And there’s a real danger if we remain awake.”
Such a major decision should be democratically decided, Kai knew, in spite of the fact that he and Varian as leaders could arbitrarily act in the best interests of the expedition. Lunzie’s assessment of reactions was valid. Kai spread his arms wide accepting the inevitable. He’d given Tor a week which, if the Thek had been going to respond, would have been more than adequate for the creature to make the journey from the other planet. If Tor himself had received the message. It could have been taken by one of the other two, who would not necessarily pass it to Tor or bother about responding.
“I’d rather meet those heavy-worlders again with a healed shoulder,” remarked Varian. “I hope they waste all their remaining power trying to find a trace of us.”
Triv gave a mirthless laugh and rose, looking expectantly at Lunzie.
“I’m not unusually spiteful,” said the physician, getting to her feet, “but I’m of the same mind.”
Lunzie prepared a preservative which she then administered to the sleeping. Triv, Varian and Kai checked each one until their skins cooled and their respiration’s slowed to the imperceptible. Kai toyed briefly with the notion of staying awake, of asking Varian to join him in the vigil until either Tor or EV arrived. But that would mean they’d have to stay outside as the sleep vapour would permeate the shuttle. He’d no wish to remain away from his team and inadvertently to disclose their hideaway to the searching heavy-worlders. Soon the others were in the thrall of cold sleep.
“You know,” announced Varian in a startled tone of voice as she was settling herself, “poor old Gaber was right. We are planted. At least temporarily!”
Lunzie stared at her, then made an unamused grimace.” That’s not the comfort I want to take with me into cold sleep.”
“Does one dream in cryogenic sleep, Lunzie?”
“I never have.”
“Seems a waste of time not to do something.”
Lunzie handed round the potion she’d made for them to take in lieu of the spray.
“The whole concept of cold sleep is to suspend the sense of subjective time,” she said. “You sleep, you wake.”
“And centuries could pass,” added Triv.
“You’re less help than Varian is,” muttered Lunzie and drank her potion, arranging herself.
“It won’t be centuries,” said Kai emphatically. “Not once EV has the assays on the uranium.”
“That is a comfort,” said Triv and drank his dose.
Tacitly Kai and Varian waited until the other two had quietened into the thrall of cold sleep.
“Kai,” Varian said softly, “it is my fault. I had all the clues that pointed to a possible mutiny …”
“Varian,” he said gently and stopped her words of apology with a kiss, “it was no one’s fault, just a concatenation of forces. Content yourself that we are alive, so are they. Gaber brought his own end with an essential stupidity of temperament. And we had best suspend subjective time for a while.”
“How long a while?”
He kissed her lightly again, smiling a reassurance he tried hard to make genuine. “EV will return for us. No matter how long it takes!” Not the most tactful remark to make. “Drink, Varian!” Raising his cup to her, he waited until she followed suit and they drank together. “Nothing seems quite so bad when you’ve slept on it.”
“I hope so. It’s … jussss …”
Silence pervaded the shuttle. The mechanism that released a vapour to reinforce the sleep opened the proper valve. All life-signs fell to an undetectable minimum.
Outside golden furred flying creatures roused with the advent of another gloomy, sultry Mesozoic morning.
THE END.