Timeline - Crichton Michael - Страница 99

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On the control room monitors, the computer-generated undulating field had begun to show spikes. Biting her lip, Kramer watched the spikes grow in higher and wider. She drummed her fingers on the table. Finally, she said, "Okay. Let's fill the tanks at least. Let's see how they do."

"Good," Gordon said, looking relieved. He picked up the radio, began to give orders to the technicians down in the transit room.

On the video monitors, Stern watched as heavy hoses were dragged over to the first of the empty shield tanks. Men climbed up ladders and adjusted the nozzles. "I think this is best," Gordon said. "At least we'll-"

Stern jumped to his feet. "No," he said. "Don't do it."

"What?"

"Don't fill the tanks."

Kramer stared at him. "Why? What can-"

"Don't do it!" Stern said. He was shouting in the small control room. On the screen, technicians were holding water nozzles above the fill aperture. "Tell them to stop! No water whatever in the tank! Not a drop!"

Gordon gave an order on the radio. The technicians looked up in surprise, but they stopped their work, lowered the hoses back to the floor.

"David," Gordon said gently. "I think we have to-"

"No," Stern said. "We don't fill the tanks."

"Why not?"

"Because it'll screw up the glue."

"The glue?"

"Yes," he said. "I know how to strengthen the tanks."

Kramer said, "You do? How?"

Gordon turned to the technicians. "How much time?"

"Thirty-five minutes."

He turned back to Stern. "There's just thirty-five minutes, David. There isn't time to do anything now."

"Yes there is," Stern said. "There's still enough time. If we go like hell."

Kate came into the central courtyard of La Roque, to the place where she had last seen Chris. But Chris was gone.

"Chris?"

She heard no answer in her earpiece.

And he had the ceramic, she thought.

All around her in the courtyard lay burning bodies. She ran from one to the next, looking to see if one of them was Chris.

She saw Raimondo, who gave her a little nod and a wave - and then he shuddered. For a moment she thought it was the heat waves from the flames, but then she saw Raimondo turn, bleeding from his side. There was a man standing behind him, hacking repeatedly with his sword, cutting Raimondo at the arm, shoulder, torso, leg. Every cut was deep enough to wound, but not to kill. Raimondo staggered backward, bleeding freely. The man advanced, still hacking. Raimondo fell to his knees. The man stood over Raimondo, cutting again and again. Raimondo fell backward, and now the man was slashing Raimondo's face, cutting diagonally across lips and nose, sending bits of flesh flying. The attacker's face was hidden by flames, but she heard him say, "Bastard, bastard, bastard," with each blow. She realized he was speaking English. And then she knew who the man was.

The attacker was de Kere.

Chris followed Arnaut deeper into the dungeon. They heard voices echoing somewhere up ahead. Arnaut moved more cautiously now, staying closer to the walls. At last they could see into the next chamber, which was dominated by a large pit in the ground. Above the pit, a heavy metal cage hung from a chain. The Professor was standing inside the bars, his face expressionless as the cage was lowered by two soldiers who turned a winch crank. Marek had been pushed against the far wall, his hands tied. Two soldiers stood near him.

Lord Oliver stood at the edge of the pit, smiling as the cage descended. He drank from a gold cup, wiped his chin. "I made you my promise, Magister," he said, "and I will keep it." To the soldiers at the winch he said, "Slower, slower."

Staring at Oliver, Arnaut growled like an angry dog, and drew his sword. He turned back to Chris and whispered, "I shall take Oliver. You may have the others."

Chris thought: The others? There were four soldiers in the room. But he had no time to protest, for with a scream of fury, Arnaut was running forward, shouting, "Oliverrrrr!"

Lord Oliver turned, still holding his goblet. With a sneer of disdain, he said, "So. The pig approaches." He threw his cup aside and drew his sword. In a moment the battle was joined.

Chris was now running toward the soldiers at the winch, not quite sure what he would do; the soldiers beside Marek had raised their swords. Oliver and Arnaut fought bitterly, swords clanging, cursing each other between blows.

Everything was happening fast now. Marek tripped one of the soldiers near him, and stabbed him with a knife so small Chris couldn't see it. The other soldier turned back to face Marek, and Marek kicked him hard, so that he staggered back against the winch, knocking the men away.

Unattended, the winch began to clank down more rapidly. There was a ratchet mechanism of some kind, so it turned noisily, but it was clearly moving faster than before. Chris saw the Professor's cage descend below ground level, disappearing into the pit.

By then Chris had reached the first of the soldiers, whose back was to him. The man started to turn and Chris swung, badly wounding him. He swung again; the man fell.

Now there were only two soldiers. Marek, his wrists still tied, was backing away from one, ducking the hissing blade. The second soldier stood by the winch. He had his sword out and was ready to fight. Chris swung; the man parried easily. Then Marek, backing in a circle, banged against the soldier, who turned momentarily.

Marek shouted, "Now!" and Chris stabbed with the sword. The man collapsed.

The winch was still turning. Chris grabbed it, then jumped away as the fourth soldier's sword came down with a clang. The cage sank lower. Chris backed away. Marek was holding his bound wrists out to Chris; but Chris was not sure he could control the sword. Marek was shouting, "Do it!" so Chris swung; the rope snapped; and then the fourth soldier was on him. The soldier fought with the fury of a man trapped; Chris was cut on the forearm as he backed away. He realized he was in trouble, when suddenly his attacker looked down in horror, the bloody point of a sword protruding from his abdomen. The soldier toppled, and Chris saw Marek holding the blade.

Chris ran for the winch. He grabbed the crank and managed to stop the descent. Now he could see that the cage was deep in the oily water; the Professor's head was barely above the surface. Another turn of the crank and he would have been submerged.

Marek came over, and together they began to crank the cage back up. Chris said, "How much time is left?"

Marek looked at his counter. "Twenty-six minutes."

Meanwhile, Arnaut and Oliver fought on; they were now in a dark corner of the dungeon, and Chris could see the sparks from their clashing swords.

The cage rose dripping into the air. The Professor smiled at Chris. "I thought you'd be in time," he said.

The black bars of the cage were slippery in Chris's hands as he swung the cage overhead, away from the pit. Slime and black water dripped onto the dirt floor of the dungeon, leaving little pools. Chris went back to the winch; he and Marek cranked the cage down, lowering it to the floor. The Professor was soaked, but he seemed relieved to be on solid ground again. Chris went back to open the cage, but he saw that it was locked. There was a heavy iron padlock the size of a man's fist.

"Where's the key?" Chris said, turning to Marek.

"I don't know," Marek said. "I was on the ground when they put him in, I didn't see what happened."

"Professor?"

Johnston shook his head. "I'm not sure. I was looking there." He nodded toward the pit.

Marek clanged his sword against the lock. Sparks flew, but the padlock was solid; the sword only scratched it. "That's never going to work," Chris said. "We need the damn key, Andre."

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