What are you planning to do?
If I can't get a patch, I got to make one, Mr. Knowles. This suit is the only thing around. I started to help him a clumsy job since he had to keep his hand on the leak.
You can stuff my shirt in the hole, Knowles suggested.
I'd as soon bail water with a fork. It's got to be the suit; there's nothing else around that will hold the pressure. When he was free of the suit, he had me smooth out a portion of the back, then, as he snatched his hand away, I slapped the suit down over the leak. Konski promptly sat on it. There, he said happily, we've got it corked. Nothing to do but wait.
I started to ask him why he hadn't just sat down on the leak while wearing the suit; then I realized that the seat of the suit was corrugated with insulation he needed a smooth piece to seal on to the sticky stuff left by the balloons.
Let me see your hand, Knowles demanded.
It's nothing much. But Knowles examined it anyway. I looked at it and got a little sick. He had a mark like a stigma on the palm, a bloody, oozing wound. Knowles made a compress of his handkerchief and then used mine to tie it in place.
Thank you, gentlemen, Konski told us, then added, We've got time to kill. How about a little pinochle?
With your cards? asked Knowles.
Why, Mr. Knowles! Well never mind. It isn't right for paymasters to gamble anyhow. Speaking of paymasters, you realize this is pressure work now, Mr. Knowles?
For a pound and four tenths differential?
I'm sure the union would take that view in the circumstances.
Suppose I sit on the leak?
But the rate applies to helpers, too.
Okay, miser triple-time it is.
That's more like your own sweet nature, Mr. Knowles. I hope it's a nice long wait.
How long a wait do you think it will be, Fatso?
Well, it shouldn't take them more than an hour, even if they have to come all the way from Richardson.
Hmm...what makes you think they will be looking for us?
Huh? Doesn't your office know where you are?
I'm afraid not. I told them I wouldn't be back today.
Konski thought about it. I didn't drop my time card. They'll know I'm still inside.
Sure they will tomorrow, when your card doesn't show up at my office.
There's that lunkhead on the gate. He'll know he's got three extra inside.
Provided he remembers to tell his relief. And provided he wasn't caught in it, too.
Yes, I guess so, Konski said thoughtfully. Jack better quit pumping that light. You just use up more oxygen.
We sat there in the darkness for quite a long time, speculating about what had happened. Konski was sure it was an explosion; Knowles said that it put him in mind of a time when he had seen a freight rocket crash on take off. When the talk started to die out, Konski told some stories. I tried to tell one, but I was so nervous so afraid, I should say that I couldn't remember the snapper. I wanted to scream.
After a long silence Konski said, Jack, give us the light again. I got something figured out.
What is it? Knowles asked.
If we had a patch, you could put on my suit and go for help.
There's no oxygen for the suit.
That's why I mentioned you. You're the smallest there'll be enough air in the suit itself to take you through the next section.
Well okay. What are you going to use for a patch?
I'm sitting on it.
Huh?
This big broad, round thing I'm sitting on. I'll take my pants off. If I push one of my hams against that hole, I'll guarantee you it'll be sealed tight.
But No, Fats, it won't do. Look what happened to your hand. You'd hemorrhage through your skin and bleed to death before I could get back.
I'll give you two to one I wouldn't for fifty, say.
If I win, how do I collect?
You're a cute one, Mr. Knowles. But look I've got two or three inches of fat padding me. I won't bleed much a strawberry mark, no more.
Knowles shook his head. It's not necessary. If we keep quiet, there's air enough here for several days.
It's not the air, Mr. Knowles. Noticed it's getting chilly?
I had noticed, but hadn't thought about it. In my misery and funk being cold didn't seem anything more than appropriate. Now I thought about it. When we lost the power line, we lost the heaters, too. It would keep getting colder and colder...and colder.
Mr. Knowles saw it, too. Okay, Fats. Let's get on with it.
I sat on the suit while Konski got ready. After he got his pants off he snagged one of the tag-alongs, burst it, and smeared the sticky insides on his right buttock. Then he turned to me. Okay, kid up off the nest. We made the swap-over fast, without losing much air, though the leak hissed angrily. Comfortable as an easy chair, folks. He grinned.
Knowles hurried into the suit and left, taking the light with him. We were in darkness again.
After a while, I heard Konski's voice. There's a game we can play in the dark, Jack. You play chess?
Why, yes play at it, that is.
A good game. Used to play it in the decompression chamber when I was working under the Hudson. What do you say to twenty on a side, just to make it fun?
Uh? Well, all right. He could have made it a thousand; I didn't care.
Fine. King's pawn to king three.
Uh king's pawn to king's four.
Conventional, aren't you? Puts me in mind of a girl I knew in Hoboken What he told about her had nothing to do with chess, although it did prove she was conventional, in a manner of speaking. King's bishop to queen's bishop four. Remind me to tell you about her sister, too. Seems she hadn't always been a redhead, but she wanted people to think so. So she sorry. Go ahead with your move.
I tried to think but my head was spinning. Queen's pawn to queen three.
Queen to king's bishop three. Anyhow, she He went on in great detail. It wasn't new and I doubt if it ever happened to him, but it cheered me up. I actually smiled, there in the dark. It's your move, he added.
Oh. I couldn't remember the board. I decided to get ready to castle, always fairly safe in the early game. Queen's knight to queen's bishop three.
Queen advances to capture your king's bishop's pawn checkmate. You owe me twenty, Jack.
Huh? Why that can't be!
Want to run over the moves? He checked them off.
I managed to visualize them, then said, Why, I'll be a dirty name! You hooked me with a fool's mate!
He chuckled. You should have kept your eye on my queen instead of on the redhead.
I laughed out loud. Know any more stories?
Sure. He told another. But when I urged him to go on, he said, I think I'll just rest a little while, Jack.
I got up. You all right, Fats? He didn't answer; I felt my way over to him in the dark. His face was cold and he didn't speak when I touched him. I could hear his heart faintly when I pressed an ear to his chest, but his hands and feet were like ice.
I had to pull him loose; he was frozen to the spot. I could feel the ice, though I knew it must be blood. I started to try to revive him by rubbing him, but the hissing of the leak brought me up short. I tore off my own trousers, had a panicky time before I found the exact spot in the dark, and sat down on it, with my right buttock pressed firmly against the opening.
It grabbed me like a suction cup, icy cold. Then it was fire spreading through my flesh. After a time I couldn't feel anything at all, except a dull ache and coldness.
There was a light someplace. It flickered on, then went out again. I heard a door clang. I started to shout.
Knowles! I screamed. Mr. Knowles!
The light flickered on again. Coming, Jack
I started to blubber. Oh, you made it! You made it.
I didn't make it, Jack. I couldn't reach the next section. When I got back to the lock I passed out. He stopped to wheeze. There's a crater The light flickered off and fell clanging to the floor. Help me, Jack, he said querulously. Can't you see I need help? I tried to