The Dark Design

Nur paused. "If I asked you to jump out of this car, would you do so?"

"Hell, no!"

"Nor would I do so. But what if I ask you to do something which is the intellectual or emotional equivalent of jumping out of the car? Something which you'd regard as intellectual or emotional sui­cide?"

"I won't know until you ask me."

"I wouldn't ask you until I thought you were ready. If indeed you ever will be."

Pogaas had been looking out of a port. He grunted and then said, "There's a light out there! It's moving!"

Frigate and el-Musafir joined him. Tex and Frisco, aroused by their excited voices, got up and stared sleepily out another port.

A long shape, at about the same altitude as the balloon, was silhouetted against a bright stellar cloud.

Frigate said, "It's a dirigible!",

Of all the things they'd seen on The Riverworld, this was the strangest and most unexpected.

"There're lights near its prow," Rider said.

"It can't be from New Bohemia," Frigate said.

"Then there is another place where metals have been found," Nur said.

"Unless it's one They built!'' Farrington said. ,"It may not be an airship, it's just built like one."

One of the lights near the nose of the vessel began blinking. After looking at it for a minute, Frigate said, "It's Morse code!"

"What's it saying?" Rider said.

"I don't know Morse code."

"Then how do you know it's Morse?"

"By the length of the pulses. Long and short."

Nur left the port to return to the vernian. He shut it off, and now the only sound was the heavy breathing of the crew. They watched the great, sinister-looking shape turn and move directly toward them. The light continued blinking. Nur ignited the torch for about twenty seconds. When he turned it off, he started toward the port again. But he stopped suddenly, and he said sharply, "Don't anybody make a noise!"

They turned to stare at him. He took a few steps and turned off the fan which sucked in carbon dioxide.

Frisco said, "What're you doing that for?"

Nur went swiftly to the vernian, saying, "I thought I heard a hissing!"

He looked at Pogaas. "Put that cigarette out!"

Nur bent down to place his ear against the co

Pogaas dropped the cigarette and raised his foot to stamp it out.

69

Jill Gulbirra heard the report on the raid from Cyrano before the helicopter arrived in the hangar bay. She was appalled at the casualties and furious because the mission had even been con­sidered. Part of her anger was at herself. Why hadn't she argued more firmly with Clemens?

Yet... what could she have.done? The laser was the only means possible to get into the tower. Clemens would not release it unless the raid was carried out.

After the copter landed, she ordered the airship taken up out of the Valley. It turned its nose southwest, heading for the Mark Twain. Cyrano went to sick bay to have his wounds bandaged, then report­ed to the control room. Jill got a more complete report from him, after which she radioed the boat.

Clemens was not as happy as she had expected him to be.

"So you think Rotten John is dead? But you're not one hundred percent sure?

"Yes, I'm afraid so. But we did everything you asked, so I assume you'll give us the LB."

LB was the code name for the laser.

''You can have the LB. The chopper can pick it up from the flight deck."

The radar officer said, "UFO portside, sir. At approximately our altitude."

Clemens must have heard her, since he said, "What's that? A UFO?"

Jill ignored the voice. For a moment she thought the radar-scope was showing two objects. Then recognition came.

"It's a balloon!"

Clemens said "A balloon? Then it's not Them!"

Cyrano said softly, "Perhaps it is another expedition to the tower. Our unknown colleagues?"

Jill gave orders to turn a searchlight toward it and use it as a Morse code transmitter.

"This is the airship Parseval. This is the airship Parseval. Identify yourself. Identify yourself."

She had also told the radio operator to send the same message. There was no reply by wireless or light.

She spoke to Nikitin. "Head directly for the balloon. We'll try to get a look at it close up."

"Jes, kapitano."

The Russian, however, started, and he pointed at a blinking red light on the control panel.

"The hangar-bay hatch! It's opening!"

The first officer sprang to the intercom. "Hangar bay! Hangar bay! Coppename here! Why are you opening the hatch?"

There was no answer.

Jill pressed the general-alarm button. Sirens began whooping throughout the ship.

"This is the captain! This is the captain! Central crew's quarters! Central crew's quarters!"

The voice of Katamura, an electronics officer, said, "Yes, Cap­tain! I read you!"

"Get men down to the hangar bay fast. I think Officer Thorn has escaped!"

Cyrano said, "Do you really think it's he?"

"I don't know, but it seems likely. Unless... someone else ..."

She called sick bay. No answer.

"It's Thorn! Damn! Why didn't I install a belly-hatch override switch?"

In rapid sequence, she ordered two groups to run to the hangar bay and one to the ship's hospital.

"But, Jill," Cyrano said, "how could he escape? He has not recovered from his wounds, he is guarded by four men, he is shackled to the bed, the door is locked, and the two men inside don't have the key!"

"He's no ordinary man! I should have chained his hands, too! But it seemed u

"Perhaps the helicopter was not refueled?"

"If it wasn't, Szentes was neglecting his duty. No chance of that!"

"The hatch is full-open now," Nikitin said.

Graves' voice came over the intercom. "Jill! Thorn ..."

"How'd he get out?" Jill snapped.

"I'm not sure of the details. I was sitting in my office, sampling some of the medical alcohol. All of a sudden I heard a hell of a brouhaha. Shouts, somebody crashing into something. I got up, but there was Thorn at the door. A length of broken chain was trailing from his ankle shackle. He must have broken the links with his bare hands!

"He charged on in, shoving me to one side so hard I was knocked against the wall. For a minute I was stu

"I finally got loose and staggered out to the ward. All four guards were on the floor. Two are still alive but badly hurt. The intercoms were all wrecked. The door was locked, and the pistols and knives of the outside guards were gone. I'd still be there if I wasn't so handy at picking locks and the lock wasn't pickable. Then I ran to the nearest bulkhead phone ..."

"How long ago was it that he broke loose?"

"Twenty-five minutes ago."

"Twenty-five?"

She was dismayed. What had Thorn been doing in all that time?

"Take care of those men," she said and switched him off.

"He must have had a transmitter hidden somehow, somewhere,'' she said to Cyrano.

"But how do you know that?"

"I can't be sure. What else would take so much of his time? Nikitin, take her down to ground level! As fast as possible!"

Katamura's voice came over the intercom.

"Captain, the chopper's gone."

Cyrano swore in French.

Nikitin flipped on the general address and informed the crew that the ship would be going into dangerous maneuver. All perso