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and get back to me as soon as you can. Over and out."
Jan sat stiffly, locked in concentration, staring unseeingly at the front
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port, his fist tapping heavily on the steering wheel. The train jackknifed-but
power still on.
So the engine generator must still be functioning. If s~then why couldn't they
contact the crew? What had taken the radio out of circuit? He couldn't imagine
what could have happened, but one thing was certain: he would need help to
straighten out the mess. And he had already wasted precious minutes not
calling for it.
"Hyzo," he shouted into the intercom. "Contact the tanks now. Tell them we've
had train trouble and we will probably need some muscle to get out of it. I
want the two biggest tanks with plenty of cable. Get them started back this
way now at top speed."
"Done. I've got train three on the circuit."
"Put them through."
"I have train two in sight ahead. Cars all over the Road, some even into the
jungle.
I've stopped now, just behind the last car"
"Can you see the engine?"
"Negative."
'Any chance of your getting by with your train?"
'A' bsolutely none. This thing is a mess! I've never seen...
"Over and Out."
Hyzo, the communications officer, came onto the circuit as soon as Jan had
killed it.
"I've got Lee Ciou in train t~wo back on. Here he is."
'Jan, can you hear me? Jan..."
"What did you find out, Lee?"
"I've talked to the other car They're shouting a lot and don't make sense, but
I
don't think anyone's dead. Yet. The car has some broken windows, but Chun
Thekeng is taking over evacuation to this car More important, I've got through
to the engineer on the internal phone circuit."
"Did he tell you what's wrong?"
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"It's very bad. I've patched you through to him on the radio circuit."
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'All right. Vilbo, are you there? Vilho Heikki, come in.
The radio sputtered and crackled, and a distant voice was audible through the
static.
'Jan... there's been a crackup. I was in the engine room when we started
sliding all over the Road. I heard Turtu shouting someth;ng-then we hit.
Something real solid.
Then the water and Arma..."
"Vilho, I'm losing you. Can you talk louder?"
"Real bad crackup. I started up the ladder when I saw the water It was coming
through the hatch. Maybe I should have got them out. But they didn't answer...
the water was coming in. So I slammed and sealed the' hatch lid
"You did the right thing. You had the rest of the train ito think about."
"Yes, I know... but Arma Nevalainen... she was co-driver"
There wa~ no time for Jan to think about it. That his plan for the women to
help drive had just killed one of them. He must think only of the others still
in danger aboard the train.
'Are you holding power, Vilho?"
"Solar in the green. The engine is tilted forward at a sharp angle. We must
have nose-dived into the swamp. All the driver's controls, the radio, are
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knocked out.
But the generator is still turning over, cooling fins topside must still be
out of water, and I can supply train power from here. For a little while more
"What do you mean?"
'Air conditioning is out in here to~. Temperature going up pretty~fast."
Hold on. I'll get you out as fast as I can."
"What are you doing?" Alzbeta called after Jan.
"The only thing possible. You're in charge until I get back. Any problems,
Hyzo will help you. When the tanks arrive direct them to the engine of train
two and I'll meet them there."
While Jan climbed into a coldsuit, Emo made a tight bundle of a second suit.
"You should let me go, Jan," he said.
"No. Keep the power up. I have to see what can be done back there."
He exited as fast as he could through the rear door of the engine room and
heard it slam shut behind him as Emo shut out the burning air. Without
haste-but without any waste motion-Jan unshipped the cycle from its housing,
strapped the coldsuit into place, then lowered it onto the Road. Only then did
he realize the sickening nature of the surf~ce.
It was a charnel house behind the engine. The alien creatures had been
crushed, smeared, destroyed. A few maimed survivors, still driven by some
unknown urge, were struggling painfully toward the jungle. The thick blue
flesh and blood of the others coated the road. It was bearable just behind the
engine, but when he swung aboard the cycle and started back past the row of
stationary cars it quickly became worse.
The wide wheels had worked appalling destruction. Where the cars had skidded,
great smears of crushed bodies coated the surface. Finally he had to steer to
the inside
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the burned areas, to find enough surface to ride upon. It was dangerous here,
but there was no other way to get by the carnage. Very slowly he went past the
train and back into the bend in the Road.
Something very large, clawed and deadly, lurched out of the jungle toward him.
Jan had only a glimpse as it reared up; he threw full power into the rheostats
and the cycle screeched forward, pulling away from the creature, skidding
wildly as it bumped over the recent corpses. Jan fought for control, skidding
his boots through the slippery muck, risking a quick look back over his
shoulder. He slowed. The beast was feasting on the crushed bodies and seemed
to have forgotten him.
Train two was ahead; a frightening sight. The cars were jackknifed over the
entire width of the Road and into the jungle on both sides. The engine was
over the edge and nose down in the swamp.
The destruction on the Road was forgotten now as Jan threaded his way
toward.the engine. The cause of the tragedy was instantly apparent. A great
tree had been burned, then dozed off the Road. It had stopped. the engine from
plunging headlong into the water. But in stopping it, a thick, broken branch
had punched through the armored glass of the front port. It had been a quick
death for the drivers.
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