Чужой
III
Hedrewsomeconsolationfromthat,realizingthattheweatheroutsideprobablycouldn’tgetmuchworse.
Thevagariesofthelocalclimateformedtheprincipaltopicfordiscussion.’Wecan’tgoanywhereinthis,’Kanepointedout.’Notinthedark,anyway.’
Ashlookedupfromhisconsole.Hehadn’tmoved,evidentlycontentphysicallyaswellasmentally.Kanecouldn’tunderstandhowthescienceofficercoulddoit.Ifhehadn’tlefthisownstationoccasionallytowalkaround,he’dbegoingcrazybynow.
Ashnoticedhisstare,offeredsomehopefulinformation.’Mothersaysthelocalsun’scomingupintwentyminutes.Whereverwedecidetogo,itwon’tbeinthedark.’
’That’ssomething,’admittedDallas,graspingattheleastbitofencouragement.’Ifourcallerswon’torcan’ttalkfurther,we’llhavetogolookingforthem.Orforit,ifthesignal’sbeingproducedbyanautomaticbeacon.Howfararewefromthesourceofthetransmission?’
Ashstudiedreadouts,activatedaground-levelplotterforconfirmation.’Aboutthreethousandmetres,overmostlylevelterrainasnearasthescannerscantell,roughlynortheastofourpresentposition.’
’Compositionofterrain?’
’Seemstobethesameaswedeterminedondescent.Samehardstuffwe’resittingonnow.Solidbasaltwithminorvariations,thoughIwouldn’truleoutthepossibilityofencounteringsomelargeamygdaloidalpocketshereandthere.’
’We’llwatchourstep,then.’
Kanewascomparingdistancewithsuittimeinhishead.
