That whole hangar was now full of a powerful narcotic– OPIUM SMOKE!
There was a sound of men falling who had been trying to run.
Then there was only the burning sizzle of flame as it ate into the opium stores.
Heller shoved me ahead.
Through the soporific mist I could see the crew. They were sprawled all about, draped over sandbags and guns, out cold.
Heller said, "Take me to that detention cell."
I still had my chance. I felt for the knife and planned how I could get him ahead of me.
My brilliant idea to lure him with the corpse of the Countess Krak was about to pay off. We made our way through the swirling white mists of the hangar and to the prison corridors. I indicated the way but Heller was pushing me in front of him. We went up the longest passage and came to the end. The port of the door was covered and I was not giving him any chance to lift it. I knew exactly what I would do. Surreptitiously, I felt for the hidden knife in the jacket. Sick as I felt, I could still draw it and plunge it into his back if I could get behind him. And I knew he was approaching a new moment of shock.
I spun the combination. I got the door open a slit, enough to get my hand through and unlock the barred grate within.
The light in the cell was dim; most of the glowplates seemed to be broken and lay about in shattered fragments.
I swung the inner door open and then stepped back, swinging the outer door wide.
It put me behind him!
He stepped straight through into the large cell.
A shaft of light seemed to be coming from the roof.
There was something lying under it, something dark.
Heller was four paces into the cell. He stopped, staring down and ahead of him.
His back was totally exposed!
With a stealthy hand I drew the knife. I stepped forward on silent feet.
I raised the blade to plunge it into his spine.
WHONK!
Something hit me over the head!
I spun around as I fell.
A heavy book hit me again!
I was staring up into the face of a very angry Countess Krak!
Once more the book came down and I went out!
Minutes later I came to. There was no knife in my hand or even near me. My wrists were pinioned behind me, tied excruciatingly tight with what must have been wire.
Heller was sitting on the bed. He was crying!
The Countess was kneeling in front of him, smoothing his hair and gripping his hand.
"I knew you'd come," she said. "When I heard the firing I knew it must be my Jettero."
He tried to talk and couldn't.
I didn't have any gas mask on. I looked at the door and thankfully saw that it was closed. This cell had an independent air supply.
Finally he said, "I thought you were dead. These have been the awfullest days I have ever spent in my whole life. And when he told me you were still alive, I didn't dare believe him."
They were both crying again and holding on to each other.
At length Heller looked around. "What happened to the lights? What is that on the floor?"
"That's a pile of ration cartons and clothes," she said. "I was trying to stand on them and dig my way out. Several days ago a funny thing happened. There was an explosion up the air shaft. The concussion was bad and it must have knocked me out for a while. It made the hole bigger and broke most of the glowplates."
She was pointing and I looked at the air shaft where dusty air was coming in. Then I remembered that in the plan I had put hooks in the air shaft to prevent anyone climbing up it. But I had also planted explosive charges there that would kill anyone who sought to go up through it. When Ahmed had dropped the gas grenade, it had simply set off the charges and the explosion had just blown the poison vapor back out as the whole series had gone off. It had damaged the solar lights. It had also opened up the shaft. Once she had gotten the hooks loose, the Countess Krak could have climbed right up to freedom!
"I've got to get you out of here," said Heller. "Fortunately, last fall, I thought I might have to take this base. But unfortunately, part of what I set up has the place swimming in opium smoke." He took a gas mask out of his bag and gave it to her to use.
He moved over and began putting my gas mask back on.
"What are you going to do with him?" said the Countess. She picked up the knife from where it had evidently been kicked. She was looking at me. I knew exactly what was in her mind. She wanted to cut my throat.
"I gave my word I was taking him back to Voltar for trial," said Heller.
"You mean we are going home?" said the Countess.
"Just as soon as I have taken care of a couple things and repaired the tug, yes—we are going home. The mission is practically complete."
"Oh, how wonderful!" cried the Countess Krak. "And when we get home, I have the most marvellous surprise for you anyone ever heard of!"
I gasped with relief. The moment he landed on Voltar, he would be arrested on some pretext. Lombar would finish him!
And as to what she was so happy about, those Royal proclamations were forgeries and if she ever tried to present them it would mean immediate execution.
INSPIRATION!
How could I arrange that they would present those forgeries so that Lombar could have a pretext to execute them out of hand?
Oh, I was not finished. Not by a long ways!
I would get even with them yet for all the hideous things they had done to me!
It was hours later and the hangar presented a very strange sight.
Heller had somehow scaled the wall and gotten the electronic-illusion mountaintop switched off and let the clouds of smoke sail into the night. For some time now the place had been full of clean air, maybe for the first time in eighty or more years.
Prahd had responded to a phone call and he had temporarily patched up my wounds.
Utanc/Gaylov was lying trussed up on a bench.
The Countess Krak was standing with a blastrifle to command the entrances in case any late callers showed up.
Heller had placed a big table in the middle of the hangar floor. Sitting in chairs around it was every officer on the base, tied hand and foot!
The rest of the crew were likewise secured, piled in rows upon the floor.
Prahd was going around to the last of the officers now, applying an oxygen respirator to their faces. Then he signalled he was through.
Heller pounded at the table top with the butt of a blast handgun, using it for a gavel. "Now, are we all awake?" he said.
Faht Bey and the other officers were staring at him. They were very aware of their hands tied behind them and tied as well to the chairs.
"Good," said Heller. "I declare the meeting opened. Now, first on the agenda is the status of this base."
"First on the agenda," said Faht Bey, "is a trial of Soltan Gris!" He jabbed his head at me.
I was propped in a chair to the side, the place they usually position a man on trial.
"No, we're going to come to that," said Heller. "You have been told, I believe, that I am here to kill you. I wish to disabuse your minds." And he took from his pocket a copy of the Grand Council orders and a copy of his own and read them, numbers and all, in a very official voice. Then he held them up so they could see their seals and signatures. "Satisfied?"
Faht Bey and the others nodded.
"Now," said Heller, "this base doesn't happen to be listed. So it doesn't exist. What goes on here is known only to the Apparatus, but it happens to include illegal dealing in contraband. I have evidence that you are shipping opium, heroin and amphetamines to Voltar. I am ending that traffic."
"You can't!" said Faht Bey.
"Oh, yes, I can," said Heller. "Under my own cognizance and as a Royal officer of the Fleet enforcing His Majesty's regulations, I am commandeering this whole base in the name of the Voltar Fleet."
"The Chief of the Apparatus would kill us!" said Faht Bey.