Unto My Manifold Dooms

For a few hours that night the precariousness of their thin-walled bubble of air on an alien world was forgotten, for this was an event to be celebrated. Their survey was a success, even more successful than had been hoped for. The planet of Cassidy-2 would reluctantly release its pre­cious metals and it would be the members of the expedi­tion who received the credit for this largesse.

Captain Hegg rooted in the bottom of the container of the dehydrated fish that they all loathed, and brought up four steaks that he had hidden there for a deserving occa­sion. Robson, as acting medical officer, contributed a con­tainer of brandy from the hospital stores. The alcohol only added to their elation; they did not really need it. This was a night that would long be remembered. They retired late, calling back and forth from their bunks in the darkness, laughing outrageously at the sudden onslaught of Robson's snores, then one by one falling off to sleep as well.

Captain Hegg awoke possessed by the premonition that something was very wrong. He shook his head, cursing the muffling effects of the brandy, trying to understand why he had woken up. The room was dark, except for the glow of telltale lights from the instrument panel, and even from his upper bunk he could see that they all were glowing green. It couldn't be that. A red warning when the board was on night command set off enough alarms to lift them right out of their beds. What else? He coughed and cleared his throat.

With sudden panic he inhaled deeply and broke into spasmodic coughing. Smoke! There could be no smoke here! Smoking was forbidden, while very few things in the dome were even combustible. . . .

The ore case with the samples!

'Roll out!' Hegg bellowed as he half jumped, half fell from the high bunk and dived for the light switch. As his hand hit it he saw the red hairline gleam between the lid and the body of the sealed case.

'Get up! Get up!'

He pulled Sonny halfway out of his high bunk and at the same instant kicked Arkady in the side. This was all the time he could spare. He was aware of Robson stum­bling up behind him as he dived for the case.

'Robson! Open the door to the lock chamber.'

The ecologist was tugging at the wheel even before he had finished speaking, and Hegrr put his shoulder to the case and pushed just as the side burst open with roaring flame. Clouds of white smoke poured out and intense glare bathed the full wall of the room. Hegg fell backward, coughing and retching painfully. Sonny jumped over him and threw a wad of blankets and bedding over the flame. The resistant material covered the flame and checked the smoke for an instant while he and Arkady pushed the case towards the lock chamber door, low standing open.

Flame burst through the coverings almost instantly but they were at the door. Molten metal was dribbling from the flaming case and, pushing wildly, Arkady slipped and put his knee full into a pool of it. He rolled free, without uttering a sound, and beat the flame from his pyjama legs with his bare hands. At the sane moment Robson and Sonny gave a last concerted he;.ve and the leaking case slid into the lock chamber. They pushed at the door.

'Evacuation . . . pump . . .' Hegg managed to say through his coughing, but Arkady had dragged himself there with one leg and the motor was already whining.

The smoke was thicker before the last burning gobbet of metal had been shovelled up and dropped into the largest of their sample boxes. This was lined with heavier metal; before it burned through they had the lid sealed shut and an atmosphere of inert helium pumped in. The metal held, and in the lock chamber the burning also stopped as the combustible atmosphere was removed. With each passing second the air cleared as the air circulators drew out and filtered away the smoke.

'What happened . . . ?' Arkady asked, still dazed by the suddenness of the emergency. Blood ran down his leg, yet neither he nor any of the others noticed it.

'One of the locks on the sample case wasn't closed all the way,' Robson said thickly. 'I saw it just as I pushed the thing through the door. Right hand lock, open a couple of notches. Enough to let a trickle of air in. . . .'

'Who sealed that case?' Hegg's voice hammered at them, his coughing forgotten, or under control.

'I did,' Arkady said. Then, grimly, 'But Sonny opened it again to put in a last piece of ore.'

As though their heads were controlled by the same si­lent command they turned to face Sonny.

'But I didn't . . . well, maybe, it was an accident . . .' he said, his face slack, still stunned by the suddenness of the emergency.

Robson was closest. 'You—you—' he said, but could not find the words. With his shining bald head and jowled cheeks he should have looked funny as he stood there, shaking with rage, but he did not. Almost of its own voli­tion his open hand sprang out and slapped Sonny across the face. Sonny stumbled backwards, his fingers fumbling towards the livid red mark on his white cheek.