“What is takin’ you forever, begorra!” demanded O’Niel, eventually.
“I’ve bent a curve in this wire, attached this emery-wire. I’ve pushed it through from this side. Now I’m trying to get it back.” Chip spoke through gritted teeth. Being manually dexterous was supposed to be what humans did well.
“Indade? So why is it taking so long?” Eamon was dancing with impatience.
“Because I can’t see the goddamn other hole,” answered Chip tersely.
“I’ faith, you should ask fat Fal to help. With that great girth of his it’s been years since he’s been able to see the hole,” grinned Doll wickedly.
Just then the wire encountered the hole. “Ah! Here it comes.”
Mel cocked her head sideways. “Funny, isn’t that just about what Fal says too, eh Doll?”
There were two little lead balls on the ends of the flexible saw. Handles keyed over these. Chip clipped them in and began pulling the saw to-and-fro. The saw positively hissed through the Magh’ adobe. Then Chip had to push the wire through the other hole. Saw, saw and then again. Soon he was able to hook a neat triangular little “door” out of the Maggot-mound wall.
When Chip finally had the piece out, he took a long, careful look it. Then he did a spot of swearing. He could see now why he’d struggled so with the drilling. The convenient indents on the surface, which had stopped the drill bit slipping around, marked the solid struts in the hollow-block material. He’d chosen to drill six inches instead of one inch, then an air space, and then another inch. Still, it could have been worse. There was a foot-thick stanchion next to one of the holes.
Well, it was no use crying over wasted energy. Chip bowed, flexing his tired hands. He pointed at the hole with an elbow. “There you go, messieurs et madames. Be pleased to entair.”
“Who ate madames?” asked Fal, ever hopeful.
“I dunno. Wasn’t me. Must have been the bats. Do you think that’s what giving them such gas?”
* * *
The bats fluttered down into the hole, from which Maggot-lumifungus cast a wan light. Chip rigged a string onto the little door of Magh’ adobe, and replaced the triangular piece. The bats would knock to come out, and the keen-eared rats would remain on standby to listen for them.
They waited in the darkness. After a while even the rats’ banter died away. Chip decided he’d rather take risks than wait while others took them. A lousy attitude for a soldier, but his own. Anything was better than this waiting.
The silence and darkness grew more and more oppressive. Time dragged. Finally, Fal said what was on everybody’s minds. “They’ve been caught.”
Doc assumed his favorite professorial pose and spoke in a doom-laden voice. “Lost in the tunnels. Fated to wander for ever and ever . . .”
Knock-knock.
Chip pulled open the door.
The bats emerged . . . sans food.
“What the hell kept you?” demanded Chip and the rats in unison.
“‘Tis a foine welcome back, indade,” said O’Niel, clinging tiredly to the mound-wall.
Chip counted bat heads. All present and correct. “Where’s the food?”
“We couldn’t find it. ‘Tis a long way down, and that whole level smells of it. We found spoiled stuff being shovelled into Maggot fungus beds.”
Fal voiced the general rat disapproval. “Your noses could not smell their way to a privy. We’ll have to do it for you.”
“For once, rat, I’d say try it, and welcome. It’s a maze down there,” said Bronstein, tiredly. “But how do you think you’ll get down? The Maggots are chewing rock down there, it’s so deep.”
For once Pistol came up with the answer. “We could abseil.”
“What?” The bat looked at him as if he was a talking brick.
Pistol shook his head pityingly. “Abseil. Rappel. Slide down a sodding rope. Don’t you bats know anything?”
Chip knew what they were talking about. He remembered with shuddering horror having to do that on the two-day “adventure experience” Company school had sent them to. The “adventure center” had been controlled by a major Shareholder, so of course it had been a part of their curriculum. The expense was naturally charged to a vatbrat’s account for later repayment. Since it was considered a “luxury,” the charge had been steep, too.