by Simon Haynes
* * *
At that precise moment, Hal Spacejock barely rated an entry in Clunk's to-do list, not by name at least. There was something along the lines of 'find the human pilot when you get a chance', but it was a long way below 'get Amy some new shoes' and 'ask Amy what her favourite colour is.'
"Did you say you fell out of a spaceship?" Amy was lying comfortably in Clunk's arms as he carried her along the tunnel, and her eyes were wide with concern as she looked up at him.
Clunk shook his head. "More like pushed out."
"Really? That sounds very dangerous."
"It was. Unfortunately, I had a disagreement with the ship's computer."
"How can a computer throw you out of a spaceship?"
"You haven't met the Navcom." Clunk realised he'd sounded a little abrupt, and he apologised. Over the past few minutes the water had gradually been getting deeper, and there was now a stream running merrily down the centre of the tunnel. Amy hadn't noticed, but Clunk was beginning to wonder how far they'd have to walk … and at what point she might have to start swimming. And then, at what point she might drown horribly, trapped in the endless tunnels by —
Clunk cut off the distressing thought. Whatever happened, he'd get Amy out of there, even if he had to dig through the wall with his bare hands.
CRACK!
Without warning, a small section of roof gave way, scattering debris in the tunnel. A jet of water sprayed down, hissing loudly under the immense pressure, and Clunk instinctively shielded Amy's face from the spray as he hurried past. Water began to pool under the leak, and Clunk eyed the roof apprehensively as they continued up the tunnel. They were beneath the lake, obviously, and as the water rose it was increasing the pressure on the ancient tunnels.
Clearly, it was only a matter of time before they collapsed, and getting Amy out of there had just become a matter of life and death.
* * *
Hal stared along the tunnel, wondering whether his eyes were playing tricks on him. Could it be true? After walking for ages and ages in a straight line, was that actually a corner up ahead? As he got closer, Hal discovered it wasn't a mirage, but a genuine, honest-to-goodness bend in the tunnel. And, as he rounded that corner, thoroughly enjoying the novelty, he got a further shock: the tunnel ended abruptly.
"Bloody hell," growled Hal, when it dawned on him he'd have to retrace his steps. Worse, he'd have to keep going in the other direction for who knew how many hours, and even then he might find another dead end. Fed up, he uttered several more swear words in disgust. Then he noticed something: the blank wall facing him, and those either side of it, weren't the same smooth concrete as the tunnel walls he was used to. No, these were shiny, and polished to a mirror finish.
Hal frowned at the sight. He'd encountered a similar setup before, on another planet, and that had turned out to be part of a teleporter network leading to an alien galaxy. He and Clunk had faced untold challenges before they'd finally managed to get home again, and it had been a very dangerous and risky adventure. Only Clunk's skill, knowledge and wisdom had saved them both, and Clunk wasn't around this time.
On the other hand, Hal couldn't be bothered traipsing along any more corridors, so he stepped into the teleporter and explored the walls with both hands. Eventually he found what he was looking for: a hidden control panel which lit up with an eerie glow when activated by his movements.
There was an address already programmed in, without any indication whether it would take him to a nearby teleporter, transport him elsewhere in the same star system, or even dump him in another galaxy, but Hal was past caring. If the teleporter took him to an alien planet with four suns and a UV index of fifty, he'd enjoy the warmth and worry about getting home later.
So, without a moment's hesitation, he hit the go button.
Chapter 15
Amy had been quiet for a while now, and Clunk glanced down to check whether she'd dozed off in his arms. No, she was awake, but there was a look of concern on her face. "Don't worry," he said. "You can rely on me to get you out of this predicament."
"I thought we agreed to rescue each other?" Amy smiled at him, but he could see the worry in her eyes.
"What's the matter? Is there anything I can help with?"
"It's my father," said Amy, with a sigh. "He's going to be looking for me, and when he finds the house under water —"
"He may think the worst."
"There's no may about it, he'll definitely think the worst."
"However bad he thinks it is, he'll be very happy when you show up again safe and sound."
"True. I just wish I could get a message to him." Amy glanced at Clunk. "You don't have a radio, do you?"
"I do, but I'm afraid the signal is blocked. We're too deep underground."
"It's just me and you, then."
"There is another who may help us."
"Oh?"
"His name is Hal, Hal Spacejock. He's the pilot I work for … I mean, with."
Amy frowned. "He's not involved in this throwing you out of the spaceship business, is he?"
"No. At least, not this time."
"Does it happen a lot, then?"
"More often that I'd like," admitted Clunk. "Still, the point is, Mr Spacejock may raise the alarm if he realises I'm missing."
"What do you mean, 'may' … and 'if'?"
"He thinks I'm still aboard the Volante. And the Volante … well, at this moment in time neither of us knows where that is. The Navcom and I had a minor disagreement, and after throwing me out —"
"Who's the Navcom?"
"The ship's computer. She's a little feisty, and she's also afraid of water. So, when I suggested we land near the flood waters to pick up Mr Spacejock —"
"She tossed you out and ran for it."
"That's pretty much it."
"Leaving this Hal guy stranded."
"Correct."
"So what were you doing in these parts? It's a bit out of the way for spaceships and pilots."
Clunk explained the house clearance job, and Amy laughed when she realised what they'd been up to.
"Join the club," she said. "I've been emptying my father's place all day."
"Did you finish in time?"
Amy pulled a face. "Yes, but my new car's going to be ruined. Do you think the insurance will replace it?"
Clunk barely heard her. Ahead, lying in the tunnel, he'd seen something which had his cooling fans whirring at double speed.
"Clunk? Hello?"
"I'm sorry Amy, I have to put you down."
"That's okay. I can walk for a bit."
"Not walk. I need you to run back the way we came."
"You're joking!" Amy stared at him, then spotted the same thing he had. "You're worried about that old fridge? Why, what does —"
"It's not a fridge, Amy, it's a stasis cabinet. Please, you must retreat to a safe distance."
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine." Clunk eyed the cabinet, which had a pulsing blue glow coming from within. "Go on. Run!"
Amy crossed her arms. "My feet hurt, my legs ache and I couldn't run more than twenty metres if you set a pack of wolves after me. So, why don't you tell me what's in that stasis thing, and then we can work out how to deal with it together."
Clunk was about to argue, but Amy had a glint in her eye which made Mr Spacejock's most stubborn expression look like a mild case of the grumps. In his experience, humans usually fled for safety at the first hint of trouble, but Amy was obviously cut from a different cloth. "Inside that stasis crate is a very powerful energy source - a zeedeg. It was critical when we found it, and by now it will be exceedingly dangerous. In fact, it could explode at any moment."
"What's it doing down here?"
"It was the only loose object remaining in the house, and I assume the floodwaters must have carried it down." Clunk glanced at her. "Will you remain here while I inspect the device?"
"No, I'll come with you."
"But —"
"If
it goes off it won't matter whether I'm standing over it or cowering two hundred metres away, right?"
"That's correct, but—"
Without waiting for the rest of his reasons, Amy strode up the tunnel towards the glowing stasis cabinet. Clunk felt a rush of emotion as he watched her brave gesture, and then he hurried after her to see what he could do about the zeedeg.
* * *
The stasis cabinet was lying on its back, and Clunk very slowly, very carefully, lifted the door. Then he and Amy stood shoulder to shoulder as they peered inside, each looking as nervous as the other.
The zeedeg had fallen off its base and was lying in a puddle of water in the bottom of the cabinet. There were several red lights pulsing on the side of the ominous-looking device, and the water sparked and flashed with tiny bolts of electricity.
"Can you switch it off?" asked Amy.
"No, I don't have the technology." Clunk glanced at her. "Did you say you're not able to run?"
"Yeah, my feet are killing me."
"Good." Clunk snatched up the zeedeg and tucked it under his arm. Then, before Amy could react, he charged off as fast as he could, heading further up the tunnel. His legs blurred as he poured all his energy into their motors, but his thundering footsteps still couldn't drown out Amy's angry shouting. As he got further and further away, her cries turned from anger to distress, and finally faded altogether.
Clunk ran for about five hundred metres before he spotted a curve in the tunnel. He put on a spurt, charged round the corner at top speed, and almost ran full-tilt into a gleaming, mirror-finish wall. His startled expression looked back at him, and when he turned to the sides he realised he was duplicated everywhere, illuminated by the zeedeg's baleful glow.
Clunk understood the significance of the mirror walls immediately. A teleporter! Unlike Hal, he had no intention of sending himself through the device, not when doing so would strand Amy on her own. However, he suddenly realised the teleporter was the answer … he could use it to get rid of the zeedeg!
Clunk began exploring the walls with his hand, looking for the hidden control panel. He'd never worked out why the teleporter builders hid the things in the first place, but he assumed they had their reasons. Perhaps their eyes were adapted to a slightly different light spectrum, and the control panel stood out to them like a bicycle headlight would to a human?
A few moments passed, and Clunk began to wonder whether the teleporter was active. He'd run his hand all over the walls, back and sides, and nothing had appeared. Then he heard padding footsteps, and before he could react Amy charged round the corner. Her face was red, streaked with tears, and she ran straight up to Clunk and started pounding on his chest with her fists.
"How … how could you?" she cried. "H-how could you?"
Clunk fended her off with one hand, while trying to hold the pulsing zeedeg out of reach with the other. "I'm sorry Amy. I —"
"You promised we'd stick together, and then —"
"I did what I thought was best. You know I'd sacrifice myself for your safety."
"I don't want you to sacrifice yourself … not for anything."
"But the zeedeg —"
"This isn't about the zeedeg!" Amy gave up trying to hit him, and dashed away her tears angrily. "Stop treating me like a damsel in distress, Clunk. We're in this together, and we work together to get out of it. Okay?"
"Okay, Ms Frost." Clunk swallowed fitfully. "I m-mean, okay Amy."
"Right. So what's the plan?"
Clunk gestured at the walls. "This is a teleporter, and I intend to send the zeedeg through so that it will explode somewhere else."
"Where, exactly?"
"Anywhere but here," said Clunk. Briefly, he felt a flush of pleasure at Amy's casual acceptance of the teleporter technology. Many humans would have wasted minutes telling him that teleporters didn't exist, and that —
"What if there are people at the other end? Kids, even?"
Clunk pursed his lips. He'd been so focused on getting rid of the zeedeg, thereby saving Amy, that he hadn't considered the consequences. "This teleporter network was abandoned centuries ago. There won't be anyone around."
"You hope."
"Amy, if I don't dispose of the zeedeg you and I won't be around either."
"Why don't we teleport away, and leave the zeedeg here?"
"The teleporter might malfunction. It might also take us to a deserted planet, or an airless moon in another galaxy." Clunk sighed. "I don't like it, but teleporting the zeedeg is the only solution. If it does arrive in a populated area, we can only hope they have safety procedures far in advance of our own. Remember, this is a civilisation which built a teleporter network, and to them the zeedeg will be little more than a child's toy."
"I guess," said Amy doubtfully.
"Believe me, it's the only way. The only problem is, I can't activate the control panel."
"Where is it?"
"Somewhere behind these walls. It's activated by touch."
"Maybe it's like your Mr Spacejock."
"How's that?"
"It doesn't work well with robots." Amy ran her hand over the wall, and a control panel glowed into life immediately. "Wow, isn't it lucky we're working together?"
"Yes, er, quite." Clunk checked the control panel, but he couldn't decypher the address and he decided it really didn't matter. With no time to waste, he placed the zeedeg in the middle of the floor, stepped back and fired up the teleporter.
Chapter 16
Hal winked into existence with a staggering flash of light which left him blinded for several seconds. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, desperate for his vision to return so he could find out which particular fire he'd leapt into this time.
What met his eyes, eventually, was a huge underground cavern. It was lit with the same dim glow as the tunnel he'd just left, but there was still enough light to make out racks and racks of equipment, huge drums of cable and - dominating everything - a big red vehicle with a cone-shaped heat shield on the front.
Hal's spirits rose at the sight, and he hurried over for a closer look. The heat shield was made of a similar material to the one on the Volante, except this one was perforated with dozens of holes the size of his head. Hal ran his hand over the smooth, discoloured surface, then walked the length of the vehicle, inspecting it closely. The body of the vehicle was a big flattened cylinder, wider than it was tall. It ran on broad caterpillar treads, easily as tall as Hal's shoulders, and there were guide wheels along both sides and the roof. Hal didn't know a lot about spaceships, but he did know they didn't usually have wheels and caterpillar treads, which meant he wouldn't be flying out of there. On the other hand, any kind of powered vehicle was better than walking.
He noticed the vehicle was heavily armoured, but there were no weapons as far as he could tell. No windows either, or any kind of exhaust pipe or power plant that he could identify.
Hal completed a circuit of the machine, before ending up at a hatch set in the side. There was a ladder hanging down, the rungs a little closer together than he was used to, and the handrail was thicker than he expected too. With a thrill, he wondered whether the last creature to use this very handrail had been an alien from another galaxy. Then he thought of all the alien germs from another galaxy, and he pulled a face and wiped the palms of his hands on his flightsuit.
Inside the vehicle he found four comfortable chairs, two of them with driving controls. There was a bank of instruments too, engraved with symbols he didn't recognise, and the big screen above the control panel was blank.
Suddenly Hal realised what the machine was - this must be the device they'd used to make all those smooth tunnels! If that was the case, he could fire it up and make a new tunnel, straight up to the surface. All he had to do was figure out the controls, get it running, work out the navigation system, and he'd be free at last.
Even better, a piece of alien machinery like this would be worth squillions to a collector, or the government. Hal caught his breath at the t
hought, and a smile lit up his face as he imagined spending endless rivers of cash. It might even be enough for a smear campaign, dragging Kent Spearman through the mud until he gave up the cargo business, and leaving Hal with all the juicy customers.
A few moments later he abandoned the daydream and turned to face reality. He had no idea how to start the machine, which might have been abandoned as a wreck for all he knew. What he needed was a simple FAQ with diagrams, and preferably one not written in weird alien script. Unfortunately, this was about as likely as finding a comedy science fiction novel on the short list for a major literary award.
So, Hal adopted his favourite tactic when faced with unfamiliar and potentially lethal equipment: he sat down and started toggling controls at random.
Nothing caused any reaction, not that he could see, until eventually he hit upon a red and green switch. When he flicked it up the console glowed momentarily, before fading to nothing. Hal toggled the switch several times, even though he was pretty sure what the brief light show meant: a dead battery.
He looked around the cabin, wondering where the battery might be, then decided he was looking in the wrong place. Alien safety rules would be pretty similar to human ones, which meant dangerous items like batteries would be stored outside the hull.
Hal climbed down from the tunnelling machine and worked his way around the outside, looking for small doors, flaps, padlocked containers or anything resembling a battery box. Eventually he found it: a large red box with thick wires emerging from one side. He opened the lid and saw a couple of grey cubes with alien script on top. They were held down with simple, quick-release fasteners which only took him ten minutes to figure out, and then he disconnected both batteries and set them on the ground.
So far, so good. Now, where to get replacements?
* * *
Hal strode towards the racks of equipment, figuring that was as good a place as any to find spare batteries. There was still a chance they'd all be flat, assuming he found any, but he'd face that obstacle when he tripped over it.
