Castle Kidnapped

“For Pete’s sake, Dis, don’t leave now!”

Another energy bolt scorched the wall behind them.

“Who, may we ask, is this individual named Pete for whose sake we must act?”

“Me, that’s my nickname. Forget it. How many units are you picking up?”

“At least six in the immediate vicinity, Pete.” Dis answered. “You have them at a disadvantage inside the museum. They are programmed to protect the exhibits.”

Vaya sent a beam into the shadows. An explosion shook the chamber.

“You got one!” Gene said. “Good shooting!”

A third bolt came from another direction. Vaya returned fire, this time failing to hit anything but a hulking contraption in a far corner of the hall.

“Dis, are you still there?” Gene said.

“Yes. Do you require further assistance?”

“What do you advise?”

“Immediate surrender. You are surrounded and cannot win.”

“Great. Anything else?”

“You might try using the traveler as a redoubt, if you can successfully fight your way there. As far as can be ascertained, they will not destroy the device to get to you. However, you will be trapped inside.”

“Our one hope, then, is that the machine works and can take us out of here. Right?”

“That is your only hope,” Dis agreed.

Gene thought, if only he didn’t sound so damned cheerful all the time. The kind who’d announce the end of the world and add,Have a nice day.

“Give me the gun, Vaya,” Gene said. “I’m going to try to make it to that thing over there, the one that looks like a washing machine mating with a giant hair dryer. Never mind. That one.”

Vaya handed him the weapon and nodded. “Be quick and careful, my husband.”

“You bet your crown jewels, Queenie. Then I’ll cover you from there.”

Gene sprang out from cover and made his dash, bolts crackling around him. He ducked and slid on his stomach the last third of the way. But he made it. He drew a bead on the source of the firing.

“Pick your own time, Vaya!”

Vaya ran and did a textbook-perfect slide into second base. Then she took the weapon and covered Gene’s next mad dash.

Using this method, they made their slow way closer to the Umoi device. After ten minutes, however, a vast stretch of open floor still separated them from their goal.

“We’re just going to have to make a run for it,” Gene said.

“I am with you, my husband. Always.”

He kissed her, then scanned the darkness. The shuffling tread of the sentry robots came to his ears. Probably positioning for a cross fire, Gene thought grimly. He considered surrender as a possible way out. Maybe Topside would let them go.

No, there was no turning back.

“Ready, my Queen?”

Vaya nodded, then hugged him again.

“Right. On three. One … two …three!”

Gene led, firing blindly left and right, a brilliant explosion quickly marking one lucky shot. Return fire was swift and accurate, bolts sizzling inches behind their heels.

Vaya was hit just a few feet from the vehicle’s hatch, a wide-focus beam sweeping over her. She went down and lay still, her long hair trailing smoke. Gene dragged her, lifted her up, and threw her into the machine. He dove in after, the beam weapon clattering to the floor, out of reach.

The hatch closed immediately, and darkness fell.

“Vaya!” Gene reached for her. She was moaning softly, semi-conscious. Her skin felt hot and oily, like under- cooked meat. The stench of burning hair filled the compartment.

He let her down. She seemed pretty bad. If only he could see.

The lights came on.

“Dis! Is that you?”

“Yes. We are activating the machine.”

Gene looked down at Vaya. The left side of her entire body was beet-red. Second-degree burns at least. Part of her hair was singed away.

“We have a report on the condition of the machine,” Dis said.

Gene got up and went into what appeared to be the control compartment. There were two squat Umoi seats and a control panel in front of an oval view port. He sat.

“Report,” Gene said. “Is this machine real or a mock-up?”

“It is the original device, in complete working order.”

“Wonderful. Can it get me home?”

“No. This machine — named the Sidewise Voyager — was tested once. It failed to work, and was abandoned. The data are stored in the machine.”

The finality of it came down on Gene like a landslide. This was it. He had come as far as he could, to find nothing but a dead end.His dead end. And Vaya’s. A bitter lump of remorse rose at the back of his throat.

“Is there any other service we may render at this time?”

Gene took a deep breath. “No. Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Please come back and visit us soon,” Dis said. There was a pause. Then: “We are very sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Gene said.

Thirty-four Lab

A strange machine had appeared on the platform. It was a sledlike affair of brass and steel, having at the back a circular decorated screen that looked like an open parlor fan and appeared capable of revolving. There was a seat for the operator or pilot, upholstered in red plush velvet. Numerous other Victorian touches graced the thing, here lace, there ornate chasing. A quartz rod protruded from a simple control panel in front of the operator’s seat.

Linda said, “Is that it?”

Incarnadine approached the platform. “I don’t know. Strangest damned thing.”

Jeremy said, “Jesus. I’ve seen that piece of junk somewhere.”

“You have?”

“Yeah. I think it was in a movie.”

Linda put a hand to her throat. “Oh, my. You know, I think he’s right.”

“It looked like something out of an H. G. Wells story. In fact —”

“The Time Machine,” Jeremy squealed.

“I’ll be buggered,” Incarnadine said. “It’s a cheat.”

“What?” Linda said.

“The spell cheated on us.”

“You’ll have to explain.”

“Spells are tricky animals. Sticklers for the letter of the wording. The spell asked for ‘a dimensional traveling machine.’ Well, time is a dimension, all right. The spell searched around, couldn’t find the thing that would satisfy the intent of the wording, so it fished this thing out of oblivion in desperation.”

“You make it sound as though the spell itself were a living thing.”

“It is, in a way.”

Jeremy came over. “I wonder what studio still had this thing.”