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PART SIX(6)

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After marveling for five minutes at the condition of the passage at the stopped up point, Everett had been standing ~lost in thought ~ for the last several. It was quite a surprise to him that the water flowing down the tunnel made by the grubbles within the passage's walls, wasn't collecting at the terminus of their work. Instead it was seeping underneath the hard-packed silt at floor level. In fact, whenever the down wash from up the tunnel lessened very much, there was a sound that could be heard ~ if one was really listening ~ coming from the point where the water was disappearing.

'Almost like the water is being sucked down the passage, at this blocked section,' he decided finally. 'Which means that for some reason, pressure in the bottom half of this passage is trying to equalize.' It did follow logically. 'Which also means,' he realized uncomfortably, as he backed away from the obstructed area before him, 'that this is probably not a good place to be, right now.' He knew as he thought this that 'probably' was definitely a massive understatement, if the lower parts of the passage were trying to take a 'breath'.

'Oh, dear Goddess, please take the lead out of my feet!' he prayed, as he turned and flew towards the first set of stairs he had to climb.

He was in the midst of climbing them, when OCley's warning reached his ears, the echoes bouncing off the dirty stone surfaces of the passage and giving the sound of his superior's voice a freakish quality.

"Thanks for the warning," he said breathlessly, as he hustled faster than he would have believed possible ~ under normal circumstances. The grateful acknowledgement was meant, too. He might very well have been standing back there stupidly, when the warning had reached him.

As he tore recklessly around the first one of the passage's five ninety-degree angled turns, with the first of two one-eighty switch-backs coming immediately into sight ahead, he wondered how the Operations Chief knew about the equalizing effect.

' 'Run for your life'?' he quoted silently. 'It sounds like he knows something I don't instead of the other way around.'

He was around that first switchback before the answer came to him. 'He must have gotten a 'watch' word from OLie,' he reasoned. 'So he decided it was even less safe down here, than we first figured. Still,' he thought incredulously. ' 'Run for your life'?' He chose to disregard the fact that he was pretty much doing just that, and buckled down mentally to really think this through.

'If OCley got word from OLie that the blockage is trying to breath, then they must have either moved or been moving back down lower. The carbon dioxide level in the air will be higher the lower they go, so their time is getting shorter with every step downwards they take. They must think, like the rest of us were, that there is a goodly amount of water collected down at this side of the terminus, so everyone thinks the forgeers and the detennons are out from this end, like the grubbles still are.'

'No help from us to speak of, their oxygen getting critical right now or very soon, and a call for me to get clear of this passage 'flaming fast' ; OLie must be making a move from their side of things. Oh, and the equalizing pressure,' he amended. He frowned suddenly, as it finally struck him. 'Why is there negative pressure down below?' he wondered uneasily. He was running a little faster now, despite the fact that he was beginning to get winded. 'Water must be escaping from the chamber, somehow,' he concluded. 'And that means the negative pressure will continue to build until the blockage breaks up and allows equalization ~ Which I am not going to want to be in the passage during.'

He wasn't exactly right about just why he was running for his life, but what he thought he understood was sufficient to give him new impetus, as he got his second wind and passed what he mentally calculated was roughly the halfway point of his flight to the safety of ground level.

'OLie, I know you and the other guys are tense and eager to get loosed from your prison,' Everett said silently and apologetically. 'But please forgive me when I say, I prefer your route out stays obstructed until I can get clear of the intake zone.'

He hoped it didn't seem he was being unreasonable or selfish to any of the goddesses whose hands his fate was in, at this particular moment.

He was mounting the second of the three sets of stairs, with two more nineties and the second switchback still to go, and he was getting a sinking feeling in his gut; he didn't think he was going to make it.

'On the bright side,' he allowed himself to think pessimistically. 'If I survive this, it's doubtful I'll consider taking up a thrill-sport ~ Ever!' And he reflected with grim humor, that it seemed even less likely ~ at the moment ~ that his heart-rate would drop back to normal in anything less than a full month.

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OLie Three almost asked Dee Two where he was going, but the rest had heard OCley's command and someone had to try and get word to the seznak to hold off for a few minutes. Dee Two was the logical choice as he probably realized; he had the strongest voice and the best chances of resisting the force of the 'breath' if it should come while he was in its path, what with his solidly muscled build and tall stature.

The brave man left his teamers without a backward glance, and raced to the upwards archway of the passage. He grabbed hold of the alternately jutting corner-stones of the arch ~ to break his momentum ~ and hurriedly thrust his head around the corner.

"Reith! Hold off!" he bellowed at the top of his voice. "Hold off, hold off, Reith! Hol-"

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Thirty feet away from the passage's topside entrance and to the left of it, the trio of Penny, Rendal and OCley, were standing in tense silence.

OCley was holding the comm. unit up in front of his face, watching the link indicators like an expectant father, so when one of them popped on, he assumed it was OLie Three down below.

But it was the voice of One Dash One that emitted from the unit, to his agitated dismay. His was a commander's unit, and there were six indicators for to indicate an open link with another unit.

He realized when he registered who the unexpected voice belonged to, that it was the second link-indicator in the bank of them, that was lit. There was a unit mounted in the cockpit of the hovercraft, and One Dash One had decided to report at this inopportune time.

*\"This is One Dash One, Sir,"/* the designated pilot identified himself dutifully, sounding almost thoughtful. *\"I finished weatherizing the HoCra. Is there anything else I-- "/*

He was cut off as OCley switched the master link key in on his unit to the frequency setting the hovercraft's inboard unit broadcasted on, and barked a reply before he could finish.

"Yeah!" OCley began sharply, figuring he knew what One Dash One was asking about. "You can stay off of the air!"

He switched frequencies again, and his anger slackened somewhat when he saw the number two link indicator wink out hastily. His agitation didn't lessen, however.

"No good news from OLie,” he said frustratedly. "He would have buzzed me by now, if they were able to catch a hold of the seznak." He shook his head despairingly and declared, "If One Dash Two doesn't get clear in the next ten seconds, he's likely gonna get caught."

[Master!] Rendal cried urgently. [I'm rested; should I--]

"My Goddess! Don't ASK ~ do it!" OCley thundered at him.

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