This Darkening Universe by Lloyd Biggle Jr

Author:Lloyd Biggle Jr. [Biggle, Lloyd Jr.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 1975-12-01T00:00:00+00:00

14

Again Malina awoke to a dreary morning and aching emptiness.

Her children were safe, but they would be lonely and frightened, and she couldn’t risk going to them as long as the gesardl secretaries followed her everywhere.

At least she knew where they were and how they got there. Miss Schlupe had discovered a bath lounge on an underground level of their tower. It contained accommodations for every conceivable life form, with features ranging from deep pools to ceiling and floor sprays, and from chilling water to steam rooms. Malina and Miss Schlupe shared one of the steam rooms, and since this form of relaxation held no appeal for the gesardl secretaries following them, they had the room to themselves. Under the cover of hissing steam, Miss Schlupe whispered what had happened.

“I didn’t dare say anything or even be seen passing you a note,” Miss Schlupe said. “We aren’t even safe speaking English - they may have the entire mart bugged, and one member of the gesardl is a klo. I’m betting the kloatraz can figure out any language, and if they could slip it a recording of me telling you in English where the children are, that’d be the end of it.”

She had smuggled the children from the Prime Common by the simple expedient of dispatching all the assistants in the room on errands. The children had cooperated beautifully. She told them, “Come quickly — we’ve got to hide you.” And they went.

They knew, Malina thought. Your children murdered a native.

Miss Schlupe had taken them by transmitter from the Prime Common to the lower level where her storerooms were located. The one moment of risk was when they stepped out of the transmitter there; but that level was infrequently used, and they met no on~ From her storerooms she took them through her own transmitter to her office in the column and hid them inside the large hassock she used for a chair.

Malina exclaimed, “You mean - all the time I was sitting there - ”

“Right. That’s why I had you sit there. The dears performed perfectly.”

She considered the children safe enough for the present. The gesardl had searched the entire column - it thought - and was convinced they weren’t there. Since Miss Schlupe no longer had her transmitters, the only way into the column was by way of the door from the arena, and gesardl secretaries were watching that in case the children approached it looking for food.

“As long as they think the children aren’t there and can’t get in without being seen, they aren’t likely to search the place again. It’s a long climb to the top.”

The children were comfortably established on the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth levels, where someone had constructed a three-level apartment. They had plenty of food, they were comfortable, and they sent their mother their love. Miss Schlupe already had taken them some clothing and a package of books, gathered up while Malina had been sleeping off her sedative.

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