tz.theicarushunt-第31节
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
r the series of struts that fastened the two hulls together。 Struts； I decided； that would provide a strenuous but workable jungle…gym walkway for anyone who wanted to move unseen about the ship。
As well as a convenient work platform for； say； someone desiring to tap into the coax cable from an inter。 Specifically； my inter。 I turned my light on the spot off to the left where the relevant wires emerged； but it was too far away and my angle too shallow to see with certainty whether or not anything had been tampered with。
The nearest support strut in that direction was nearly half a meter away。 Laying my gun and light on the deck beside me； I gathered my feet under me； gauged the distance； and leaped carefully toward it。
And with a sudden stomach…twisting disorientation； I jerked sideways and slammed hard onto my right shoulder and leg against the outer deck。
It says a lot for the shock involved that my first stunned thought was that the Icarus's grav generator had malfunctioned again； shutting off at the precise moment I jumped…this despite the fact that I was now lying flat on my side against the outer hull。 It took another several seconds before my brain caught up with the fact that I was； in fact； lying against the outer hull； the term 〃lying〃 automatically implying a gravitational field。
Except that this gravitational field was roughly at right angles to the one I'd just left in my cabin。 The only one that the Icarus's generator could create。 The only one； in fact； that had any business existing here at all。
Slowly； carefully； I turned my head to what was now 〃up〃 from my new frame of reference。 There was my cabin； a meter above my head； with my plasmic and light clinging unconcernedly to what was from my perspective a sheer wall。 Even more carefully； I leaned my torso up away from the hull； half expecting that this magic grip would suddenly cease if I let go of the hull and send me sliding down to the underside of the Icarus。
I needn't have worried。 Except for the total impossibility of its vector； this field behaved more or less like the one created by a normal ship's grav generator。 I reached up toward my cabin； and because I was paying close attention I was able to feel where the two gravity vectors began to conflict with each other a few millimeters my side of the inner hull。 At least now I knew what the anomaly was that Pix and Pax had detected while scampering beneath my bunk； and why neither they nor Ixil had been able to interpret it。
It also explained how our mysterious eavesdropper/saboteur had been able to move around so easily。 No dangerous or athletic strut…leaping required； all he had to do was crawl around like a spider on a wall。 I snagged my light and gun and brought them to me； nearly dropping the plasmic when its weight suddenly shifted in my grip。 It might not take great athletic ability to move around in here； I amended； but it did take some getting used to。 Holstering the weapon； I shifted myself cautiously toward my inter； still not entirely trusting this phenomenon。
I was easing up to get a closer look at the wires when I heard a small scraping sound in the distance。
For a moment I thought I'd imagined it； or else that it had merely been some normal ship's noise distorted by the echo chamber I was lying in。 But then the sound came again； and I knew I'd been right the first time。
There was someone else in here with me。
Silently； I shut off my light and put it in my pocket； at the same time drawing my plasmic。 Then； not nearly as silently； but as silently as I could manage； I set off down the curving hull。
It was； in retrospect； probably not the most brilliant thing I'd ever done in my life。 However it was he'd discovered this cozy little back stairway； our saboteur surely had a better idea of the lay of the land in here than I did； including knowing where all the best hiding places and ambush sites were。 He was furthermore presumably already acclimated to the place； whereas I was still distracted by the nagging feeling that at any minute the hull's peculiar gravity would fail and I would bee the cue ball in a giant spherical game of bumper billiards。 But at the moment all that I could think of was that I had a chance to nail him dead to rights； and I was going to take it。
I started off by scooting along the hull on my backside； but quickly gave that up as not nearly quiet enough； not to mention being a posture that tended to leave me with my back to the direction I was going。 I tried switching to a standard hands…and…knees crawl； but after a couple of meters decided that that was no good either； leaving my gun hand as it did too far out of line to get off a quick shot if necessary。 The only other option I could think of was the one I finally adopted； a crouching sort of duck waddle that was hard on the knees and undignified in the extreme； but at least had the advantage of leaving my gun and me pointed in the same direction。
The sound had seemed to e from above me； the term 〃above〃 referring to the direction toward the Icarus's top deck； so that was the direction I headed。 It was slower going than I'd expected； partly because of the awkwardness of my stance and the need for silence； but also because of the unpleasant vertigo effect of having my head bobbing along just about where the two peting gravity fields mixed at roughly equal strength。 The effect became steadily more pronounced as I passed the mid deck and continued around toward the top of the ship； with the angle between the gravity vectors gradually veering from ninety degrees toward an even more disconcerting 180。
I don't know how long the slow…motion chase went on。 Not long； I think； not more than fifteen or twenty minutes' total。 Between my aching knees and swimming head and the fact that I was alone in a dark space with a man who had already killed once； my time sense wasn't at its best that night。 Every thirty seconds or so I paused to listen； stretching out with all my senses over the rumbling background noise and vibration of the ship； trying for a new estimate of where he was。
It was on the fifth or sixth such halt that I realized that what had up till now been occasional incautious scraping sounds had suddenly bee something far more steady。 Steady scraping noises； yet paradoxically quieter than they had been up till then。
My quarry knew I was here。
Earlier； I had e up with the image of being a spider on a wall。 Now； suddenly； the image changed from a spider to a fly。 A fly pinned by a light against a very white wall。 For a dozen heartbeats I squatted there motionlessly； sweating in the darkness as I strained to listen； trying to determine whether the sounds were moving toward or away from me。 The latter would mean he was trying to escape； the former that he had yet another violent accident on his mind。 And if there was one thing certain here； it was that I couldn't afford to guess wrong。
For those dozen heartbeats I listened； and then I knew。 The sounds were definitely moving away； probably downward to my right； though the echo effect made it difficult to tell for sure。
All the reasons why I shouldn't have e in here after him in the first place once again flashed through my mind。 Once again； I shoved them aside。 I'd already lost several rounds to this man； and I was getting damned tired of it。 Picking a vector that would theoretically intersect his； I set off after him。
To this point it had been a slow…motion chase。 Now； it became an equally slow…motion game of hounds and hares。 I was stopping ever more frequently to listen； but my quarry was doing the same； and as often as not I would pause only to find he had changed direction again。 Doggedly； I kept at it； my earlier thought about the possibility of ambush spots never straying too far from my mind。 So far our saboteur had shown no indication of being armed； but everyone else I'd run into on this trip had been and there was no reason to expect that whoever had been handing out the guns with such generosity would have neglected his friend here aboard the Icarus。
More than once I also considered banging the butt of my plasmic against the inner hull and trying to rouse the rest of the crew to help in the search。 But by then I was so thoroughly lost that I had no idea whether I was even near enough to any of the others scattered around the ship for my pounding to do any good。 And whether any of them heard me or not； my playmate in here certainly would； and at the first sign of an attempted alarm he might well postpone his escape plan in favor of shutting me up first。
And then； in the distance ahead of me； I saw a faint glow appear； so faint that I wasn't sure at first whether I was simply imagining it。 My first thought was that our convoluted intertwined wanderings had brought us back to the vicinity of my cabin and the open inner…hull plate。 But even as I realized that the bined gravity vector was wrong for that； the distant glow vanished； acpanied by a dull； metallic thud。 A sound like two pieces of metal clanking hollowly against each other。
The same sound I'd heard from the wraparound after my talk with Nicabar； and had been trying to track down for nearly two days。
I kept going； but there was clearly no point in hu
