CHAPTER 3
Ross stood cautiously against the wall of his darkened room, his headturned toward the slightly open door. A slight shuffling sound hadawakened him, and he was now as ready as a cat before her spring. But hedid not hurl himself at the figure now easing the door farther open. Hewaited until the visitor was approaching the bunk before he slid alongthe wall, closing the door and putting his shoulders against it.
"What's the pitch?" Ross demanded in a whisper.
There was a ragged breath, maybe two, then a little laugh out of thedark. "You are ready?" The visitor's accent left no doubt as to hisidentity. Kurt was paying him the promised visit.
"Did you think that I wouldn't be?"
"No." The dim figure sat without invitation on the edge of the bunk. "Iwould not be here otherwise, Murdock. You are plenty ... have plenty onthe ball. You see, I have heard things about you. Like me, you weretricked into this game. Tell me, is it not true that you saw Hardytonight."
"You hear a lot, don't you?" Ross was noncommittal.
"I hear, I see, I learn more than these big mouths, like the major withall his do's and don'ts. That I can tell you! You saw Hardy. Do _you_want to be a Hardy?"
"Is there any danger of that?"
"Danger!" Kurt snorted. "Danger--you have not yet known the meaning ofdanger, little man. Not until now. I ask you again, do you want to endlike Hardy? They have not yet looped you in with all their big talk.That is why I came here tonight. If you know what is good for you,Murdock, you will make a break before they tape you----"
"Tape me?"
Kurt's laugh was full of anger, not amusement. "Oh, yes. They have manytricks here. They are big brains, eggheads, all of them with theirfavorite gadgets. They put you through a machine to get you registeredon a tape. Then, my boy, you cannot get outside the base without ringingall the alarms! Neat, eh? So if you want to make a break, you must tryit before they tape you."
Ross did not trust Kurt, but he was listening to him attentively. Theother's argument sounded convincing to one whose general ignorance ofscience led him to be as fearful of the whole field as his ancestors hadbeen of black magic. As all his generation, he was conditioned tobelieve that all kinds of weird inventions were entirely possible andprobable--usually to be produced in some dim future, but perhaps today.
"They must have you taped," Ross pointed out.
Kurt laughed again, but this time he was amused. "They believe that theyhave. Only they are not as smart as they believe, the major and therest, including Millaird! No, I have a fighting chance to get out ofthis place, only I cannot do it alone. That is why I have been waitingfor them to bring in a new guy I could get to before they had him pinneddown for good. You are tough, Murdock. I saw your record, and I'mbetting that you did not come here with the intention of staying.So--here is your chance to go along with one who knows the ropes. Youwill not have such a good one again."
The longer Kurt talked, the more convincing he was. Ross lost a few ofhis suspicions. It was true that he had come prepared to run at thefirst possible opportunity, and if Kurt had everything planned, so muchthe better. Of course, it was possible that Kurt was a stool pigeon,leading him on as a test. But that was a chance Ross would have to take.
"Look here, Murdock, maybe you think it's easy to break out of here. Doyou know where we are, boy? We're near enough to the North Pole as makesno difference! Are you going to leg it back some hundreds of milesthrough thick ice and snow? A nice jaunt if you make it. I do not thinkthat you can--not without plans and a partner who knows what he isabout."
"And how _do_ we go? Steal one of those atomjets? I'm no pilot--areyou?"
"They have other things besides a-j's here. This place is strictlyhush-hush. Even the a-j's do not set down too often for fear they willbe tracked by radar. Where have you been, boy? Don't you know the Redsare circling around up here? These fellows watch for Red activity, andthe Reds watch them. They play it under the table on both sides. We getour supplies overland by cats----"
"Cats?"
"Snow sleds, like tractors," the other answered impatiently. "Our stuffis dumped miles to the south, and the cats go down once a month to bringit back. There's no trick to driving a cat, and they tear off themiles----"
"How many miles to the south?" inquired Ross skeptically. Granted Kurtwas speaking the truth, travel over an arctic wilderness in a stolenmachine was risky, to say the least. Ross had only a very vague idea ofthe polar regions, but he was sure that they could easily swallow up theunwary forever.
"Maybe only a hundred or so, boy. But I have more than one plan, and I'mwilling to risk _my_ neck. Do you think I intend to start out blind?"
There was that, of course. Ross had early sized up his visitor as onewho was first of all interested in his own welfare. He wouldn't risk hisneck without a definite plan in mind.
"Well, what do you say, Murdock? Are you with me or not?"
"I'll take some time to chew it over----"
"Time is what you do not have, boy. Tomorrow they will tape you.Then--no over the wall for you."
"Suppose you tell me your trick for fooling the tape," Ross countered.
"That I cannot do, seeing as how it lies in the way my brain is puttogether. Do you think I can break open my skull and hand you a piece ofwhat is inside? No, you jump with me tonight or else I must wait to grabthe next one who lands here."
Kurt stood up. His last words were spoken matter-of-factly, and Rossbelieved he meant exactly what he said. But Ross hesitated. He wanted totry for freedom, a desire fed by his suspicions of what was going onhere. He neither liked nor trusted Kurt, but he thought he understoodhim--better than he understood Ashe or the others. Also, with Kurt hewas sure he could hold his own; it would be the kind of struggle he hadexperienced before.
"Tonight...." he repeated slowly.
"Yes, tonight!" There was new eagerness in Kurt's voice, for he sensedthat the other was wavering. "I have been preparing for a long time, butthere must be two of us. We have to take turns driving the cat. Therecan be no rest until we are far to the south. I tell you it will beeasy. There are food caches arranged along the route for emergencies. Ihave a map marked to show where they are. Are you coming?"
When Ross did not answer at once the other moved closer to him.
"Remember Hardy? He was not the first, and he will not be the last. Theyuse us up fast here. That is why they brought you so quickly. I tellyou, it is better to take your chance with me than on a run."
"And what is a run?"
"So they have not yet briefed you? Well, a run is a little jaunt backinto history--not nice comfortable history such as you learned out of abook when you were a little kid. No, you are dropped back into somesavage time before history----"
"That's impossible!"
"Yes? You saw those two big blond boys tonight, did you not? Why do yousuppose they sport those braids? Because they are taking a little tripinto the time when he-men wore braids, and carried axes big enough tocrack a man open! And Hodaki and his partner.... Ever hear of theTartars? Maybe you have not, but once they nearly overran most ofEurope."
Ross swallowed. He now knew where he had seen braids pictured onwarriors--the Vikings! And Tartars, yes, that movie about someone namedKhan, Genghis Khan! But to return into the past was impossible.
Yet, he remembered the picture he had watched today with the wolf slayerand the shaggy-haired man who wore skins. Neither of these was of hisown world! Could Kurt be telling the truth? Ross's vivid memory of thescene he had witnessed made Kurt's story more convincing.
"Suppose you get sent back to a time where they do not like strangers,"Kurt continued. "Then you are in for it. That is what happened to Hardy.And it is not good--not good at all!"
"But why?"
Kurt snorted. "_That_ they do not tell you until just before you takeyour first run. I do not want to know why. But I do know that I am notgoing to be sent into any wilderness where a savage may run a spearthrough me just to prove something or other
for Major John Kelgarries,or for Millaird either. I will try my plan first."
The urgency in Kurt's protest carried Ross past the wavering point. He,too, would try the cat. He was only familiar with this time and world;he had no desire to be sent into another one.
Once Ross had made his decision, Kurt hurried him into action. Kurt'sknowledge of the secret procedures at the base proved excellent. Twicethey were halted by locked doors, but only momentarily, for Kurt had atiny gadget, concealed in the palm of his hand, which had only to beheld over a latch to open a recalcitrant door.
There was enough light in the corridors to give them easy passage, butthe rooms were dark, and twice Kurt had to lead Ross by the hand,avoiding furniture or installations with the surety of one who hadpracticed that same route often. Murdock's opinion of his companion'sability underwent several upward revisions during that tour, and hebegan to believe that he was really in luck to have found such apartner.
In the last room, Ross willingly followed Kurt's orders to put on thefur clothing Kurt passed to him. The fit was not exact, but he surmisedthat Kurt had chosen as well as possible. A final door opened, and theystepped out into the polar night of winter. Kurt's mittened hand graspedRoss's, pulling him along. Together, they pushed back the door of ahangar shed to get at their escape vehicle.
The cat was a strange machine, but Ross was given no time to study it.He was shoved into the cockpit, a bubble covering settled down overthem, closing them in, and the engine came to life under Kurt's urging.The cat must be traveling at its best pace, Ross thought. Yet the crawlwhich took them away from the mounded snow covering the base seemedhardly better than a man could make afoot.
For a short time Kurt headed straight away from the starting point, butRoss soon heard him counting slowly to himself as if he were timingsomething. At the count of twenty the cat swung to the right and made awide half circle which was copied at the next count of twenty by asimilar sweep in the opposite direction. After this pattern had beenrepeated for six turns, Ross found it difficult to guess whether theyhad ever returned to their first course. When Kurt stopped counting heasked, "Why the dance pattern?"
"Would you rather be scattered in little pieces all over the landscape?"the other snapped. "The base doesn't need fences two miles high to keepus in, or others out; they take other precautions. You should thankfortune we got through that first mine field without blowing...."
Ross swallowed, but he refused to let Kurt know that he was rattled. "Soit isn't as easy to get away as you said?"
"Shut up!" Kurt began counting again, and Ross had some coldapprehensive moments in which to reflect upon the folly of quickdecisions and wonder bleakly why he had not thought things throughbefore he leaped.
Again they sketched a weaving pattern in the snow, but this time thearcs formed acute angles. Ross glanced now and then at the intent man atthe wheel. How had Kurt managed to memorize this route? His urge toescape the base must certainly be a strong one.
Back and forth they crawled, gaining only a few yards in each of thoseangled strikes to right or left.
"Good thing these cats are atomic powered," Kurt commented during one ofthe intervals between mine fields. "We'd run out of fuel otherwise."
Ross fought down the impulse to move his feet away from any possiblecontact point with the engine. These machines must be safe to ride in,but the bogy of radiation was frightening. Luckily, Kurt was now back toa straight track, with no more weaving.
"We are out!" Kurt said with exultation. But he added no more than justthe reassurance of their escape.
The cat crawled on. To Ross's eyes there was no trail to follow, noguideposts, yet Kurt steered ahead with confidence. A little later hepulled to a stop and said to Ross, "We have to drive turn and turnabout--your turn."
Ross was dubious. "Well, I can drive a car--but this----"
"Is fool proof." Kurt caught him up. "The worst was getting through themine fields, and we are out of that now. See here--" his hand made ashadow on the lighted instrument panel, "this will keep you straight. Ifyou can steer a car, you can steer this. Watch!" He started up again andonce more swung the cat to the left.
A light on the panel began to blink at a rate which increased rapidly asthey veered farther away from their original course.
"See? You keep that light steady, and you are on course. If it begins toblink, you cast about until it steadies again. Simple enough for a baby.Take over and see."
It was hard to change places in the sealed cabin of the cat, but theywere successful, and Ross took the wheel gingerly. Following Kurt'sdirections, he started ahead, his eyes focused on the light rather thanthe white expanse before him. And after a few minutes of strain hecaught the hang of it. As Kurt had promised, it was very simple. Afterwatching him for a while, his instructor gave a grunt of satisfactionand settled down for a nap.
Once the first excitement of driving the cat wore off, the operationtended to become monotonous. Ross caught himself yawning, but he kept athis post with dogged stubbornness. This had been Kurt's game all the waythrough--so far--and he was certainly not going to resign his firstchance to show that he could be of use also. If there had only been somebreak in the eternal snow, some passing light or goal to be seen ahead,it would not have been so bad. Finally, every now and then, Ross had tojiggle off course just enough so that the warning blink of light wouldalert him and keep him from falling asleep. He was unaware that Kurt hadawakened during one of those maneuvers until the other spoke. "Your ownprivate alarm clock, Murdock? Okay, I do not quarrel with anyone whouses his head. But you had better get some shut-eye, or we will not keeprolling."
Ross was too tired to protest. They changed places, and he curled up asbest he could on his small share of seat. Only now that he was free tosleep, he realized he no longer wanted to. Kurt must have thought Rosshad fallen asleep, for after perhaps two miles of steady grinding along,he moved cautiously behind the wheel. Ross saw by the trace of lightfrom the instrument panel that his companion was digging into the breastof his parka to bring out a small object which he held against the wheelof the cat with one hand, while with the other he tapped out anirregular rhythm.
To Ross the action made no sense. But he did not miss the other's sighof relief as he restored his treasure to hiding once more, as if somedifficult task was now behind him. Shortly afterward the cat ground toa stop, and Ross sat up, rubbing his eyes. "What's the matter? Enginetrouble?"
Kurt had folded his arms across the wheel. "No. It is just that we areto wait here----"
"Wait? For what? Kelgarries to come along and pick us up?"
Kurt laughed. "The major? How I wish that he _would_ arrive presently.What a surprise he would receive! Not two little mice to be put backinto their cages, but the tiger cat, all claws and fangs!"
Ross sat up straighter. This now had the bad smell of a frame, a framewith himself planted right in the middle. He figured out thepossibilities and came up with an answer which would smear Ross Murdockall over any map. If Kurt were waiting to meet friends out here, theycould only be of one brand.
For most of his short life Ross had been engaged in a private waragainst the restrictions imposed upon him by a set of legal rules towhich something within him would not conform. And he had, during thosesame years filled with attacks, retreats, and strategic maneuvering,formulated a code of rules by which to play his dangerous game. He hadnot murdered, and he would never follow the path Kurt took. To one whowas supremely impatient of restraint, the methods and aims of Kurt'semployers were not only impossibly fantastic and illogical--they were tobe opposed to the last ounce of any man's energy.
"Your friends late?" He tried to sound casual.
"Not yet, and if you now plan to play the hero, Murdock, think better ofit!" Kurt's tone held the crack of an order--that note Ross had so muchdisliked in the major's voice. "This is an operation which has been mostcarefully planned and upon which a great deal depends. No one shallspoil it for us now----"
"The Reds planted
you on the project, eh?" Ross wanted to keep the othertalking to give himself a chance to think. And this was one time he hadto think, clearly and with speed.
"There is no need for me to tell you the sad tale of my life, Murdock.And you would doubtless find much of it boring. If you wish to continueto live--for a while, at least--you will remain quiet and do as you aretold."
Kurt must be armed, for he would not be so confident unless he had aweapon he could now turn on Ross. On the other hand, if what Rossguessed were true, this _was_ the time to play the hero--when there wasonly Kurt to handle. Better to be a dead hero than a live captive in thehands of Kurt's dear friends across the pole.
Without warning, Ross threw his body to the left, striving to pin Kurtagainst the driver's side of the cabin, his hands clawing at the furruff bordering the other's hood, trying for a throat hold. Perhaps itwas Kurt's over-confidence which betrayed him and left him open to asurprise attack. He struggled hard to bring up his arm, but both hisweight and Ross's held him tight. Ross caught at his wrist, noticing agleam of metal.
They threshed about, the bulkiness of the fur clothing hampering them.Ross wondered fleetingly why the other had not made sure of him earlier.As it was he fought with all his vigor to keep Kurt immobile, to try andknock him out with a lucky blow.
In the end Kurt aided in his own defeat. When Ross relaxed somewhat, theother pushed against him, only to have Ross flinch to one side. Kurtcould not stop himself, and his head cracked against the wheel of thecat. He went limp.
Ross made the most of the next few moments. He brought his belt fromunder his parka, twisting it around Kurt's wrists with no gentleness.Then he wriggled about, changing places with the unconscious man.
He had no idea of where to go, but he was sure he was going to getaway--at the cat's top speed--from that point. And with that in mind andonly a limited knowledge of how to manage the machine, Ross started upand turned in a wide circle until he was sure the cat was headed in theopposite direction.
The light which had guided them was still on. Would reversing itsprocess take him back to the base? Lost in the immensity of the coldwilderness, he made the only choice possible and gunned the cat again.