over again what had happened and were they all right.
“We’re all right,” Fletcher said angrily. “And you tell us what happened,
Lieutenant. What are your sensors for?”
“An explosion at the site of the damaged hydraulic reservoir, sir,” DQdds said,
sounding relieved. “The stuff is highly inflammable as well as toxic, it seems,
and the flare set it off. The explosion broke the back of the ship where it lies
across that rock outcropping, and now the prow is lying on the sand, too.
Amidships and stern sections have been stripped of plating by the explosion and
the wind. The ship looks very open, sir.”
The smoke had cleared but fine clouds of sand were blowing through the Control
Deck from somewhere. Fletcher said dryly, “I believe you, Dodds. It is also very
cold. How long until pickup?”
“Just under three hours, sir,” Dodds replied. “Sunrise is in two hours and the
wind should have abated an hour later.”
The two portable heaters and spare cutting torch had been shaken loose by the
explosion and had fallen into the thorns. One of the heaters was still
functioning but its .effect was severely reduced by the icy, sand-laden wind
sweeping out of the corridor. Conway shivered and clenched his teeth, both to
stop them chattering and in reaction to the indescribable noise of the wind
screaming through the bare bones of the stern section and the irregular,
thunderous din of the remaining plating shaking itself loose. He resiled the
portable lights, which had survived the explosion, so that they were within a
few feet of the litter. They gave a little warmth.
More than an hour was spent completing the transfer of the alien from its cupola
to the litter and securing it in the vehicle. The being, too, was suffering from
the cold—its organic connectors twitched continuously and patterns of wrinkles
marched across its smooth, featureless body. Conway tried to find something to
wrap around it, but all that was available was the control cupola webbing from
its own and the crew’s positions. By the time he had finished, the being was
virtually cocooned in the stuff and the few areas of skin visible were still
twitching and wrinkling.
They moved it up to the sealed personnel hatch, hoping that the available heat
would rise and it would be fractionally warmer UP there. The difference, to
Conway, was indetectable. He wondered if it would be possible to rescue the
other heater, but when he looked down he saw that a fresh, uncharred tangle of
thorns had grown in from the corridor and was climbing toward them.
“Doctor,” said Fletcher quickly, indicating a large ceiling panel which was held
in position by a single remaining support strut. “Hold onto that while I cut it
free.”
They dropped the panel onto the thorns and knotted loose pieces of webbing
together into a rope so that the Captain could lower himself onto its center.
The panel buckled slightly under his weight but the thorns beneath the plate
were forced down by two meters or more. Fletcher kneeled carefully on his
makeshift raft and unlimbered his cutting torch. With,the flame focused down to
a long, thin needle he attacked the thorns all* around him.
After nearly six hours of constant use the power pack was exhausted. When the
flame dimmed and died, Fletcher got carefully to his feet and began flexing and
straightening his legs, bouncing the section of plating up and down. The thorns
were forced lower. He paused for a rest and still the plate continued to sink.
But now the needle-sharp thorns were growing in from the edges of the raft,
slowly submerging it.
The rope of webbing was barely within reach. Fletcher steadied himself, jumped,
and caught the end in a double grip as the plate teetered and disappeared
sideways under the thorns. Conway climbed down as far as he could and pulled the
rope close so that Fletcher could get his feet onto the edge of a projecting
cabinet.
“Did you see the way that thing moved itself from under the plate and surrounded
you, Captain?” Murchison said when they rejoined her. “It’s very slow, but do
you think we are hurting a potentially intelligent vegetable life-form?”