but I didn’t know they were that good.
They are. There’s several others I think would be useful, too.
Sorry, Chief. My list includes your wives, you, our China gal, and her pals,
but the only other one I’m interested in springing is Reba Koll.
Reba! She’s on my list, too!
Well, she’s the only one around with deep space experience. She knows the.
safety procedures, what you can and can’t get away with, and she can navigate a
liberated pilot. If we’re taking this many risks, I don’t want to trust it all
to a blind, pregnant genius I know only by reputation.
Hawks considered it. What Raven said made sense.
Ever worn a space suit before? Raven asked him.
You know I haven’t.
Well, you’re gonna. You all will have to. I’ll be smuggling them in and
stashing them within range. They’re not hard to manage. The blind girl’s gonna
be the big problem, but we’ll make out.
You’re sure you can get us out?
Sure as I can be, which isn’t a hell of a lot. This one won’t work twice, I
don’t think. I’d go tomorrow if I could, but it’s got to be four days from now.
Huh? Why four?
That, pal, is when our ship comes in.
Hawks had tipped off the Chows to some but not all of the details, since they
might be called back up to the Institute at any time and might not be able to
conceal knowledge of the potential breakout. They were still very interested in
escaping, although they had about as much understanding of just where they were
and the problems involved as did Cloud Dancer and Silent Woman. All he told them
was that if they watched and stuck close to him, there was a chance to leave
this place permanently, although not without danger. He would signal them when
he was called, and if they then saw either of the wives being called, they
should get themselves to the entry room—if they could. He emphasized that no one
would wait for them.
The more he waited, the more absurd the whole thing seemed. A historian, two
women from an ancient culture, two women from a not much more modern one, a
devious Crow security man, a busted freebooter space pilot with a tail and a lot
of hangups, and some genius teenage girl who happened to be blind and three
months pregnant. Raven might get them out, although Hawks had no idea how it was
possible, but what could they really do even if they made it away? For that
matter, what in heaven did Chen have in mind for dreaming this up in the first
place? The rings might well be on worlds that were at this stage only nominally
human and on which none of them could even survive. That was even probable,
considering how Master System wanted to cover its rear and prevent anyone from
short-cutting it. It had seemed very clear-cut up to this point, but now
absolutely none of it made a single bit of sense.
It didn’t matter, he knew. Not right now. First escape.
Find that place to hide. Later, perhaps, there would be time and opportunity to
figure all this out. Dante’s hell was a madhouse, but it had a ruthless logic
behind it. Somewhere, no matter how bent and twisted, there was an equal logic,
and probably equal ruthlessness, behind this.
He was called early on the fourth day and signaled the Chows. Up to now they’d
been lucky; none of the four women here had been called. He hadn’t even let Reba
in on anything; this would be a complete surprise to her, but he didn’t think
she’d object. He looked around the whole complex and wished he could take
everyone.
This time he did not stand in the room. Come on back to the control room area,
Raven invited him, and wait for the others. The Crow switched on the control
room light, and Hawks saw that the Crow wore a black and green uniform that
didn’t help his looks at all.
As soon as we get your people in here and Koll, if she comes and doesn’t try to
make a protest out of it, we go, Raven told him. You might start trying to get
into one of those suits now. The body part is a one-piece affair and not all
that thick, so don’t get caught on anything.
The space suit looked, in fact, rather disappointing and certainly far too
fragile to do what it was supposed to do. Hawks’s vision of space suits was from
the ancient records, which showed large, bulky, but somehow reassuring monsters
of body armor. This was light and flimsy and not very comfortable. A backpack
then went on over the suit and had a series of connectors to a light but
solid-looking helmet which included a built-in forward headlamp. He put on the
pack, which was far heavier than it looked and not at all comfortable, but Raven
advised him to keep the helmet off until they were all suited up.
Silent Woman came next, looking very confused, but she found Hawks and smiled.
We are leaving this place, he told her. We are going to escape, like we did
back at the village. You must let us put one of these suits on you, because
where we will be going there will be no air to breathe, like at the bottom of a
river.
The Chows beat Cloud Dancer in, opening the door as easily as if they had the
combination. It is the same lock as on the showers, Chow Dai explained. And
we had plenty of practice with that one.
Next came Koll, looking very confused. Still, she grinned when she saw them in
their space suits. It’s a break, and you thought of old Reba! She beamed.
Well, by God, let’s get to it! She got into her suit, somehow managing to
squeeze in her tail, then looked at Hawks. Now—how the hell you gonna do it?
Hawks shrugged. Ask him, he responded, pointing to Raven.
Cloud Dancer, however, was still missing. Hawks cursed under his breath and got
a nod of assurance from Silent Woman that Cloud Dancer had still been in the
prison when the painted wife had gotten her message.
Can’t wait too much longer, Chief, Raven told him. The clock’s running, and
while they might not miss any of us for quite a while, they’re gonna miss their
blind lady in a couple of hours tops, and we got to be on our way by then.
Hawks looked around. Where is she, then?
She’ll meet us where we have to go. Manka’s bringing her.
Hawks was surprised. Warlock! Her, too?
Yeah. She’s changed a bit, thanks to them. Not much. Still homicidal and crazy
as a bug, but she ain’t so self-centered anymore. Gave her a dose of our good
old tribal mentality. She’s still not easy to take, but she’ll stay on our
side.
You sure about that?
Hell, I married her, you know. She’s the blackest Crow you ever will know.
You married her?
At that moment Cloud Dancer came through, and Hawks breathed a sigh of relief.
She was almost shocked speechless by what was going on. You knew we might get
out and you did not tell me? she stammered in pure Hyiakutt. It was good to see
some of her old fire coming back.
Okay, folks. English only from now on. It’s the only tongue we all understand,
Raven told them. Koll, you want to help them with their helmet connections and
power switches.
Your radios are open but on a special frequency, Raven’s voice came to them
through the helmets. We changed them all. It’s not close to one that’s
monitored, but it’s noisy and not very powerful. Even so, quiet, unless there’s
real reason. Follow my lead. You folks with no suit experience, just
remember—one rip in this and there will be no air. It’s a lot tougher than it
looks or feels, but take care. We’re going into a maintenance tunnel from here,
and then we’ll clip ourselves together with a special tether. What you do
affects all of us, so don’t do anything I don’t tell you. If you don’t follow
orders or jeopardize the mission, I’ll cut you away. Anybody dies, they get
left, no matter who.
A doorway so well concealed that none would have suspected its existence opened
just in back of the control room. The Chows noted that it was straight power, no
locks of any conventional kind, and therefore next to impossible to open from
this side. Only the security computer could open and close the doors. Raven had
done his homework.
The maintenance tunnel, narrow and dimly lit, was filled with pipes and sealed
lines. It was obviously not well traveled. There seemed to be an air lock every
fifty meters or so, although none were sealed. A number of times they came to
junctions, each with an air lock, and each time Raven made a choice and led them
on. As they proceeded, they all began to feel very strange, as if floating in
water.
Keep at least one foot firmly on the ground at all times, Raven warned them.
There’s no gravity at all beyond this point, and there won’t be any for some
time to come. The boots stick to hard surfaces, but if you have both of them
off, you’ll go floating. I don’t want anybody floating now. He spoke with an
implied threat they took perfectly seriously.
Cloud Dancer and Silent Woman in particular were shocked to come around a curve
and see the party ahead apparently walking on the side of the wall, but as they
followed, it all seemed to straighten up again. There was no up or down here,
though, that was clear.
You mean they don’t physically monitor this area at all? Hawks asked
incredulously.
It ain’t as easy as you think, the Crow responded. They don’t have to monitor
the tunnels, just specific locks. We’re logged in as a maintenance crew. I got
it worked out. I think, he added under his breath.
They seemed to walk forever through endless corridors, tunnels, and air locks,
but the Crow seemed to know where he was going, and finally they arrived. Two
figures awaited them, also space suited. One was very tall and thin, the other
much smaller. Next to them was a huge square box that looked as if it weighed a
ton, with a broad lens on one side. It was half as large as Raven and solid
metal.
Any problems? Raven asked Warlock.
Not anything to mention, but I thought you would never get here. My, this is a
horde! By her tone, she hadn’t changed all that much.
All right, everybody, listen up. I want complete silence now, the Crow
announced. I’ve got to switch into their security and maintenance system. They
can hear us until I say otherwise, so shut up!
There was a crackle and hiss in the radio, then they heard Raven’s voice again,
but in a language they did not understand. It was, in fact, a wholly artificial
language that had to be taught by special mindprinters and was unique to the
security and maintenance divisions of Melchior. It was a final barrier to any
escapes.
Now they waited, and suddenly they were aware that all the hissing noise wasn’t
from the radio. The air lock doors on both sides were shut tight, and now,
dimly, they could hear warning bells.
Then the lights went out, and they couldn’t hear anything at all. They could
still see, but dimly, as the darkness had automatically triggered their helmet
lights.