“She was upset, but it wasn’t just about the deaths,” Perry said. “She confided to me that Garona disappointed her somehow. And she feels responsible about us being here, as she said. Anyway, I don’t think we have to worry about her. She’ll be okay.”
“I hope so,” Donald said.
The craft decelerated, hovered for a moment, then rapidly descended.
“Stand by, troops,” Donald said.
As Donald had directed, the air taxi was settling down in the museum’s courtyard. Over the edge of the craft the dim outline of the Oceanus could be seen, silhouetted against the black basalt of the museum.
“There’s the target,” Donald said. “Once the side of the taxi opens I want everyone flat against the museum wall. Understood?”
“That’s affirmative,” Richard said.
The moment the exit appeared the group piled out, ran to the wall, and flattened themselves against it. All eyes swept the immediate area. It was dark, particularly in the shadows, and perfectly still without any signs of life. Behind them the sharply geometric form of the museum soared up into the blackness. The only light on the scene came from the thousands of faux, bioluminescent stars above and a low-level, glow emanating from the museum’s windows. The dark hulk of the submersible was about fifty feet away, sitting on chocks on the flatbed of an antigravity freighter.
The air taxi’s side seamlessly sealed over and the craft silently rose before disappearing in the darkness.
“I don’t see a soul,” Richard whispered.
“I guess the museum’s not much of a night spot,” Michael whispered back.
“Keep the conversation to a minimum,” Donald ordered.
“The place is deserted,” Perry said. He let himself relax. “That’s going to make this a whole lot easier.”
“Let’s hope it stays that way,” Donald said. He pointed to a window to their left. “Perry, you and Michael climb through and come back out through the same one. We’ll either be working on the Oceanus or we’ll be waiting here in the shadows.”
“Do you think there’s an alarm system in the museum?” Perry questioned.
“Nah!” Richard said. “There’s no locks or alarms or any of that kind of stuff. Apparently nobody ever steals anything down here.”
“All right,” Perry said. “We’re off.”
“Good hunting,” Donald said. He waved as Perry and Michael ran hunched over to just below the window. Grunting and groaning, Perry boosted Michael up so he could get a grip on the sill. Once he was inside, he leaned back out and pulled Perry up. A moment later the two disappeared inside the building.
Donald redirected his attention to the submersible.
“Well, are we going over there or not?” Richard questioned.
“Let’s do it!” Donald said.
They kept low to the ground as they sprinted over to the minisubmarine. Donald lovingly patted its HY-140 steel hull. In the darkness its scarlet color was a dull gray although the white lettering on the sail stood out sharply. Donald made a slow inspection of the craft with Richard close on his heels. He was impressed with the Interterran repairs; the outside lights and the manipulator arm that had been destroyed in the plunge down the vent shaft looked completely normal.
“It looks perfect,” Donald said. “All we have to do is get it into the ocean and we’re home free.”
“None too soon for me,” Richard said.
Donald went to an outside toolbox, opened it, and took out several wrenches. He handed them to Richard.
“Start with the starboard side camcorder,” he said. “Just detach it from its housing. I’m going below to check out the battery level. If we don’t have power, we’re not going anywhere.”
“Roger,” Richard said.
Donald climbed the familiar rungs, rapidly ascending to the ship’s hatch. He was mildly surprised to find it undogged and slightly ajar. Grabbing it with two hands he raised it all the way. After one last visual sweep around the area, he lowered himself into the opening and clambered down into absolute darkness.
Once Donald had reached the deck, he moved forward by feel. He was so familiar with the craft, he could literally move around inside with his eyes closed, or so he thought until he tripped over the two books Suzanne had brought along to impress Perry. Donald cursed less for the tripping than for striking his hand against the back of one of the passenger seats while trying to maintain his balance. At least he didn’t fall which could have been lethal in the tight quarters.
After rubbing his hand to dispel the pain, he inched forward. As he neared the dive station a bit of light filtered in through the four view ports, making his progress easier. Careful not to hit his head on any of the protruding instrumentation, Donald lowered himself into the pilot seat. Outside he could hear Richard clanking against the hull with the wrench.
The first thing Donald did was switch on the instrument lights. Then, with trepidation, he allowed his eyes to move over to the battery level indicator. He sighed with relief. There was plenty of power. Then, as he was about to check gas pressures, he froze. A noise coming from behind him told him that he was not alone. Someone besides himself was inside the submersible.
At first Donald held his breath, straining to listen. Cold sweat appeared along his hairline. Seconds passed, though it seemed like hours, but the noise did not repeat itself. Just when Donald began to wonder if his imagination had misinterpreted the sounds of Richard removing the camcorder, a voice came out of the darkness. “Is that you, Mr. Fuller?”
Donald swung around. His eyes vainly tried to penetrate the darkness. “Yes,” he said with a voice that cracked. “Who’s here?”
“Harv Goldfarb. Remember me from Central Information?”
Donald relaxed and took a breath. “Of course,” he said irritably. “What the devil are you doing in here?”
Harvey inched forward. The lights from the instruments illuminated his deeply creased face. “You got me thinking today,” Harvey said. “You’re the first hope I’ve ever had for getting back. I was afraid you might forget me, so I thought I’d sleep in here.”
“Mr. Goldfarb, we can’t forget you,” Donald said. “We need you. Did you check out the TV cameras on the outside?”
“I did,” Harvey said. “I don’t think they’ll be a problem. What is it you are planning on transmitting?”
“We’re not sure at this stage,” Donald said. “Maybe you or us or even all of us.”
“Me?” Harvey questioned.
“Actually we only want the capability to transmit,” Donald said. “It’s the threat that’s important.”
“I’m getting the picture,” Harvey said. “They let you out because they’re afraid that I’ll expose Interterra over the airwaves.”
“Something like that,” Donald said.
“It won’t work,” Harvey said flatly.
“Why not?”
“Two reasons,” Harvey said. “First, they’d cut my power before they’d let you out. And second, I won’t do it.”
“But you said you’d help.”
“Yeah, and you said you’d take me to New York.”
“That’s true,” Donald admitted. “Actually we haven’t worked out any of the details.”
“Details, ha!” Harvey scoffed. “But listen. I live here. I can tell you how to get out. Many a night I’ve dreamed about escaping the monotony of all these interminably pleasant days.”
“We’re open to suggestions,” Donald said.
“I gotta be sure you’ll take me along,” Harvey said.
“We’ll be happy to include you,” Donald said. “What’s your idea?”
“Will this submarine work?” Harvey asked.
“That’s what I’m checking,” Donald said. “We’ve got plenty of power, so if we can get it out into the water, it will work.”
“Okay, now listen,” Harvey said. “Has your orientation gotten around to telling you that the Interterrans live forever? Not in the same body but in multip
le bodies?”
“Yes,” Donald said. “We’ve already visited the death center and witnessed an extraction.”
“I’m impressed,” Harvey said. “They are moving you right along. So you understand that the process works only if they are extracted before death. In other words, it all has to be planned. You get what I’m saying?”
“I’m not sure,” Donald admitted.
“They have to be alive when the memory is extracted,” Harvey said. “Or more properly, their brains have to be functioning normally. If they die by violent means, the story’s over. That’s why they are so terrified of violence, and that’s why there hasn’t been any violence in Interterra for millions upon millions of years. They are incapable of it except by proxy.”
“So we threaten violence,” Donald said. “We already thought of that.”
“I’m talking about something more specific than just violence,” Harvey said. “You threaten death specifically. Death without any of their extraction nonsense unless they do what you want.”
“Aha!” Donald exclaimed. “Now I get you. You’re talking about taking hostages.”
“Correct!” Harvey said. “Two, four, as many as you can get, and not clones, because they don’t count. And a word of caution: the clones don’t mind violence. They do whatever they are told.”
“Slick!” Donald commented. “It’s a multiple threat built into one.”
“Correct,” Harvey said proudly. “And you don’t have to monkey around with this TV camera nonsense.”
“I like it,” Donald said. “How about you going out and telling Richard to hold up on removing the camcorder. I just want to check the gas pressures, and I’ll be right out.”
“You promise you’ll be taking me,” Harvey said.
“You’re going,” Donald said. “Stop worrying.”
“All right, hold up!” Perry ordered. “Either you know where you are going or you don’t. We’ve been wandering around in here like a couple of dopes for twenty minutes. Where are the goddamn weapons?”
Michael shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I get lost in museums even in the daytime.”
“Try to remember something about the gallery,” Perry said.
“I remember it was long and narrow,” Michael said.
“What was it near? Can you remember anything like that?”
“Wait a second,” Michael said. “Now I remember. It was behind a door that said we were supposed to get permission from the Council of Elders to enter.”
“I haven’t seen many doors,” Perry said as his eyes scanned the immediate area. “And there are none here so obviously we’re not in the right place.”
“I also remember we’d stopped in a gallery filled with Persian carpets,” Michael said. “It’s coming back to me now. The carpets were beyond the room with all the Renaissance stuff.”
“That’s a start,” Perry said. “I know where that gallery is. Come on! Follow me for a change!”
A few minutes later the two men were standing outside the door with the restricted entry admonition. It was located near the window they’d climbed in.
“Is this it?” Perry asked. “If it is, we’ve come full circle.”
“I think so.” He reached around Perry, pushed the door open, and glanced inside. “Pay dirt!” he exclaimed.
“It’s about time,” Perry grumbled as he entered. “The others are going to start thinking we got lost, so we’d better make this snappy.”
“What should we take?” Michael asked.
The two men stopped just inside the door while Perry looked up and down the dimly lit room. He was impressed with the room’s length and the subsequent square footage the shelving afforded. “This is more than I expected!” he commented. “We’ve got quite a selection in here.”
“The older stuff is to the right, newer to the left,” Michael said.
“I guess it doesn’t matter what we take as long as it functions,” Perry said, “and as long as I find the Luger.”
“I know one thing I want,” Michael said. He reached over and picked up the crossbow and its quiver. As he did so he nicked his finger. “Jeez, these arrow points are razor sharp.”
“Those are quarrels, or bolts, not arrows,” Perry said.
“Whatever,” Michael said. “They’re damn sharp.”
“Do you remember which way the Luger was?”
“To the left, Bozo,” Michael said.
“Don’t call me Bozo,” Perry warned.
“Well, I just got finished telling you the modern stuff was to the left.”
Perry set out without responding to Michael’s last comment. It irritated him that he had to put up with the divers. He had never been forced to spend time with two more juvenile idiots in his life.
Michael turned and went the other way. As long as everything was water-damaged and barnacle-encrusted, he thought the ancient armaments would be better since, in their simplicity, there were fewer working parts for the salt water to foul up. Soon he was in an area with a superb collection of ancient Greek weapons. He gathered an armful of short swords, daggers, and shields along with several helmets, greaves, and a brace of breastplates. What impressed him was the worked gold and the encrusted jewels he could see despite the darkness. Thus encumbered he clanked his way back to the door they’d entered.
“Any luck yet?” Michael called out to Perry.
“Not yet,” Perry called back. “Just a bunch of rusted rifles.”
“I’m going to take this stuff I got back to the window.”
“All right, I’ll be there as soon as I find the pistol.”
Michael added the crossbow to his burden and then struggled with the door. No sooner had he taken a step into the hall than he collided with Richard.
Michael whimpered and dropped everything he was carrying. The heavy gold and bronze implements made a tremendous clatter against the marble floor.
“Shut up, you ass!” Richard hissed. The racket exploding in the silence of the dark, deserted museum had scared him as much as the unexpected encounter had scared Michael.
“What do you mean sneaking in here and scaring me shitless?” Michael spat.
“What the hell’s been taking you so long?” Richard demanded.
“We couldn’t find the room, okay?”
Perry appeared in the doorway. “Good God, what on earth are you guys doing? Trying to wake up the entire city?”
“It wasn’t my fault,” Michael said as he bent down to retrieve his booty.
“Did you guys find the Luger?” Richard asked.
“Not yet,” Perry said. “Where’s Donald?”
“He’s already on his way back to the visitors’ palace,” Richard said. “There’s been a change in plans. The old fart Harvey Goldfarb was hiding in the submersible, and he’s come up with a new and better escape plan for us.”
“Really?” Perry questioned. “What is it?”
“We’re going to take hostages,” Richard said. “He says the Interterrans are so afraid of violent death that they’d do anything, including letting us out into the ocean with the submersible, if we got a couple of their people and threaten to do them in.”
“I like it,” Perry said. “But why did Donald go back before us?”
“He’s worried about Suzanne, especially now that things look so promising. But he told me to tell you to get a move on it; as soon as you’re ready I’ll call an air taxi to get us back.”
“All right,” Perry said. “Both of you come on in here. With all of us looking for the damn pistol we should be able to find it a lot faster.”
The air taxi came to a halt and opened. It was hovering directly in front of the visitors’ palace dining room. Richard and Michael disembarked with some difficulty, both weighed down with an array of ancient armament. All Perry was carrying was the Luger, which he’d finally found.
The three made their way up the ramp to the door. Both divers had donned the breastplates, helmets, and greaves rather than carry the
m in their arms. It was enough to be holding the shields, swords, daggers, and crossbow. Perry had tried to talk them out of taking the armor, but they were determined, and he gave up trying to reason with them. Michael and Richard were convinced in their words that the stuff was going to be worth a fortune topside.
To their surprise the dining room was empty.
“That’s odd,” Richard said. “He told me to meet him here.”
“You don’t suppose he’s planning on bugging out of here without us, do you?” Michael questioned.
“I don’t know,” Richard responded. “The idea never occurred to me.”
“He’s not going without us,” Perry assured the two divers. “We just saw the Oceanus still parked where it’s always been, and he’s not going anyplace without that.”
“How about Suzanne’s room?” Michael suggested.
“I’d say that’s a good possibility,” Perry said.
The long walk across the lawn was significantly noisy thanks to the continual clatter of the ancient armor.
“You guys sound ridiculous,” Perry commented.
“We didn’t ask for your opinion,” Richard said.
As they rounded the open end of Suzanne’s cottage they saw Donald, Suzanne, and Harvey sitting in contour chairs near the pool’s edge. It was obvious the atmosphere was tense.
“What’s wrong?” Perry questioned.
“We’ve got a problem,” Donald said. “Suzanne’s not sure we’re doing the right thing.”
“Why not, Suzanne?” Perry asked.
“Because murder is wrong,” Suzanne said. “If we take hostages to the surface world without adaptation, they will die, plain and simple. We brought violence and death here and now we want to escape by it. I say it’s ethically despicable.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t ask to come here,” Perry said hotly. “I don’t like to sound like a broken record, but we’re being held against our will. I think that justifies violence.”
“But that’s confusing ends with means,” Suzanne said. “That’s exactly what we’re supposed to be against.”
“All I know is that I have a family that I miss,” Perry said. “I’m going to see them again come hell or high water!”