls. On the far side a jumbled trail of prints led beside a thick pipe that vanished into the wall.
Beside the pipe there was a sturdy metal door set into the same wall.
I pointed at the door and punched my fist into the air in a victorious gesture.
Now—out of the pit—before my brain was curdled. I let the cosh, still secured in place by its strap, slip into my hand. I crouched before the door and touched the big locking wheel that was set into it, then pointed to Berkk. He clutched it in both hands, exerted his strength. Muscles stood out in his neck with the strain.
Nothing happened. I pulled at his arm and when he looked around I made gestures of turning the wheel in the opposite direction, clockwise.
This worked fine. It turned and the door opened a fraction when I put my weight against it. Massive and heavy. I pushed it open enough to look through the crack into a small, metal~ walled room. Empty as far as I could see—with another door set into the far wall. We pushed it wide and went in, closed and sealed it behind us. As we did the sound was cut to a distant rumbling.
“It’s like an airlock,” Berkk said. I could barely hear because of the ringing in my ears.
“More like a soundlock”
There was still a rumbling sound. From overhead. I looked up at the thick pipe that passed through the room; the rumbling was coming from it.
“Try the other door?” Berkk asked.
“In a moment—when the jackhammer in my head goes away.”
The room was featureless. Nothing on the walls, just a light in the ceiling next to the pipe. And a track of dirty footprints leading from one door to the other. Ending in a floor mat. I kicked my boots clean on it.
“There must be something a little more civilized on the other side. Keeping their floor clean—” I shut up as the wheel on the door in front of me began to turn.
“Behind the door!” I whispered as I plastered myself against the wall.
I could take care of one man all right. If there were more than one we were in trouble.
It opened wider. I crouched and raised my weapon. A metal foot and a metal leg appeared. I lowered the cosh as the robot stepped in. It ignored us completely as it turned and sealedthe door through which it had entered. I leaned forward and read the identification plate on the back of its shining skull.
“It’s a compbot—707. Wonderful! It’s little more than a meter reader with legs. Have you ever used one?”
Berkk nodded happily. “I ran a string of fifteen of them once, in an assembly plant that I managed. After they have been programmed they can do only what’s in their memory. The thing has no idea that we are even here.”
We watched as it sealed the door, went over to the other door and opened it. We covered our ears as the sound blasted in. then died away as the door swung shut.
“Now let’s see what’s on the other side,” I said as I spun the inner wheel and opened the door a crack. A hall with no one in sight. I opened it wide, stepped through.
“Going to leave me here?” He sounded worried.
“Not for long. But we have to find out what we’re getting into. Let me take a quick look.”
What I got into was a long, well—lit corridor with the rumbling pipe running the length of it, just below the ceiling. Doors opened off it, and there was another door at the far end—which might very well open at any time. I hurried to the first door I had seen, tried the handle, found it unlocked. Took a breath, readied the cosh—then opened it.
A storeroom, shelves and boxes—and perfect for our needs. I hurried back to Berkk.
“Let’s get Out of here. There’s a storeroom we can get into.”
With this last door closed behind me I slid down and sat on the floor. Berkk did the same.
“What do we do next?” he asked eagerly, as though I knew all the answers. I wished I did.
“Rest and plan. No, no plan. We can’t do anything until we find where in hell—or Heaven—we are.” I shut up because I was getting light—headed. All the banging, crushing, crawling, bleeding, clotting had not done me any good. “You rest,” I said, clambering painfully to my feet. “I’m going to check out the other doors and find out what I can. Be right back.” The first three rooms I looked into were spectacularly uninteresting. Cases of ball~bearing races, computer boards, miles of wire. Nothing that we could use, eat, or drink. But I hit the jackpot on the fourth, hurried back to get Berkk.
“All of the doors along the hallway open into storerooms but I found one that is not only filled with bogey wheels but also has a medical emergency box. So not only can we clean up and get some dressings on but some good person put a bottle of medicinal brandy in with the rest of the gear.”
We drank the drinking medicine before we went on to antiseptics and bandages. Considering what we had been through we had gotten off lightly. Cleansed and purified—and half sloshed—I thought of the future.
“Rest, sleep if you can,” I said. “I’m going to take a reccy.”
“What’s that? Is it a pill?”
“No, you civilian, it’s a military term left over from my army career. Short for reconnoiter. I’ll try not to take any chances and will be back as soon as I can. One person can do this far better than two, so don’t argue.”
He didn’t “Good luck,” he said.
“I don’t believe in it. I make my own luck,” I bragged. To lift his morale—or my own. I left.
The door at the end of the corridor opened into a very large open—plan room. The thick pipe carried on across to the center of the room where it made a bend and vanished down through the floor. I didn’t like this room. I kept my eye to the crack for a long time. There were workbenches in there, with chairs before them. And chairs meant people. Instrument consoles glittered with lights and in the distance there was the sound of running motors. If it was empty for now—how long would it stay empty?
The waiting didn’t help because nothing stirred, no one came. Muttering darkly I finally opened the door wide and slipped through. Slinked along between the workbenches, trying to look over my shoulder and in every direction at the same time. Through swinging doors and into an even bigger and brightly lit room. Still no one—though I found this hard to believe. I crept on, wondering how long my luck was going to hold out. I passed a door with a round window set into it, looked in carefully before going by. And swallowed.
A food and drink dispenser—it could be nothing else.
I was through it, the door closed behind me, and punching the button for drink. Caffeine—aide—exactly what I wanted, needed.
Paradisical… I drained two cups in a row before I slowed down. Triggered the controls that slipped a frozen catwich and a dogburger into the microwave while I sipped. I glanced out occasienally, but my heart wasn’t in it. Food and drink first, more reccy later. I felt a slight twinge of sympathy for Berkk, but food washed it away. He was sleeping and resting and I would bring some of this back for him, or take him to it.
Stomach rounded, swishing inside as I walked, I decided to see what was around just one more bend before I returned.
Around the bend was something new. A stairwell leading down between rough concrete walls. And I remembered that the pipe with its contents of ground rock had gone down through the floor. Which meant its destination might be down here. Should I look? Why not? My stomach was full, caffeine
was coursing through my blood—and I was very, very curious.
I went down the steps into a wide corridor that stretched away in both directions. There was a thick tubular thing hanging in the middle of it, running in both directions as well. It was made of polished metal and was much bigger than the groundrock pipe we had been following. The corridor walls were even rougher, with rock shapes under the plastering. It had been drilled and dug out of the solid rock. Heavy electrical cables hung in festoons and electronic gear was mounted on the metal tube. I could make no sense of it. I walked along it a bit and realized that tunnel and pipe were both curved. A steady, long curve that remained the same. I walked on and the curve, the radius, never changed. If it stayed like this it would eventually form an immense circle and I would be back where I started. A circular tunnel with a circular pipe in the middle of it. It seemed familiar and—
There was the sound of footsteps coming towards me along the tunnel. Time to leave—but they stopped. Leave, Jim, leave, while you are still in one piece!
Any sensible person would have beaten a hasty and silent retreat and saved curiosity for another day. I have always thought of myself as a sensible person.
Then why was I easing off my heavy working boots and stuffing them into my jacket? For what sane reason was I tiptoeing forward, trying to see around the curve.
I stopped, one foot raised, frozen.
My curiosity was satisfied in a rather large way.
There, just meters away, was Professor Justin Slakey peering through a window into the large tube’s interior.
Chapter 21
I drew back instantly. Surely he could hear the bass drum of my heartbeat echoing loudly in that quiet corridor. Had he seen me? I waited one second, two—and there was no sound of pursuing footsteps.
I started back as silently as I had come—just as the following footsteps sounded behind me. All I could do was run. Trying to stay ahead of the plodding sound. If he went a bit faster, or if I went slower, he would be far enoItgh around the curve in the tunnel to see me. Or if I made a sound. Or—there were too many ors.
There were the stairs ahead of me, where! had come down. Should I try to climb them? No, they went straight up and weren’t curved like the tunnel. I would still be climbing them when he came to their base. Onward ever onward. I passed them. Solid concrete steps leading up out of the tunnel. With a dark recess under them.
I took the chance, jumped and pressed myself against the wall under the steps Tried to slow down my breathing, which sounded in my ears like a porcuswine in heat. Slakey’s footsteps came closer. Was he passing by the stairs? If he did he would discover me. And no matter how fast I attacked and rendered him unconscious, he would have seen me and every other Slakey would know at the same time that I was here.
That would be the end.
Slap, slap, the sound of his footsteps came closer. Sounded different, closer—then dying away. He was going up the stairs.
When the last clack—clack had dimmed and vanished I let myself slump down to sit against the wall. And put my shoes back on.
Jim, I said silently to myself, Ida hope you enjoyed your little reccy. You were that close to ending the whole thing.
Then I waited, a good long time. I waited far longer than I thought necessary, then I waited some more. By the time I did move my bottom was numb from the hard floor. Creaking, I stealthily climbed the steps. I twisted my head about so much that I quickly got an even sorer neck. Back through the large lab and out the door. Unseen as far as I could tell. Down the corridor and into the storeroom.
Jumped back in fright at the horrible growling sound.
Relaxed and closed the door behind me as Berkk emitted another gargling snore. My toe lightly planted in his ribs brought him around.
“Snoring on duty is punishable by death,” I said.
He nodded glum agreement. “Sorry. Meant to stay awake. Thought I could. Didn’t. What did you find?”
“Food and drink for openers. That got your attention, didn’t it? Look at you—up on your feet, nostrils flaring, snoring forgotten. After I lead you to it I’ll tell you what else I found.”
We didn’t linger in the food hall. In and out and back as fast as we could in case Slakey had a touch of appetite.
“It could have ended in disaster just as easily,” I said, licking a last crumb from my fingers. “Maybe it was that luck you wished me. If so—thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. We’re alive, full of food and drink, safe for a moment—and we even know our way around a bit. And we are out of the rock works at last. A good beginning.”
“Indeed.” I ticked the points off on my fingers. “It is a rocky road that we have taken—but we’re still on the move. First, we got away from the rock—digging works along with a lot more rocks. Second, we find that our rock is being ground to dust in an underground rock—grinding mill.” I touched another finger. “Third, after the rock is ground it is moved through a pipe to the place where we are now hiding. And we are still underground. The circular tunnel I found at the foot of the stairs has been dug, drilled and plastered with great effort. And fitted out with some pretty complex machines. For what reason I do not know. Can you think of anything it might be used for?”
“Not a clue. But what I do know is that we are still not out of the woods. Or the tunnels.”
“Quite right. We can rest a bit, eat a bit—but that is not going to solve our problem. Sooner or later we are going to have to move on. It stands to reason that the ground—up rock is going someplace for some important reason. Slakey has gone to an awful lot of trouble and expense to get it this far. I’m willing to bet that it eventually ends up in that place with the tables and the women I told you about.”
“Yes. Where you were just before you came through to the rock works.”
I thought about that hard. “I went from the tables to the stairs that led up to the room that opens into the rock works. But you went from a different planet right to the room.” He nodded agreement. “Which means that the interuniversal transmitter leads from that room. But—” My head was beginning to ache but I pressed on. “But I entered the table place by falling down a hole in Heaven…”
Sudden realization sizzled and burned in my brain and I leapt to my feet with the strength of it. “Think about it. We both went through the transmitter to the room that opens on the frozen planet where the opencast mine is. Then we dropped into the pit with the crushed rock. We undoubtedly went through another transmitter. To Heaven! Maybe we are underground on Heaven right now—and the entire complicated operation is completed here.”
“Think!” I ordered. “If we are in Heaven—then we are at the heart of the Slakey operation. Everything begins here and ends here. Whatever he has been up to, whatever he is spending all those billions of credits on is right around us.” I stabbed a finger upwards. “There, on the surface, is Heaven. And Professor Coypu of the Special Corps knows how to get there!”
“Great. But what good is that going to do us now?”
I slumped back to the floor, deeply depressed. “None, really. We’re still in deep doodoo and still trying to find a way out.”
He looked worried. “Are we? If what you figured out is correct then all we have to do is go on. Follow the ground rock to this place with the tables that you talked about. You came in there—so there might still be a way out. We just follow the rock dust.”
“It’s not that simple.” “Why not?”
Why not indeed? We couldn’t go back—so we had to press on. It was the only chance we had.
“You’re right—we’ll go on in the same direction.”
“Now?”
I thought about that for a bit. “Slakey is awake and wandering around. But he might not be alone. And there is always a chance someone will come into this storeroom. It’s taking a chance whatever we do.”
“Aren’t you tired?”
I thought about it, then shook my head. “In fact I’m jumping with caffeine. Not in the
least tired. So let’s get moving.”
We did, Scurrying like mice through the rooms ahead. More mysterious machinery—and a hopeful sign. Berkk pointed and I nodded agreement. A thick pipe had emerged from some complicated apparatus and was rumbling on nicely overhead. Through a large opening in the wall and into a room beyond. Not really a room, more of a cavern carved from solid rock. It was dimly lit by feeble lights, the concrete floor pitted and dusty. But the pipe was still there, no longer suspended from the ceiling but running along the floor now.
“It’s still rumbling,” Berkk said, putting his hand against it. “Vibrating. Something is surely going through it.”
Which was fine. The only thing• wrong was that the pipe went straight ahead and vanished into the roughly carved wall. A very solid—looking rock wall with no openings in it.
“No door,” Berkk said.
“There has to be a door!”
“Why?” he asked with repulsively simple logic.
Why indeed? Just because we had been able to follow the pipe this far didn’t mean it was always going to be easy:
“Think!” I said, thinking very’ hard. “That black rock was dug up with great labor. Dumped down here where, with even more labor, it was ground to dust. In those rooms or in the tunnel back there something was done to that dust, it was processed somehow, something added or subtracted or who knows what. Then the stuff keeps moving on to… where?”
“To the place you told me about, with the robot and the women and everything. There has to be some way of getting there, though it do sift have be anywhere near the pipe.”
“You’re right, of course, good man. We look and we find. But which way first?”
“Left,” he said with positive assurance. “When I was a Boy Sprout we always started to march—”
“With your left foot. So we go left.”
We did. With no results whatsoever. The lights behind us grew dim and distant. We moved in almost complete blackness, feeling our way along the rough stone wall. Which resulted in nothing more than sore fingertips. We came to a corner, then an endless time later to another one. Then as dim tights appeared we saw that there, right ahead of us, was the pipe again. We had worked our way around three sides of the rock chamber to the place where we had come in.
The Stainless Steel Rat Goes to Hell ssr-10 Page 18
