sealed.
Benik turned and stared down the corridor in the direction of the Behaviour Analysis Unit where he had left Salamander not five minutes previously. Something odd was going on and Benik was determined to find out what it was.
Salamander stopped the capsule halfway up the shaft between the underground Control Suite and the Sanctum on the surface. Moving clumsily in his protective suit, he opened the shield and led Swann out into a steeply sloping tunnel dimly lit by a string of naked bulbs slung along the roof. A warm breeze blew down the roughly hewn tunnel, and Swann gazed along it expectantly.
‘Where does it lead to?’ he asked eagerly.
‘Into a ruined building on the surface,’ Salamander told him. ‘I assemble the supplies up there and then they come down on the conveyor.’
‘The surface!’ Swann cried excitedly, starting to scramble hastily up the scree-strewn slope.
Salamander grabbed his arm. ‘Wait. Not that way. ‘This way is much safer,’ he said soothingly, steering Swann towards a dark, narrow gully leading off the main tunnel opposite the capsule.
Swann allowed himself to be pushed through the niche into a deep, unlit cave scattered with splinters of rock and huge boulders. He stumbled uncertainly forward towards the slit of light ahead of them. A warm, sweet-scented wind suddenly flooded the gully and Swann soon found himself standing blinking in the strong sunlight at the entrance to the cave.
For several seconds he was speechless, shading his eyes and staring at the brilliant blue sky and at the bright leaves of the vegetation covering the slopes of the ravine below them.
Then he turned to his guide, his face alive with ecstasy.
‘It’s beautiful! It’s so beautiful,’ he murmured. ‘I had almost forgotten. The sky... the trees down there...’ He stared across at the miraculous panorama shimmering in the heat beyond the ravine. ‘You could have brought the others this far, just to see,’ he said quietly, his eyes lost in the landscape.
Behind him Salamander shook his head. ‘You forget Swann, one or two did come in the past. But they succumbed to the contamination. Already you have been here too long without protection.’
Swann walked a few paces to the edge of the ravine as if mesmerised. ‘But everything looks just as it used to,’ he exclaimed. ‘Where are the mutations you talked of? The sky is so clear. You spoke of the dust belts, the darkness at noon...’
Unseen, Salamander had picked up a sharp sliver of flint. ‘You are taking a terrible risk coming out here like this, my friend,’ he murmured, raising the crude weapon high over the back of Swarm’s head. ‘But I did my best to warn you.’
Just too late Swann turned, and the savage blow sliced into his skull, sending him reeling with his hair rapidly filling with blood. His piercing scream echoed through the cavern and the tunnel for several seconds as he fell back onto his back, staring up into the azure sky with the hot sun beating relentlessly into his strangely smiling face.
Tears welled out of his eyes and ran, mingling with his blood, in streams onto the dry ground.
After a while his head moved slowly from side to side as his lips worked in agonised desperation to form words.
‘Nothing... ‘ he breathed hoarsely, his entire body shaken by convulsive sobs. ‘Nothing’s changed... ‘
In the bottom of the ravine the WZO police officer guarding Giles Kent and Astrid Ferrier had taken up his position outside the motor caravan to give himself a better chance of stopping any surprise move by the two hostages.
Inside, Giles was moving about agitatedly like a penned animal while Astrid watched him calmly.
‘I have to get in there, Astrid!’ he muttered. ‘This is our one chance and we can’t risk Bruce bungling things.’
Astrid shook her head firmly. ‘No, Giles. We can’t risk losing Bruce’s confidence by breaking the agreement. At least he’s agreed to
Benik turned and stared down the corridor in the direction of the Behaviour Analysis Unit where he had left Salamander not five minutes previously. Something odd was going on and Benik was determined to find out what it was.
Salamander stopped the capsule halfway up the shaft between the underground Control Suite and the Sanctum on the surface. Moving clumsily in his protective suit, he opened the shield and led Swann out into a steeply sloping tunnel dimly lit by a string of naked bulbs slung along the roof. A warm breeze blew down the roughly hewn tunnel, and Swann gazed along it expectantly.
‘Where does it lead to?’ he asked eagerly.
‘Into a ruined building on the surface,’ Salamander told him. ‘I assemble the supplies up there and then they come down on the conveyor.’
‘The surface!’ Swann cried excitedly, starting to scramble hastily up the scree-strewn slope.
Salamander grabbed his arm. ‘Wait. Not that way. ‘This way is much safer,’ he said soothingly, steering Swann towards a dark, narrow gully leading off the main tunnel opposite the capsule.
Swann allowed himself to be pushed through the niche into a deep, unlit cave scattered with splinters of rock and huge boulders. He stumbled uncertainly forward towards the slit of light ahead of them. A warm, sweet-scented wind suddenly flooded the gully and Swann soon found himself standing blinking in the strong sunlight at the entrance to the cave.
For several seconds he was speechless, shading his eyes and staring at the brilliant blue sky and at the bright leaves of the vegetation covering the slopes of the ravine below them.
Then he turned to his guide, his face alive with ecstasy.
‘It’s beautiful! It’s so beautiful,’ he murmured. ‘I had almost forgotten. The sky... the trees down there...’ He stared across at the miraculous panorama shimmering in the heat beyond the ravine. ‘You could have brought the others this far, just to see,’ he said quietly, his eyes lost in the landscape.
Behind him Salamander shook his head. ‘You forget Swann, one or two did come in the past. But they succumbed to the contamination. Already you have been here too long without protection.’
Swann walked a few paces to the edge of the ravine as if mesmerised. ‘But everything looks just as it used to,’ he exclaimed. ‘Where are the mutations you talked of? The sky is so clear. You spoke of the dust belts, the darkness at noon...’
Unseen, Salamander had picked up a sharp sliver of flint. ‘You are taking a terrible risk coming out here like this, my friend,’ he murmured, raising the crude weapon high over the back of Swarm’s head. ‘But I did my best to warn you.’
Just too late Swann turned, and the savage blow sliced into his skull, sending him reeling with his hair rapidly filling with blood. His piercing scream echoed through the cavern and the tunnel for several seconds as he fell back onto his back, staring up into the azure sky with the hot sun beating relentlessly into his strangely smiling face.
Tears welled out of his eyes and ran, mingling with his blood, in streams onto the dry ground.
After a while his head moved slowly from side to side as his lips worked in agonised desperation to form words.
‘Nothing... ‘ he breathed hoarsely, his entire body shaken by convulsive sobs. ‘Nothing’s changed... ‘
In the bottom of the ravine the WZO police officer guarding Giles Kent and Astrid Ferrier had taken up his position outside the motor caravan to give himself a better chance of stopping any surprise move by the two hostages.
Inside, Giles was moving about agitatedly like a penned animal while Astrid watched him calmly.
‘I have to get in there, Astrid!’ he muttered. ‘This is our one chance and we can’t risk Bruce bungling things.’
Astrid shook her head firmly. ‘No, Giles. We can’t risk losing Bruce’s confidence by breaking the agreement. At least he’s agreed to
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