tz.theicarushunt-第62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！
Unless。。。
I played the light around again。 If it was merely a matter of finding the right kind of crystal； that was the kind of miracle we still had an outside chance of pulling off。 I doubted such a rock would be an off…the…shelf item these days； but if I could get a message to Uncle Arthur； he might be able to dig one up from somewhere and get it to us。
I let go of the mesh； hovering in midair as I wiped some more sweat from my face。 And as I did so； I suddenly heard a sound like two pieces of metal scratching together。 The same sound； I realized； that I'd heard while sitting out in the big sphere with Tera。
Only this time it was ing from somewhere nearby。
I swung my light around； hoping to catch a glimpse of moving machinery。 But the sound had stopped before I could get the light more than a fraction of the way around； despite the fact that I'd whipped my arm fast enough to send the rest of my body into a slow tumble。 Cursing under my breath； I reached back out for the mesh。
My fingers closed on thin air。 The mesh was out of my reach。
I tried again； swinging my body awkwardly over as I tried to get enough extension； frowning at the plete illogic of the situation。 I'd been motionless relative to the mesh when I'd started； and no matter how much I'd twisted and turned； my center of mass should have remained that same distance away from it。 That was basic level…one physics。
Yet there the mesh was； sitting a good five centimeters outside my best reach。 I knew I hadn't bumped the mesh； which might have given me the necessary push； and any air current strong enough to account for this much movement ought to have been whistling in my ears； which it wasn't。 Muttering a curse； I reached to my tool pouch for the longest probe I had with me。 The patented McKell luck was running true to form； gumming up my life with plications I didn't need； didn't want； and most certainly didn't have time to deal with。 I got a good grip on the end of the probe and stretched it out to the mesh。
It didn't reach。
I stared at the gap between mesh and probe； a bad taste suddenly tingling against my tongue。 I was moving away from the mesh； all right。 Slowly and subtly； but now that I was looking for it I could definitely see the mesh receding。 And the only way I could be moving like this was if the small sphere had suddenly developed a gravitational field like its big brother beside it。
I looked around again； paying special attention to the loops of cable hanging through to my side of the mesh。 No； the field wasn't exactly like that of its big brother； I corrected myself。 It was； instead； an exact inverse of it。 Instead of pulling everything toward the outer wall； this one was pushing everything toward the center。 I tried to think how it could be pulling that one off； but my mind wasn't up to it。
Besides； I had more urgent things to think about at the moment。 If the field was focused toward the center of the sphere…and that was certainly how it looked from the way the hanging cables were now pointed inward…then once I hit the zero mark I would be pretty well stuck there。 Any direction I turned I would be looking uphill； and with absolutely nothing available to kick or push off against； I would be as solidly pinned as a mosquito in a spiderweb。
I picked another curse out of my repertoire； a heavy…duty one this time； as I swung my light around looking for inspiration。 There were the hanging cables； of course； now resembling Spanish moss more than they did floating seaweed。 But without knowing what any of them were for I would have to be pretty desperate before I'd risk damage to either the Icarus or myself by tugging at them。 Besides which； a second look showed that I wasn't going to get anywhere within grabbing range of any of them。
Still； once I'd choked down the panic reaction and forced myself to think rationally； I realized that I was hardly in dire straits。 Tera knew I was in here； and once I failed to emerge it would only be a matter of time before Ixil or one of the others ventured in to find out what had happened to me。 A rope belayed outside and carefully threaded in through the tangle of wires； and I could pull myself to the mesh and ultimately to safety。 Tera's insistence that I bring food and water in here might turn out to have been a good idea after all。
I seemed to be drifting faster now； though it was difficult to tell for sure。 A sudden yellow glow appeared from the corner of my eye； and I turned to see that one of the flat displays that had been showing the same red symbols as all the others had suddenly changed to a grid pattern of yellow…and…black squares。 Even as I studied it another of the displays also changed； this one to squares of orange and black。 For a minute I glanced between them； trying to see if there was any pattern in the layout of their colored squares。 But if there was it was too subtle for me to pick out。
I was about two meters from the center； still drifting at a leisurely pace； when it suddenly occurred to me that if I kept on this same course I was going to run directly into the articulated arm angling across my path。
I played my light over the arm； feeling a fresh batch of sweat leaching onto my face as I did so。 I'd already noted that the arm was posed of an alternating series of black…and…silver bands； what I hadn't noticed until then was that at the very tip of the arm the color scheme changed to about twenty centimeters of a disturbingly luminescent gray。 My field sensor wasn't picking up anything from it yet； but I was still too far away for any current less than a couple hundred volts to register。 The arm didn't look like any of the power cables I'd had to sneak through on my way in； but considering the alien origin of this place that didn't give me much fort。
What was clear； and of no fort whatsoever； was that even if the arm suddenly came to life with enough power to light up New Cleveland； there was still no way in space for me to miss running into it。 About all I could think of to do was to try to get a careful grip on it as I approached and use it as a fulcrum to swing the bulk of my body around it instead of hitting it full force。
The problem with that idea was that if it didn't have the structural strength necessary to handle that kind of sudden stress； the gray end was probably going to break off in my hand。 On the other hand； if it was that weak and I didn't grab it； it would probably break anyway as I slammed into it。
And as my train of thought reached that depressingly no…win conclusion； I was there。 Clenching my teeth； feeling rather like someone trying to sneak up and grab a sleeping pit viper； I reached out with my right hand and got a careful grip on the arm。
Too careful。 The material was far more slippery than it looked； and before I knew it my hand was sliding straight down the striped section toward the gray end。 I squeezed harder； simultaneously trying to swing my body around as I'd originally planned。 But my lack of purchase on the arm meant I had no leverage at all； and I found myself instead sliding along the arm in a sort of low…gravity version of a fireman and his pole。
It was hardly the way I'd planned things； but at least the arm was clearly stronger than my worst…case scenario had anticipated。 Even with my full weight pressing on it via my one…handed grip； it was showing no sign of breaking or even bending。 Maybe even strong enough that I'd be able to use it to climb back out to the mesh。
Assuming； of course； I could figure out how to get a solid grip on the damn thing。 Swinging my body partially around； I got my other hand in place and grabbed as hard as I dared。
The two…handed grip helped some； but not enough。 I was still sliding serenely down the arm； now almost to the gray section at the end。 If I couldn't stop myself； I knew； my momentum would cause me to overshoot the end of the arm and go straight through the sphere's center。 Hardly a catastrophe； since there was nothing over there for me to crash into； but it would cost me more of our increasingly precious minutes while I waited for the gravitational field to slow me to a stop and bring me back to the center again。
And then I was to the gray section of the arm。 Clenching my teeth； knowing this was my last chance to stop myself with a modicum of dignity； I squeezed it hard。
It was as if I'd grabbed hold of a live hundred…volt wire。 Suddenly my whole body was tingling； the hairs on my neck and arms standing straight up； my clenched teeth trying to vibrate against each other。 And on top of all of it was the chagrin that after all of my exaggerated caution and borderline paranoia； I'd finally hit a live wire。 What made it even worse was that I'd even hit it entirely on purpose。
And yet； at the same time； the small part of my mind that hadn't gone into instant panic mode was noticing that if this was an electric shock it was like none I'd ever experienced before。 There was no pain； for one thing； and none of the subtle promises of future pain； either。 In addition； the tingling was running uniformly through my entire body； not simply along my arms and chest as a normal current ought to flow。 There was a distant sound like the awful ripping thunder crack from a too…cl
