CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Lors dashed down the hallway into the main corridor, passing the limpbody of the doctor and the young spacer who had been on duty at thedesk. Apparently, Brice had come into the place fast, swinging theauto-rifle like it was a club. Both of the men were unconscious, butthere was no blood in sight.
"Crazy fool," Lors said aloud and slammed the door as he dashed into thecorridor.
Brice was running blindly.
"Brice! Stop!" Lors fired the auto-pistol over the fleeing man's head.
Brice stopped and whirled, dropping to one knee to bring up the rifle hecarried. He snapped off a fast burst and Lors dived across the polishedcorridor to hug the wall. He landed, rolling, his pistol zeroed on theTerran, but he couldn't bring himself to shoot.
Nolan Brice, however, had no scruples about shooting at Lors. He firedcontinually, cursing as the bullets missed. Beyond the Terran, Lorscould see four other spacers running down the hall toward Brice. One ofthem fired.
Brice whirled, spotted them, and brought up his rifle. The gunfire, inthe emptiness of the hall, sounded like a machinegun being fired in acave. Lors saw a spacer slam backwards, rolling crazily from the impactof the bullet that Brice had triggered.
The Terran was hunched over in a crouch, like an old gunfighter,shooting from the hip. Suddenly he jerked to his feet, spun crazily intwo directions at once and fell flopping to the floor. The auto-rifleclattered as he let it fall.
Lors came slowly to his feet and shoved his gun back into its holster;then he walked over to where Brice was staring at the ceiling throughunseeing eyes. It was a damned shame, but he had brought it on himself.One of the spacers looked at him.
"Are you all right, sir?"
Lors nodded.
"Is he a spacer?" One of them asked, looking at the uniform.
"An escaped Terran," Lors said, then he remembered that Danson wasprobably down at the hangar. "Don't jettison this body until I give youthe orders. Put it in quick freeze."
"Yes, sir," the spacer said.
But Lors was already on his way down the corridor. He could do nothingfor Brice now ... perhaps it had even been a good thing. The shootingwould have drawn most of the high ranking officers toward the end of theship, leaving a comparatively clear space between him and the hangar. Hehoped that the doctor would stay out for awhile.
As the Terrans said, they weren't out of the woods yet.
He found a vacant elevator and took it down to the hangar level. As thedoor whirled open, he raced into the corridor, nearly upsetting astartled spacer with his rush. He had no idea how long it would be untilit was discovered that Narvi had let Danson out, but he knew the escapewould not remain unnoticed for long.
He burst into the repair bin area of the hangar and jerked his headtoward the tubes. When a ship came into the side of the mother-ship,they entered through a large port which made it easier for the pilot ofthe scout ship. But to leave the starship, one had to install thesmaller craft into one of the many blast tubes on either side of the bighangar.
He looked frantically about the area for Danson and spotted the Terranstanding unobtrusively near the pilot entry to one of the blast tubes.Nick Danson, garbed in the blue and yellow of a Firstspacer, was a twinfor Lors. He hoped anxiously that none of the repairmen would notice thetrick.
Lors grabbed a mechanic by the arm. "Spacer! I'm on an urgent mission.Where can I get a ship?"
The young spacer looked thoughtful for a moment, then pointed toward atube on the other side of the hangar. "In that tube, sir."
"Thank you."
"I'll help you rig it," the spacer said.
"Never mind, I'll do it myself. Go about your work."
"Yes, sir." The spacer turned away, a puzzled look on his face.
Lors motioned to Danson and headed toward the tube door. He could wellunderstand the spacer's bewilderment. While it was possible for thepilot of a scout ship to launch his own craft, it was highly impracticaland not normally done. He hoped it didn't arouse their suspicions. Heyanked the door open and looked over his shoulder. Danson was almost tohim, running hard. Heads turned as the mechanics watched him run.
"Hurry!"
Danson reached the door and Lors shoved him into the tube.
"Where's Brice," Danson demanded.
Lors slammed the door and whirled the wheel of the spider lock. Hedidn't answer. He was too concerned with getting the door secured.Through the port in the heavy door, he could see spacers gesturing andpointing at the blast tube.
"Where's Brice!"
"He's dead." Lors secured the wheel and noticed that a Vice-commanderhad come into the hangar area. "Get in the ship! Fast!"
Outside, the hanger workers were milling about like a fleet of bees.Lors turned to Danson and saw him standing beside the ship, his eyeswild with disbelief.
"Get in the ship!"
"Not without Brice!"
Lors exploded in his native tongue. "Get in that ship, Danson! How longdo you think it'll be before they come in the emergency door?"
Nick's eyes were wide and violent. "I'm not leaving Nolan up here,goddammit! Get out of my way!"
Lors shoved the Terran as he came in and watched him backpedal into theside of the scout ship. Danson muttered a curse and dived at thespaceman. Lors had no choice in the matter. He swung hard, Terran style,in what had come to be known as the "ole one-two." His left fist duginto Nick's stomach and, when he bent with the blow, Lors brought hisright fist up from the floor and felt it smash into Danson's face. TheTerran slammed backwards against the ship, his head striking the metalsides. He crumpled into an unconscious blue mound beside the ship.
He wasted no time. Casting a glance at the lifeless panel that was theemergency door at the far end of the blast tube, he grabbed Danson underthe arms and hauled him up the short ladder to the cockpit of the ship.If they came through that emergency door, he was finished. He could notpush the button in the wall that would open the huge port in the side ofthe starship.
They would die if he did!
It would be one thing, to free an alien, but to intentionally killmembers of his own race would mean disaster. Thirty seconds after hepushed the wall button, would open the port at the end of the tube andsend the void of space rushing into the chamber. Anyone who did not haveadequate pressurization would be a fond memory.
He stuffed Danson's body into the cockpit seat and buckled the strapabout him. Lors left the cockpit canopy open and leaped to the floor ofthe tube. How long do I have? A minute? Two? Keep them outside, hepleaded, and dived for the button.
"Lors!"
The shout echoed hollowly in the tube. He glanced toward the door andsaw three mechanics inside the tube. Thunder and lightning! One secondafter he had slammed the button and all the doors would have lockedautomatically and the port would have opened.
Panicked by the sight of them, he whipped out his pistol and fired. Inthe tube, the weapon sounded like a firecracker going off in a steeldrum. The unarmed mechanics stopped dead, whirled and ducked backthrough the door. In another four seconds, the armed guards would showup.
Lors shoved the weapon back into the holster and slammed his handagainst the button. It would lock them out now! He had his thirtyseconds now. He dived for the ship, dropped into the cockpit and slammedthe canopy forward, twisting the lock into place.
His fingers moved over the controls and the engines whined into life asthe port opened before him. He was on his way! He revved the enginesimpatiently as the big door rolled away and the stars burned in at him.Then he shoved the speed control forward and the scout ship surged outinto the blackness of space. His feet kicked at the pedals and his handsworked the stick. The scout ship rolled over and streaked toward thelighted ball of the earth.
He turned his head, looking over his shoulder at the mother-ship. Tinyflashes of brilliant light speared from the starship. They lifted,fluttered and followed him like a swarm of bees.
They were giving chase!