I found a small powder keg and set a fuse about five feet long in it. The principle was simple enough. The only thing I wasn’t sure was how long the fuse would take to burn. That was a chance.
Jimmy and I talked about what we would do while the men on the far side of the parade ground were being given their orders. It was almost like playing Paper-Scissors-Rock, where you both decide what you’re going to do and then reveal at the same time. We’d make our plans, and they would make theirs, and then we’d see who won. I gave Jimmy my gun and he loaded it. We then slipped out the back door again. I trailed another fuse out the door behind us.
I said, “Start firing in forty seconds.”
Jimmy said, “Yes,” and he slipped away along the buildings.
I crouched in the dark with my back to the fence and took out a match. I shielded it carefully and scratched it on the lighter board. It didn’t light and so I struck it again. It flared into light and I touched it to the fuse end. The fuse began to sputter and I waved out the match, lifted the small powder keg and went around the side of the building.
Then down the way Jimmy opened up over the heads of the men in formation. They fell to the ground and began to fire back. I trusted Jimmy to keep his head down.
I didn’t hesitate. I plunged straight out onto the parade ground. The keg was heavy and I concentrated simply on running for the scoutship ramp. I don’t know if anybody saw me or if I was shot at. I just concentrated on running. As I got to the ramp, the powder house blew up in a great flash of light and noise. Pieces of the building flew into the air. The concussion knocked me to my knees, but I got up again immediately and dashed up the ramp.
Inside the scoutship, I didn’t hesitate but went immediately to the control room. I set the keg on the pilot’s seat, right next to the main panel. Through the dome I could see men and confusion everywhere. Nobody was firing now. Fire from the powder house had spread to one of the barracks and men were running for water.
I lit another match and touched this fuse off. Then I went down the stairs as fast as I could. Outside, I looked back at the scoutship. Great shadows and flickerings were reflected on the dull metal.
Somebody ran into me then and said, “Watch out there,” and ran on. The parade ground was a crisscrossing of men and nobody even noticed me.
I was beginning to despair, to think I’d have to go back and relight the fuse, when I felt a dull whump. These people were not going to use the scoutship again.
I slipped between the buildings, out of the parade ground, and out of the light and noise. The fences were deserted. It took me several difficult minutes to climb over. Then I climbed through the tree and brush-covered hillside slowly.
At the top, very near the place from which Jimmy and I had made our observations in the afternoon, I looked back at the army compound. The fire had spread to a second building and men like ants rushed around. I watched for a few minutes and then I went on.
Jimmy was waiting by the horses when I got there.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
“Yes. I’m all right. But I dropped the signal.”
I gasped.
“I’m just kidding,” he said.
I sat down on a rock and spread my torn pant leg. Somewhat gingerly, I touched my leg.
“What’s the matter?”
“Oh, I cut myself going over the fence the first time.”
“That’s too bad,” Jimmy said. He took a look himself. “Its not too bad. Do you want me to kiss it and make it well?”
“Would you?”
Jimmy stood up then and looked toward the light-streaked sky. He waved at it. “You know, that’s an awful lot of trouble to make simply because you can’t bring yourself to hit somebody.”
19
The final morning on Tintera was beautiful. We and the horses were in a rock-enclosed aerie high on a mountainside near the coast. In the aerie were grass and a small rock spring, and this day, the final day, was bright with only a few piled clouds riding high in the sky and warm enough that we could put our coats aside. We had eaten breakfast and packed one final time, and now we were just sitting quietly in the sun.
Looking from the top of the rocks, you could see over miles of expanse. On one side, the mountain dropped and beyond it you could see miles of ocean, gray flecked with white, see part of the coast and shore, brown cliff and dark wet rocks and a narrow beach, see occasional birds gliding on the wind and imagine their calls. Turning your gaze inland, you could see upland meadows in the foreground and mountains much like this one beyond, making a line along the coast. Farther inland were lower hills and curving valleys, blending together, all covered with another rolling sea of trees, a sea at close range made of varying shades of gray and green, but at a distance an even olive.
Down there, under that sea, were all sorts of things — wild Losels and men hunting us. We had seen the Losels and they had seen us; they had gone their way and we had gone ours. The men hunting us we hadn’t had a glimpse of for four days, and that last time they hadn’t even seen us. Also under that sea might be some of the other kids from the Ship, but we hadn’t seen them at all.
Early in the morning we triggered the signal. It was six hours before the ship came. We passed the time quietly, keeping one eye on guard, talking. There was a tiny little animal chittering and nipping around the rocks and I tossed it some food.
We went aboard when the scout came, and put our horses away. Mr. Pizarro was there, checking us back aboard. We were the sixth and seventh.
I said to Jimmy, “I’m going upstairs and talk to George.”
“All right,” he said. “I’ll tell Mr. Pizarro what happened to us.”
We thought they ought to know. Certainly things had been more adventurous for us than anything we thought might have been counted on during Trial. So I went upstairs to see George.
“Congratulations, Adult,” he said when he saw me. “I knew you’d make it.”
“Hello, George,” I said. “Tell me, have you had any trouble in picking up people so far?”
“No trouble,” he said, “but I have been worrying. Look.” He waved his hand at the grid he was using as a guide for his pickups. There were nowhere near twenty-nine lights. I counted them and there were twelve.
“The last light came on two hours ago,” George said. “I’m afraid a lot of people aren’t going to get picked up.”
I told him a little of what had happened to us. I stayed upstairs while we dropped down and picked up Venie Morlock, and then another double pickup. Then I went down and sat with Jimmy.
I said, “There are only six more pickups to make. Look how few of us there are.”
“Is it that bad?” Jimmy said. “I wonder what the Council will say.”
There were only ten of us aboard now. Jimmy and I and Venie were safe, but Att and Helen and Riggy were not yet aboard.
All of a sudden, George called for attention over the speaker. “All right, kids — shut up and listen. One of our people is down there. I didn’t get close enough to see who, but whoever it is is being shot at. We’re going to have to bust him out. I’ll give you two minutes to get your weapons and then I’m going to buzz down and try to get him out. I want all of you outside and laying down a covering fire.”
Some of the kids had their weapons with them. Jimmy and I hopped for the gear racks and got out our pistols. I loaded mine for the first time. There were eleven of us, including Mr. Pizarro, and four ramps to the outside. Jimmy and I and Jack Femandez-Fragoso stood by one ramp. Then George swooped down, touched light as a feather, and dropped all four ramps.
We dived down the ramp. Jack went left, Jimmy center, and I to the right. We were at the top of a wooded slope and my momentum and the slant put me right where I wanted to be — flat on my face. I rolled behind a tree and looked over to see Jimmy almost hidden by a bush.