Part 33 (2/2)

While they waited for the lock to pressurize, Xuan turned to his rescuers. ”I think you just saved my life.”

”Glad to help, Professor Xuan,” one of them said. Xuan peered at the one who had spoken, the driver who had picked him up.

”I know you. Are you one of my former students?”

”No, sir. I'm Geoff Agre. A friend of your son, Hugh. These are my friends, Kamal Kurupath and Amaya Toguri.” The other two waved.

Xuan belatedly recognized the young man. ”Of course! It's been a long time. How did you happen to be here? How did you know I was in trouble?”

”This is my stroid. We come out here sometimes just to hang out,” Geoff said.

Amaya added, ”We were suspicious when we saw the shuttle. They never contacted Geoff or asked permission to test our rock.”

Kamal said, ”Geoff and I were just heading over to ask what you were doing here when the big man started shoving you around and threatening you with a crowbar. We figured that was our cue to intervene.”

”And what are those?” Xuan asked, gesturing at the pipes Amaya had used to fend off Mills and Jesse. ”What did you use as projectiles?”

He caught a flash of a smile. ”They're spud launchers. Well, the big ones actually launch larger vegetables. I used spoiled pumpkins.”

Xuan coughed out a surprised laugh. ”Excellent choice.”

The clearance light came on. They removed their helmets, and yawned, equalizing the pressure in their ears, as the inner door slid open.

The young men walked their bikes in, and the woman shut the inner airlock door. ”Tread carefully,” Amaya warned. ”a.s.sembler grapes are all over the place. I've got the ventilators on high, but a lot are still airborne.”

”Clever idea with the bone dancers,” Kamal remarked, as he and Geoff parked their bikes. ”How did you get the tank into the lock?”

”I pushed it in with one of the ore haulers,” Amaya said, with a gesture at the towing vehicles lined up near the back of the chamber. ”I figured you guys could use a distraction. I peeled the top off the tank so they could get out. It sure didn't take long to fill up the airlock, either. Geoff, you'd better figure out a way to kill that program, or we're going to be up to our a.s.ses in skeletons again in no time.”

Geoff said, ”But at least they came in useful for something.”

”You made those those?” Xuan asked, bemused.

Geoff gave him a sheepish look. ”Don't tell anybody, OK?”

Xuan suppressed a smile. ”I could be persuaded to remain silent. Under the circ.u.mstances.”

He moved further into the main chamber. It was the typical mine entry cavern, with walls and roof gashed out by minerbot tooth and claw. The ore was primarily nickel-iron, showing signs of rust in spots-an indicator that this mine had been around awhile-and ribbed with veins of white quartz. On the cavern floor, conveyors and tracks extended into various pa.s.sages. Air circulation fans, ducts, and mine gas sampling and testing gear hung from cables attached to the metal-ore ceiling. Of course, the occasional capering skeleton that scrambled up out of small pools of liquid was non-standard issue. These, thankfully, were smaller, shorter-lived, and fewer in number than the ones outside.

”I think we'd best keep our helmets and ponies close,” he said. ”And let's get our air tanks charged up in case we need to make a getaway.”

”Well, we do have plenty of supplies, farther down the mine,” Geoff said. ”But it doesn't hurt to get them charged.”

”I'll take care of it,” Kamal said. He gathered everyone's airpacks and bounded over to a set of recharging racks nearby. Xuan clipped his helmet to his suit, then pulled his pony bottle out of the pocket in the leg of his suit, and hooked it up to the main line under his arm. Geoff went over to the security panel, and Xuan and Amaya joined him, treading carefully on the a.s.sembler beads. Bots were already cleaning them up, but there were a lot.

Visibility was still poor outside, from all the stuff kicked up in the fight, but surveillance cameras outside the mine showed Mills and the others appeared to be heading back into the s.h.i.+p. Geoff fiddled with some controls.

”They've changed comm channels,” he said. ”What are they up to?”

”We should send out a distress signal,” Xuan said. ”Right away.”

”Good thought!”

Geoff typed in the code. In a second or two they heard the tones of an automated distress call. He leaned back against the console with folded arms. ”And now we wait.”

Amaya pointed. ”Um, what's he doing?” One of the hired hands was bounding down the ramp carrying a tubular object. It looked a lot like a spud launcher, only the object in it was metal and had a pointed tip. He pointed it at the mine entrance. Geoff swore.

”It's a missile launcher! Get back! Get back!”

A concussion shook the cavern, knocking Xuan down. A parts rack toppled over and pinned him. The inner lock door puckered.

A breach alarm sounded, and they could hear the hiss of air being released from the cave through a crack in the airlock seal. Rocks fell-slowly but inexorably-all around him, and crunched into the big tanks and equipment. He twisted around, tried to push the rack off his torso. Pain shot through his chest and arm.

The others were still dodging debris. A big machine fell over onto the security console, which spat sparks. Carboys were knocked over, and solvents sloshed out, forming big, floating, toxic blobs. Air contaminant alarms started whooping. Xuan could barely hear the others over the noise. The stench was overpowering and Xuan coughed.

The others leapt over the rubble toward him. Kamal found a pipe and pried the rack off of him, and Geoff and Amaya pulled him out. ”Are you all right?” Geoff shouted, over the din.

Something sticky was dripping in Xuan's eyes. He put his hand to his head, and it came away red. He had a gash on his forehead. He swiped at it. Much higher gee, Much higher gee, Xuan realized, Xuan realized, and I'd have been crushed. and I'd have been crushed. Kamal handed him a cloth. He pressed it to his wound. Kamal handed him a cloth. He pressed it to his wound.

”A little banged up,” he said. ”Hurts to breathe or move my right arm. I've broken a rib or two, I think. What happened?”

”They've taken out our radio. And our surveillance cameras.”

”We have to get out of here! Can you get the airpacks?” Kamal asked Geoff and Amaya, gesturing. ”We may need them.”

They set the air recharging rack upright and extracted the airpacks from the rechargers. Meanwhile, Kamal helped Xuan over the pile of rubble.

”We'd better hurry!” Amaya shouted over the alarms. ”If they fire another missile, the inner lock will go.”

”There are some supplies we need!” Geoff replied. ”I'll get the bots to grab what they can. Amaya, take the airpacks and lead the way to one of our bolt holes!”

”West Spider Way is best!” Amaya yelled.

”Meet you there,” Geoff shouted back. ”Go!”

Xuan did not like the idea of Geoff staying behind, even for a moment, but he trusted the young man's judgment that they needed certain materials here, and arguing would only waste time. Besides, it hurt too much to talk.

Kamal helped him into the side pa.s.sage, while Amaya carried the airpacks. The main lights were out, but emergency lighting gave plenty of light, to Xuan's eyes. Amaya led the way down. They pa.s.sed other pa.s.sages and chambers, and through several locks. The air smelled dank, like rotting vegetation and dust. They came to a large room. Amaya dropped the airpacks into a recharging station by the door.

”I'll be right back,” she said, and dashed out. Kamal helped Xuan to a chair, and went for a medkit.

Xuan looked around. This room had been outfitted as a waystation: it had firefighting equipment, air, and medical supplies. It also had bunks, a kitchen, and a console. Kamal brought the medical kit over and cleaned and bound Xuan's head wound.

”I think I have a broken collarbone,” he said, ”and a cracked rib.”

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