To The Stars

Jan broke off as the engine lurched sideways, then he lashed out his hand to cut off the automatic steering, and clutched at the steering wheel.

“It’s like driving on ice… no friction… the wheels are beginning to slide on the bodies”

And the cars were beginning to go too. In the monitor screens Jan saw that the whole train was beginning to wriggle like a snake as the cars skidded and the steering computer fought to keep them following in a straight line.

“Get the computer out of your steering circuits,” Jan ordered the other drivers, throwing the switch himself at the same time. A touch of power pulled ahead on the train and stopped the weaving for the moment. He dropped the speed again, slowly, slowly, plunging on into the solid wall of bodies.

“Jan, look ahead!”

Alzbeta’s cry alerted him and he saw that the Road, straight until now, began to curve ahead in a shallow bend. An easy curve — normally. But what would happen now with the road surface as slick as oil?

The speed was dropping — but not fast enough. They were down to 50 and still dropping. And the curve began.

Jan still had the steering on manual, but he had to switch the computer back on so the cars of the train would track correctly behind him. A touch of the wheel, then center it. The shallowest curve he could make, starting from the inside of the bend and drifting slowly to the outside. Halfway through now, almost to the edge. Speed down to 40… 35. A bit more on wheel. Going all right. If he could hold it there.

A quick look at the screens showed the cars snaking slightly, but following in his course. Almost through. There was a sudden bumping as they ran over the charred tree limbs where the tanks had cleared the surface. Good. This would add some friction. Just beyond the edge of the Road was the jungle, a sharp bank and what looked like water or swamp.

“The creatures on the Road, there seem to be less of them,” Alzbeta said. “They’re coming in groups now, fewer of them.”

“I hope you’re right.” Jan felt, for the first time, the soreness in his hands where he had grappled the steering wheel. “Doing 10 K’s now, cars tracking well.”

“I can’t hold it!”

The words burst from the speaker, a cry of despair.

“Who are you? Identify!” Jan shouted into the mike.

“Train two… jackknifing… have full brakes, still sliding… the EDGE!”

Jan eased his own train to a stop, automatically, scarcely aware, listening to the scream of pain. The crashing, breaking sounds. Then silence.

“All trains stop,” Jan ordered. “Report only if you are in trouble. Report.”

There was the hiss of static, nothing else.

“Train two, can you hear me? Come in two, report.”

Just silence. Nothing. “Train three, are you stopped?” This time there was an answer.

“Three here. Stopped okay. No problems. Creatures still crossing the Road. There’s a great trail of crushed bodies and blood ahead

“That’s enough, three. Start up, minimum speed ahead. Report as soon as you have train two in sight.” Jan thumbed the switch to internal. “Ryzo, can you raise train two at all?”

“I’m trying,” the communications officer answered. “No signal from the engine. Chun Taekeng has his own radio on the train but he’s not answering.”

“Keep trying

“Hold it. A signal here, I’ll put it on.”

The voice was gasping, “… frightened… what happened. People hurt when we stopped. Send the doctor…”

“This is the Trainmaster. Who is speaking?”

“Jan? Lee Ciou here. We had a panic stop and people are hurt

“More important, Lee. Are you still airtight — and is the air conditioning working?”

“As far as I know. And I hope we’re not holed because the ground outside is covered with creatures of some kind. They’re crawling over the cars, the windows.”

“They can’t hurt you as long as they can’t get in. Get a report from both cars and get back to me as soon as you can. Over and out.”

Jan sat stiffly, locked in concentration, staring unseeingly at the front 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 so, 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.

“Ryzo,” 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?”

“Absolutely none. This thing is a mess! I’ve never seen…”

“Over and out.”

Ryzo, the communications officer, came onto the circuit as soon as Jan had killed it.