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It was turning into an argument. The pitch and tempo of their voices began to rise, like a recording being speeded up. Then abruptly the argument was over. The two bu
"And I'm supposed to take them seriously now?" Duke asked. "After that little performance?"
I shrugged. "They do have us outnumbered." I glanced back. More bu
"I agree." He took another step forward
This time all the bu
"Give 'em a puff of cold," Duke said. "See if they'll back off." I nodded, pointed the nozzle at the space between us and the forward bu
The bu
They sniffed at the air, wrinkling their noses against the painful coldness of it; then they began to hop forward again, back into position.
"I could freeze a couple of them," I suggested. "But it might not be good for future relations."
Duke considered it. He shook his head. "Maybe a little fire instead." He armed his torch and raised it, deliberately pointing it high
Something caught my eye. "Duke! Wait-" Duke froze where he was.
Something large and dark was moving up through the dust toward us. I knew what it was even before it came out of the murk. So that's why the bu
The worm was Papa-sized. It was five meters long, nearly two meters thick at the shoulder. Its eyes were shuttered against the dust.
And then I saw-
There were bu
The worm flowed to a stop and faced us. It blinked-sputph-wut-and warbled a soft sound. "Trllp?" Then it shuttered its eyes again. It looked like it was dozing.
I looked at Duke. I'd never seen a worm do this before. He looked back at me and shrugged. But he kept his torch at the ready. The bu
Duke lowered his torch, just a little bit. "Jim..." he said. "What are we looking at?"
"I don't know. I'd like to think that the bu
Duke accepted that thoughtfully. "Well, we need to make up our minds fast. One worm we can handle. We can't take on a whole family."
I nodded. "We're going to have to burn our way out, aren't we?" Duke didn't answer. He just shifted the torch in his hands and steadied his stance.
Abruptly, the worm woke up. Its eyes popped open and stared directly at Duke. At the same instant, all the bu
The worm said, "Chtorrrllpp?" It looked questioningly to Duke. It started to slide forward
"No!"
-and Duke fired.
It was the dampness in the air that saved him, I'm sure of that. It was the lingering chill from the liquid nitrogen.
For a moment, the flame hung in the air-then it leapt backward and enveloped him-he didn't even have time to scream-he was a ball of orange fire
It was the dust. It was so fine it didn't just burn-it exploded. It couldn't have been more dangerous if it were powdered hydrogen
I didn't think. I just pointed the freezer at Duke and fired. The flames vanished almost instantly. Great clouds of cold steam whooshed up into the air, crackling and spitting. Duke was somewhere in the center of that.
I had to do it.
If I hadn't, the whole sea of powder would have exploded. It would have been a firestorm. I didn't have a choice.
There was a blackened burned thing standing where Duke had been. It toppled over into the powder--
The bu
--there was just me and Duke, still crackling in the center of a smoldering black crater.
I started screaming.
"You goddam sonofabitch!" I was already pushing through the ooze toward him. "I told you to wait! Didn't anybody ever tell you about grain elevators? And dust! You stupid asshole!" I pulled his fuel tanks off him and rolled him over on his back. He was still alive. His breath was coming in great rasping wheezes. The 0-mask had protected his face and lungs. He had a chance. Maybe.
I grabbed him by the tank harness, looped one of its belts around my forearm, and started dragging him forward. I couldn't carry him through this powder, but I could drag him. It would have to do. I cursed him every step of the way.
And then I stopped.
The whole world had become a fuzzy pink blur, vague and indistinct. Even the sun was gone. The sky and ground had vanished. There was nothing but pink. I couldn't even see my own hands. If I let go of Duke, I wouldn't even be able to find him again.
I'd heard of whiteouts in the Antarctic-this was worse; this was a California pinkout.
I didn't know where I was.
Worse, I didn't know where the chopper was.
SIXTEEN
I FROZE.
I knew I had to get back. But my sense of direction had totally failed.
I was afraid to take a step in any direction, for fear I would be going the wrong way. I could be only a few meters from the ship and unable to see it.
The wrong decision would kill us.
I stood there, trembling with the realization, paralyzed by my own terror. I had to do something! Duke needed attention now. And neither of us had much air left.
I didn't know where the beeper was. It wasn't in Duke's hand or on his belt. I'd looked for it when I grabbed him. That was before the pink closed in. And now, it was getting deeper. There was nothing but pink. It was waist-high now.
I had to do something.
Now.
Even if it was the wrong thing to do.
I hadn't turned since grabbing Duke-I should still be pointed in the right direction. I didn't know what else to do.
I held the freezer in my left hand and sprayed it forward. I could hear the whoosh. I saw nothing-but I could feel the chill in the air.
This was crazy. It couldn't work. I moved forward anyway slowly. I tested each step before putting my weight down. Suddenly, the pink gave way beneath me. I let out a yell-I hung onto Duke-and we slid down a long slope of powder. We came to rest at the bottom, buried in pinkness. I couldn't find the place where the ground ended and the air began. We were wrapped in spiderwebs. I wasn't even sure which way was up any more. I fired the freezer in the direction I thought was forward. The chill woke me up.
I caught my breath. I sat up. Somehow, I stood up. The belt of Duke's harness was still looped around my arm. My God! He was still with me!