I was sitting in lotus, facing him, when he made this astounding statement. I felt dizzy and wondered if I was going to throw up again. “Pete,” I said, almost pleadingly, “you wouldn’t lie to me?”
“I’ve had to lie all my life,” he answered, “and so have you. HoweverÄ” He paused and twisted his wrists; his bonds broke. Do you know the breaking strength of a twisted sleeve of a good shirt? It is more than that of a manila line of equal thicknessÄtry it.
“I don’t mind ruining the shirt,” he said conversationally. “The sweater will cover. But I would rather not ruin my trousers; I expect to have to appear in public in them before I can get more. You can reach the knots more easily than I can; will you untie them, Miss Friday?”
“Stop calling me Miss Friday, Pete; we’re APs together.” I started working on the knots. “Why didn’t you tell me a long time ago?”
“I should have. Other things got in the way.”
“There! Oh, your feet are cold! Let me rub them. Get the circulation back.”
We got some sleep, or I did. Pete was shaking my shoulder and saying quietly, “Better wake up. We must be about to ground. Some lights have come on.”
A dim twilight trickled in, under, around, and through the tarpaulin covering the dinosaur we had slept under. I yawned at it. “I’m cold.”
“Complaints. You had the inside of the snuggle. That’s warmer than the outside. I’m frozen.”
“Just what you deserve. Rapist. You’re too skinny; you don’t make much of a blanket. Pete, we’ve got to put some fat on you.
Which reminds me that we didn’t have breakfast. And the thought of foodÄ I think I’m about to throw up.”
“UhÄ Slide past me and sort o’ heave it back into that corner. Not here where we would have to lie in it. And keep as quiet as you can; there may be someone in here by now.”
“Brute. Unfeeling brute. Just for that I won’t throw up.”
On the whole I felt fairly good. I had taken one of the little blue pills just before leaving cabin BB, and it seemed to be holding. I had a butterfly or two in my tummy but they weren’t very muscular butterfliesÄnot the sort that shout “Lemme outa here!” I had with me the rest of the supply Dr. Jerry had given me. “Pete, what are the plans?”
“You’re asking me? You planned this jailbreak, not me.”
“Yes, but you are a big, strong, masculine man who snores. I assumed that you would take charge and have it all planned out while I napped. Am I mistaken?”
“WellÄ Friday, what are your plans? The plans you made when you didn’t expect to have me along.”
“It wasn’t much of a plan. After we ground they are going to have to open a door, either a people door or a big cargo door; I don’t care which, `cause when they do, I go out of here like a frightened cat, running roughshod over anything or anybody in my way. . . and I don’t stop until I’m a long way from the ship. I don’t want to hurt anybody but I hope nobody tries too hard to stop me. . . for I won’t be stopped.”
“That’s a good plan.”
“You think so? It’s not really a plan at all. Just a determination. A door opens, I crush out.”
“It’s a good plan because it doesn’t have any fancies to go wrong. And you have one big advantage. They don’t dare hurt you.”
“I wish I could be sure of that.”
“If you are hurt, it will be by accident, and the man who does it will be strung up by his thumbs. At least. After hearing the rest of your story I now know why the instructions to me were so emphatic. Friday, they don’t want you dead-or-alive; they want you in perfect health. They’ll let you escape before they will hurt you.”
“Then it’s going to be easy.”
“Don’t be too sure of it. Wildcat that you are, it has already been proved that enough men can grab you and hold you; we both know that. If they know you are goneÄand I think they do~ this boat was over an hour late in leaving orbitÄ”