James Rollins Subterranean

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other village elders were present, not even Sin'jari, and for that, Ashley was
thankful.
"We did it!" Harry said, beaming as he crossed to join them.
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"You fixed the axle?" Ben asked, excitement in his voice.
"Come see. You're not gonna believe it." He waved them over to where
Michaelson was hunched beside one of the plastic sleds.
Ashley noticed there were now four fluorescent sleds hooked to the aluminum
transport. The scavengers had retrieved all the stray sleds, even
Villanueva's. She looked at her dead friend's yellow sled, and a chill passed
through her. It seemed like a bad omen.
She studied Michaelson's work. With a final tug on a rope, he secured the
last of the boards in place. Just like a little train.
Harry said, "It was Dennis's idea." He lifted the large sled up, careful of
the motor. "Look. This little alteration makes this the most valuable vehicle
on the planet."
Ben whistled his appreciation. "Fine piece of work."
Ashley squeezed up to see. She glanced at the front axle. It glittered in the
feeble light. "In that what I think it is?"
"You bet," said Harry. "A pure diamond axle."
"Will it hold?" Ben asked, eyeing a dubiously.
Harry shrugged. "I ran the axle through some stress tests. It seemed okay.
Besides, what other choice do we have? We use it or we drag our way along on
the plastic sleds."
Ben fingered the diamond. "All right, mate, we travel in style."
Ashley stepped back as Harry lowered the sled. "So . . . so you're all ready
to go, then." For some reason, this bothered her. She had been anticipating
this, but suddenly to be faced with the reality that Ben would be leaving her,
and possibly killed, seemed too much. Tears threatened to well.
Sensing her anxiety, Ben stepped to her and held her close. "I guess we
shouldn't wait. Every minute may matter."
Ashley just nodded, afraid to speak, fearful she would break down.
Harry called the other tribesmen to him and barked final orders, waving his
hands and pointing at the various sleds. It seemed he would take the lead,
being the most familiar with the motorized sled. Ben would take up the
caboose, helping to steady the three nervous hunters, who were not accustomed
to the concept of transportation.
Ashley stepped out of the way, trying not to get underfoot, as packs were
stowed and instructions explained. Mo'amba stepped next to her and placed a
hand on her shoulder. She glanced at him, and he gave her a reassuring
squeeze.
Once everything was ready, Ben returned to her. He seemed rejuvenated by the
activity, but there was still a sadness in his blue eyes. "I promise I'll find
out about Jason. And Iwill be back."
With Mo'amba's hand on her shoulder steadying her, she felt capable of
speaking. "I know you will, Ben. I trust you." And for the first time, she
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realized she did. Trusted him with her life. Trusted him with her son's
safety. Tears welled up and rolled down her face.
He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, then turned and crossed to his
sled.
Ashley took a step forward. She could not let him leave without knowing how
she truly felt. She called to him, her words catching in her throat: "Ben! I .
. . I . . ."
Drowned out by the roaring of the ignited sled's motor, her words were lost.
Harry revved the engine, and the sled slid smoothly into the wormhole,
dragging the train of riders behind it.
She watched Ben disappear into the tunnel, riding Villanueva's yellow sled.
Ashley clutched her arms around her chest, a coldness creeping into her
stomach. "I love you, Ben," she whispered.
BOOK FIVE
Return to Alpha
THIRTY-ONE
LINDA CRAWLED BETWEEN THE BOULDER AND THEfloor, too tired to acknowledge her
nagging claustrophobic unease in such a tight space. The miles of stone above
her were of less concern at the moment than her stinging eyes, sore muscles,
and miserable situation.
This was the second day since she and Jason had been captured by Khalid, and
the pace he set was exhausting: minimal rest stops, no lunch break, just a
brief breakfast, and a cold dinner of ration bars. It was up to her and Jason
to keep pace with him. He had warned her that he wasn't going to stop and wait
for them. If he was to punch in the code on Jason's belt of explosives every
two hours, then they had better keep up. So the entire day was spent trying to
keep abreast of Khalid.
With a final heave, Linda cleared the boulder and pushed to her feet. The
tunnel here was wider. The choking smoke had by now faded to a mild annoyance,
which made breathing easier. Yet it was this continuing dispersal of the smoke
that drove Khalid's savage pace. If the smoke should dissipate completely
before they had tracked their way home, then they truly would be lost.
There was another reason to race the smoke. So far, not a single predator had
blocked their trail upward. Linda had voiced her opinion that the acrid fumes
were probably acting as a repellent. Khalid had merely nodded at her
assessment, and with an oddly worried expression, he had set an even harder
pace.
As Linda stretched her back and adjusted her handkerchief over her nose, her
headlamp speared the darkness ahead. Khalid had halted several yards down the
tunnel, leaning over something on the floor. Jason's upper arm was clutched in
his grip. What now?
Jason turned to her. "Come look."
Squeezing next to Jason, she saw what had attracted Khalid. A half-yard-tall
metal canister stood in the center of the tunnel, with thick cables leading
from it and trailing forward into the darkness. A meshed dish, like a
miniature satellite receiver, topped the canister.
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"What is it?" she asked.
"It's one of those special radio things of Dr. . . . Dr. Blakely's." Jason
stammered over the dead man's name. "The cables should lead us to the base."
"Then we did it," Linda said. "We made it."
Khalid continued down the tunnel, following the cables.
"Linda," Jason spoke up from beside her, taking her hand as they followed
Khalid, "I don't think he's gonna let me go free."
She squeezed his hand. "Jason. He will. Once you're no longer needed as a
hostage, he'll let you go."
The boy remained silent a moment, then spoke. "When we reach the base, when
we get there . . ." His voice trailed off.
"What is it, Jason?"
"If you get a chance to escape, take it. Leave me behind."
She stopped, pulling him to a halt. "I'm not going to leave you with him.
We'll find a way out of this mess."
"He's gonna kill me anyway. I can tell."
"Jason . . . honey, I won't let "
"It's in his eyes," he interrupted. "He looks . . . looks at me as if I'm not
really here. Like I'm already dead."
Linda knelt and cupped his face in her hands. "I promise you. We'll get
through this. Together."
Jason shook his head, dislodging her hands. "He's gonna let me die." He then
turned and marched down the tunnel.
She watched his back disappear around a bend. Like hell, she thought. Pushing
to her feet, she followed him, determined to keep that animal from harming
Jason. She caught up with the boy and put an arm around his shoulder. They
both remained silent as they continued through the tunnel, following Khalid
and the snaking cable. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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