Stasheff, Christopher - Warlock of Gramarye 11 - Warlock and Son by Stasheff Christopher

Author:Stasheff, Christopher
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf

Chapter 8

The sign said, "You are now leaving HASKERVILLE."

He turned to the tough who shared the back seat with them. "You must work for somebody important, to rate a car."

"Might be," the man said shortly. "Ain't so much, though."

"Well, no-it goes on wheels, not an air cushion. But it's still more than most folks have here.

Must cost a fortune-all that metal in the engine."

"Metal?" The man frowned. "Where'd you grow up-on Orehouse?"

"They're doing such marvelous things with synthetics these days," Sam murmured.

"Sure, plastic," the driver confirmed. "Polythermothane. Takes all the heat we need to give it, an'

more."

"Well, I suppose-for a turbine." Dar frowned. "Maybe even for a boiler. But how do you shield the fissionables?"

" 'E is from Orehouse," the first tough snorted. "Fission-ables're metal, junk. How'd we get 'em

"ere?"

"Yeah, I suppose it would be a little heavy on the import price." Dar scratched his head. "So what do you use for an energy source?"

"Methane."

"Methane?" Sam cried, scandalized. "Chemicals?"

"Uh-I hate to butt in." Dar glommed onto the tough's arm with a mastiff-grip. "But, could you say a word to your friend? We're running right into a mountainside!"

The granite outcrop towered over them, rushing down on them.

The tough nodded. "Close enough, Rog."

Rog pushed a button set into the dashboard, and the scrub at the base of the cliff swung outward and upward, revealing a huge gaping cave-mouth.

"Just a bit o' camouflage," the backseat tough explained. "Can't leave yer front door open fer just any Tom, Dick, or Paddy t' walk in, y' know."

"No, definitely not." Dar's eyes fairly bulged out of his head as the car swept into the cave, and a line of glow-plates lit up along the length of the walls, lighting their way onward. The floor sloped away in front of them, spiraling down at a thirty-degree angle. Rog held the car to a continuing hairpin turn, slowing down only as much as was absolutely necessary. Sam swung over against Dar and stayed there, which would've been very pleasant, if Dar hadn't had to keep fighting to hold himself away from the backseat tough, who might not have understood, especially since that was his gun-hand.

The ramp leveled off and the car straightened out, but Sam stayed over against Dae He counted it a hopeful sign, but was no longer sure he cared, now that he'd seen Lona.

The tunnel flared out into a huge cavern. Brilliant glow-plates spread a cold greenish light over alleyways between towering gray plastrete slabs.

"I'd almost think those were buildings," Dar said, in hushed tones, "if they had windows."

"They are buildings," the tough affirmed. "What'd y' need windows for, down 'ere? Whacher gonna look at?"

Rog pulled the car into a slot between a small van and another car. They got out, and found themselves surrounded by a fleet of trucks and vans, parked in very orderly rows.

"Yes," Dar mused, "your boss isn't exactly hurting, is he?"

"Ask "im," the tough invited. "Y've got an appointment- immediate."

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