Чужой
XI
Crawlingtothedrop,hepointedtheflamethrowerdownwardandletlooseanotherfierydischarge.Noscreams,noaromaofsearedfleshdriftedbackuptohim.Thecreaturewasstillfarahead.Hewonderedifitwerecrawling,perhapsangrily,perhapsfearfully,insearchoftheexit.Ormaybeitwaswaiting,turnedtoconfrontitspersistentpursuerwithinconceivablemethodsofaliendefence.
Itwashotintheshaft,andhewasgrowingtired.Therewasanotherpossibility,hemused.Whatifthecreaturehadsomehowdiscoveredanotherwaytoleavetheshaft?Inthateventhe’dhavemadethetense,agonizingcrawlfornothing.Therewasstillonlyonewaytoresolveallthequestions.Hestarteddownthesteepslideheadfirst,keepingtheflamethrowerbalancedandpointingforward.
ItwasLambertwhofirstnoticedthemovementofthetrackerneedle.Shehadanervousminuteuntilsomehastyfiguringmatchedthereadingwithaknownquantity.
’Beginningtogetareadingonyou,’sheinformedthedistantDallas.
’Okay.’Hefeltbetter,knowingthatothersknewexactlywherehewas.’Stayonme.’
Theshaftmadeanotherturn.Hedidn’trecalltherebeingquitesomanytwistsandsharpbends,buthewaspositivehewasstillinthemainshaft.Hehadn’tpassedasinglesidetunnelwideenoughtoadmitanythinglargerthanJones.Despitethealien’sdemonstratedaptitudeforsqueezingintosmallspaces,Dallasdidn’tthinkitcouldshrinkitsbulkenoughtofitintoasecondaryventpipeonlyadozenorsocentimetresacross.
