“Huh?” John Thomas replied in a choked voice. “Nothing.” He reached up and patted his friend. “Nothing at all, old fellow. Johnnie’s here. It’s all right.”
“All right, Johnnie.”
“Yes,” agreed Betty faintly. “It’s all right, Lummie.” She added in a low voice to John Thomas. “It’ll be quick, won’t it, Johnnie? We won’t feel it?”
“Uh, I guess so! Hey! None of that-in just one half second I’m going to punch you right on the button and then dump you off the bank. That ought to protect you from the blast.”
She shook her head slowly, without anger nor fear. “It’s too late, Johnnie. You know it is. Don’t scold me-just hold my hand.”
“But-” He stopped. “Hear that?”
“More of them.”
“Yeah. They’re probably building an octagon. . . to make sure we don’t get out.”
A sudden thunderclap spared her the need to answer. It was followed by the squeal of a hovering ship; this time they could see it, less than a thousand feet over their heads. Then an iron voice rumbled out of the sky. “Stuart! John Stuart! Come out in the open!”
Jobnnie took out his sheath knife, threw back his head and shouted, “Come and get me!”
Betty looked up at him, her face shining, and patted his sleeve. “Tell ’em, Johnnie!” she whispered. “That’s my Johnnie.”
The man behind the giant voice seemed to have a directional mike trained on him; he was answered: “We don’t want you and we don’t want to hurt anybody. Give up and come out.”
He threw back a one-word defiance and added, “We aren’t coming out!”
The thundering voice went on, “Final warning, John Stuart. Come out with your hands empty. We’ll send a ship down for you.”
John Thomas shouted back, “Send it down and we’ll wreck it!” He added hoarsely to Lummox, “Got some rocks, Lummie?”
“Huh? Sure! Now, Johnnie?”
“Not yet. I’ll tell you.”
The voice remained silent; no ship came down to them. Instead a ship other than the command ship dropped swiftly, squatted a hundred feet above the pines and about the same distance them them laterally. It started a slow circle around them, almost a crawl.
Immediately there was a rending sound, then a crash as a forest giant toppled to the ground. Another followed at once. Like a great invisible hand a drag field from the ship knocked over trees and swept them aside. Slowly it cut a wide firebreak around them. “Why are they doing that?” Betty whispered.
“It’s a forestry service ship. They’re cutting us off.”
“But why? Why don’t they just do it and get it over with?” She began to shake, he put an arm around her.
“I don’t know, Slugger. They’re driving.”
The ship closed the circle, then faced them and seemed to settle back on its haunches. With the delicate care of a dentist pulling a tooth the operator reached in, selected one tree, plucked it out of the ground, and tossed it aside. He picked another and still another. Gradually a wide path was being cut through the timber to the spot where they waited.
And there was nothing to do but wait. The ranger’s ship removed the last tree that shielded them; the tractor field brushed them as he claimed it, making them stagger and causing Lummox to squeal with terror. John Thomas recovered himself and slapped the beast’s side. “Steady, boy. Johnnie is here.”
He thought about having them retreat back from the clearing now in front of them, but there seemed no use in it.
The logging ship lay off; an attack ship moved in. It dropped suddenly and touched ground at the end of the corridor. Johnnie gulped and said, “Now, Lummox. Anything that comes out of that ship-see if you can hit it.”
“You bet, Johnnie!” Lummox reached with both hands for ammunition.
But he never picked up the rocks. John Thomas felt as if he had been dumped into wet concrete up to his chest; Betty gasped and Lummox squealed. Then he piped, “Johnnie! The rocks are stuck!”
John Thomas labored to speak. “It’s all right, boy, Don’t struggle. Just hold still. Betty, you all right?”
“Can’t breathe!” she gasped.