[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
And if you take that ramp to the right, we should reach the station in about ten minutes." I followed Arthur's directions, and ten minutes later on the dot we entered a high-ceilinged chamber bathed in red light. The layout of the place was complex, but you could see that a wide, slightly concave track or raised platform ran through the middle of it all. Suddenly things started shooting by at phe- nomenal speed odd machinery, huge wrecking cranes like the one that had collared us, unidentifiable gadgets and doo- dads, all skimming along and levitating slightly above the track. "What do we do now?" I asked Arthur. "Sit tight." A few moments later a gigantic crane arm reached out of a crimson shadow, picked the rig up, swung it out over the track, and lowered it down. A force caught us, and we were whisked away along the track at tremendous acceleration. It nearly broke my neck. Eventually the G-forces fell off and our speed steadied. "I nearly got killed back here," Arthur complained over the intercom. "All Page 142 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html this loose junk... and that stupid damned au- tomobile!" "You okay?" I asked. "I'll live." "I thought you weren't alive in the conventional sense." 224 John DeChancie "I wouldn't be able to stand it." Our speed was fantastic; everything outside was a blur. We shot through another huge chamber in the blink of an eye, entered a tunnel and sped through it, hurtling toward a mote of pink light. "Jake?" It was Darla. "Yeah?" "Did Arthur say what I thought he said?" I nodded. "Yeah, it's back there." Darla was thunderstruck. "Jake, how?" "I don't know," I said. "But..." She groaned, exasperated. "Which one is it? The one Carl created, or the one... ?" file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/John%20DeChancie%20-%20Paradox%20All ey.txt (190 of 269) [10/16/2004 4:41:30 PM] file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/John%20DeChancie%20-%20Paradox%20All ey.txt "You were saying?" "Oh, Jake, I'm confused." "You're confused." Then I remembered something Prime had told me. Everything will be returned to you. We plunged headlong into darkness, periodically flashing in and out of eye-stabbing light. Our speed must have been something close to five hundred kph, but I didn't feel like asking Bruce to confirm it. I kept my grip tight on the control bars and my left foot heavy on the brake pedal; there was no telling when I might suddenly regain control. "Arthur," I called. "How far?" "How far to the plant? Oh, I don't know. At this speed we'll be there in a few more minutes." He was right. It wasn't long before we began to decelerate at a mercifully gentle rate. "Now, if I can't get the spacetime ship started again," Ar- thur went on, "you can make a dash for the central portal. The plant is about a half day's drive from it, as the crow flies." "We'd never make it," I told him. "Any chance of taking the train to a point near enough to the portal so that we'd have at least a fighting chance?" "I'll work on it," Arthur said. Then he heaved a mortal sigh and lamented, "This was a peaceful world before you humans arrived." I asked, "Was anything at all going on before we arrived?" "No. And that's just the way I like it." "Sorry, but coming here wasn't our idea." "I know, I know," he acknowledged grudgingly. PARADOX ALLEY 225 We had come to a full stop inside another station, and another crane lifted us off the track and deposited us on a high ramp. I started the engine and drove off, again following Ar- thur's directions. "How the hell can you see outside?" I interrupted. "I told you, I'm partially hooked into the ship's sensorium. Seeing through walls is child's play." "Oh, sure," I said. "Never mind. Make the first right." I did, running up a wide ramp that went through a large rectangular opening. Page 143 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html We entered an area that looked like a loading dock, and something about it was familiar. file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/John%20DeChancie%20-%20Paradox%20All ey.txt (191 of 269) [10/16/2004 4:41:30 PM] file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/John%20DeChancie%20-%20Paradox%20All ey.txt "We should be here," Arthur said. "I am in contact with the plant foreman," Bruce said. "Put him on," I said. There was a pause. "Some difficulty in audio reception," Bruce informed us. "Possibly due to our position. I suggest proceeding directly to the Display Area." "Urn... Jake?" It was Arthur. "Yeah?" "Is there " The intercom went dead. I tested the intercom switch, found nothing wrong with it. "Bruce, do we have problems here?" "Yes, Jake, a short in the circuit. It will take a few minutes to locate it." "Not important. Just get me to the showroom." A huge sliding door was opening to our right. "That way," Bruce said. A few more turns and we were back where Carl and I had first seen our respective dreams made real. Still no plant fore- man, though. "Bruce, what's going on?" "Sorry, Jake. We seem to have sustained some damage to our communications hardware." "You should have reported it before this," Sam said, his eyes suspicious. "First opportunity," I ventured. "Right, Bruce?" "Don't make excuses for him," Sam snapped. "He doesn't need them, anyway. He can't " "Sam, hold it," I said, cocking my ears. A sound was con- ducting through the bulkhead, faintly. 226 John DeChancie "I guess that's the foreman," I said. "Jesus, Bruce, are the outside mikes dead, too?" "I'm afraid so, Jake." "Damn it, anyway." I groused, popping the hatch. "Jake, wait a minute!" Sam shouted, too late, as the hatch hissed upward. "Don't twitch a muscle," said the man who was pointing the gun at my face. I recognized him as Geof Brandon, one of file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/John%20DeChancie%20-%20Paradox%20All ey.txt (192 of 269) [10/16/2004 4:41:30 PM] file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/John%20DeChancie%20-%20Paradox%20All ey.txt [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |