Doc argued that they had no way of knowing how much more liquid was going to flood from the broken pipes in the bathroom.
“It is not unreasonable to assume that there might indeed be some connection between the main tanks of the redoubt and some external supply. As long as it flows out one end, then it could, mayhap, keep gushing into the other end. It could go on until all of the water in Colorado has filled the redoubt from its top to its basement.”
“And flooded the gateway,” the Armorer said.
“I don’t believe that the builders of these redoubts wouldn’t have taken precautions in the case of flooding.” Ryan shook his head. “Wouldn’t make sense, would it?”
“These were the same people, or their superiors, who were responsible for the red buttons being pushed and civilization disappearing.” Doc pointed a bony finger at Ryan. “Never, ever, underestimate the capacity of the government official for behaving like a headless chicken.”
“So, you’re saying we should go straight down and make a jump out of here?”
“No, bro.” J.B. looked around. “We know where we are. For the sake of Dean and Krysty, we should make the most of this chance jump to explore some. If the redoubt floods completely, then is that so terrible?”
Ryan considered that. “I guess not,” he said finally. “We know the locations of close to thirty gateways, and most of them are still functioning. We could always step it out and find another one for a jump.”
“Never did too much jumping in the war wag days,” J.B. said with a grin.
“Yeah,” Ryan agreed.
Krysty had joined them as the argument reached its amicable ending. “So, we’re going to do some walking?”
“Right,” Ryan said. “Ace on the line, lover. We’re going to do some walking.”
ACCORDING TO THE ARMORER, the township of Glenwood Springs lay only an hour or so south of where they’d landed. It seemed reasonable to make it their first destination, so they set off in that direction.
It was a heaven of a morning. The sun climbed gently through a cloudless sky, the temperature was comfortably in the middle sixties, with a light westerly breeze.
They were still high up, high enough for breathing to be slightly affected. Doc called a halt after thirty minutes, panting and sweating. “Upon my soul! I had forgotten how thin the air can be up here.”
“Reckon we’re probably close to eight thousand feet,” J.B. guessed.
Dean had wandered a little ahead, and he called back to them. “Hey, come and look at this!”
Chapter Ten
At first glance it seemed as if they’d made a time jump. The holiday resort of Glenwood Springs looked just like it did before skydark and the long winters the main streets with their stores and motels, the freeway scything through the town from east to west, running alongside the frothing Colorado River, with the railway line also following along the bottom of the deep gorge.
It was only when your eyes became focused that you saw that the ville was actually a ruin.
Most of the buildings were roofless, and no automobiles or trucks rumbled along the streets. Only a handful of people could be seen, moving slowly around.
The freeway had become riven and corrugated by quakes and the passing of time. By looking toward the east, it was possible to see where a big elevated section had totally collapsed, permanently blocking old I-70. The railway line was forked and buckled, and long stretches of the iron rails were missing.
Only the river remained, virtually unchanged.
“Must’ve been a nice ville once,” Dean commented, sitting on a convenient rock and peering out over the urban ruins. “Might find some food down there.”
“You ever think about anything beyond your stomach?” Mildred asked.
The boy considered that for several seconds. “No,” he said finally. “Guess not.”
THE TWO-LANE BLACKTOP that led from the redoubt vanished in less than fifty paces in a sheer scarp face, where the land had dropped away for a mile or more, taking all of the pavement with it. The friends scouted around for an alternate route.
“Plenty game here,” Jak said as they picked their way along a narrow deer trail that seemed as if it would take them to the bottom of the valley.