Part 18 (2/2)

While above them Eskenderom thundered on: ” . . . who would destroy the old traditions that have always been Kroaxia's stability when at peace and its strength when at war. And why would they thus weaken us? To prepare the way for our submission to Kleippur and the dark powers that his inquirers serve. I say again that these Lumians are emissaries of evil, dispatched from the infernal regions . . .”

Crookes, Abaquaan, and Fellburg crashed into Weinerbaum's lab area. Fellburg made a placating gesture to Jessop, who was sputtering again and had started to rise, and they continued on through.

Weinerbaum wasn't there, but they raised Zambendorf on the communications link to ES3. Weinerbaum was with him.

”Are you still through to Moses?” Zambendorf asked when Fellburg had given him the news.

”They're holding a channel open back in Comms,” Crookes said, ”Go straight to Mackeson now,” Zambendorf told them. ”We'll call him from here and get you a flyer right away.” To Weinerbaum, who was looking perplexed at what he had just heard, he said, ”Yes, I know it was unauthorized. We organized it through Arthur. But we can sort that side of things out later.”

Now it was Frennelech's turn to stand up. Thirg was certain that they were doing it deliberately to drag out the agony. The crowd had fallen quiet after its roaring ovation for Eskenderom.

”Now is the foolishness exposed of those who would follow the Lumians as G.o.ds,” Frennelech began. ”The Lifemaker's foes stand helpless before His power. The usurper, Nogarech, trembles in his palace, awaiting the fury that will soon arrive at his gates. Where is the power of the Lumian G.o.d now?”

”Thanks for holding. Don't go away. Someone will be getting back shortly,” the Lumian voice said inside Groork's head.

”Don't go away,” Groork repeated to himself caustically.

”h.e.l.lo, is O'Flynn there?” Mackeson asked the NASO officer who appeared on his office screen.

”It's urgent.” The officer called out to someone offscreen. Several seconds went by. Then O'Flynn's huge-shouldered, beefy-faced form moved into view, wearing stained coveralls.

”And what would ye be wantin' now?” he inquired.

”Mick, we need a flyer ready to go, now. What have you got?”

O'Flynn scratched his chin dubiously. ”Well, now, that could be a bit of a problem. As far as immediate flight readiness goes, there's only AV23, which Seltzman and the linguists are taking out to ES3. AV20 isn't fueled up yet.”

”Has Seltzman's group gone yet?” Mackeson asked.

”No, they're just kitting up now.”

”Stop them. Tell them I'm requisitioning that vehicle. Hold the crew on readiness. A couple of Zambendorf's people will be there in a minute. They need it.”

”Jaysus, shouldn't I have guessed it was him?” O'Flynn said. ”Okay, boss. Whatever you say.”

” . . . the fate that this deviant who calls himself Enlightener now faces. By the river did he come, sneaking back like a thief. And by the river shall he depart.” Frennelech signaled to the executioner.

Eskenderom rose by his side and nodded. ”Dispatch them.”

The crowd went into a frenzy as first Groork, then Thirg, and finally Brongyd were lowered ontothe river's surface and released, standing upright on their bases so that the onlookers could get a better view. The three forms were swept downstream with the current, jostling and b.u.mping the stream of other items flowing from the city.

”We are cast off!” Groork sent desperately. ”It is done!”

”How long do you have? Give estimate.”

Groork looked around him at the melee of drifting pieces and oddments, the confusion of faces along the banks speeding by. He could extract no order from it. Thirg was bobbing a few yards away.

”Brother,” Groork shouted. ”You can judge these things. How long before we are consumed?”

”What does it matter now?” Thirg answered.

”The Lumian ear is open. It is they who ask.”

”From Mena.s.sim?”

”So I presume.”

”Then all is lost. Even their dragons could not cross such a distance in the moments that are left to us.”

”How long, Thirg?”

Thirg looked away and timed the rate of flow past a stretch of bank that he measured with his eye.

Then he mentally counted its length into the remaining distance. ”Four and a half minutes at most,” he replied.

Still struggling to pull on pieces of suiting and harness, Crookes, Abaquaan, and Fellburg piled into the NASO flyer waiting with its engine idling at one of the departure locks. A crewman closed the door, the access tunnel retracted, and the outer door of the lock swung open as the flyer began moving.

”Message from control,” the pilot said, turning in his seat up front. ”Moses says four and a half minutes. That's how long they've got.” The flyer moved out onto the ap.r.o.n, its engine note already climbing to takeoff speed.

Next to him in the c.o.c.kpit the copilot-navigator consulted a map on his screen and punched flight information into the computer. Crookes looked at him imploringly. ”Well? Can we do it?”

The copilot glanced at the pilot and bit his lip, then looked back into the cabin. He shook his head.

”No way. Not a chance in a million. Sorry, guys.”

One of the still-functioning radio sources that GENIUS 5, Copy Two, was experimenting with happened to be located on the south side of Perga.s.sos. Through it, GENIUS had picked up s.n.a.t.c.hes of the radio dialogue between the robeing known as Groork and the humans' base at the place they called Genoa. Since GENIUS had also explored the Robian-human translation setup in Experimental Station 3, it had become an efficient interpreter of both languages. While GENIUS didn't fully follow the whys and wherefores of the situation, it had gotten the message that a fellow nonprotein, metal-and-silicon being was in danger and that prompt action was called for. The explanations could wait.

”Hi,” something new said inside Groork's head. ”You don't know me, but let's worry about that later. It sounds as if you're in trouble.”

Groork blinked, thinking for a moment that perhaps he was hallucinating under the stress. ”Who is this?” he asked.

”You can call me GENIUS. Right now I triangulate your source as a point that my plan of the city says is in the middle of the Eflu River, below the last bridge. Is that right?”

Groork was suddenly enraptured. ”Yes!” he responded.

”Hmm. And the river terminates in the furnaces. Okay, I see the problem. The question is what to do about it.”

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