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THE SENTINEL BUSTLED them out of the chamber with vague portents of approaching doom. Myrch was waiting for them when they came back and had found a quiet office near the river pipe for them to eat and rest in, while they decided what was to be done next.
“So?” Myrch said.
“Well, we’ve found what became of the Machine-folk now, and the map is more detailed than its ever been. Let’s go home,” Padg said.
“We still haven’t found Dun’s father,” Tali said.
“Haven’t we found out what happened to him though?” Padg said.
“We can’t know that,” Dun said.
“We know where he went, toward the Over-folk or whatever they’re called; he never came back,” Padg said.
“Can’t we go on a little more? It just feels like there’s so much unfinished,” Dun said. “If we were the first Bridge-folk to find a new folk and return to tell the tale, they’ll be singing songs about us.”
“That doesn’t really matter to you though, does it?” Padg said.
Dun sighed. “What about the fish? We’ve don’t even have an idea what’s happened to them, or the river for that matter.”
“I know,” Padg said. “I know, I just can’t help feeling we’re pushing our luck.”
“It can’t hurt to approach carefully, investigate briefly, and then return home,” Myrch said.
“I’m game,” Tali said. “Who knows what new reagents I might come home with.”
“Padg?” Dun said.
Now it was Padg’s turn to sigh. “All right. But I reserve the right to say ‘told you so’. What’s the plan?”
“Well,” Myrch said, “from what you’ve added to the map we are six or so bends in the pipe from where there seems to be more of ‘above.’”
“That was all from memory though,” Dun said. “He wouldn’t let us back into the globe room once we’d come out.”
“It gives us a rough idea though,” Myrch said. “Even with a completely accurate map, we’d still be guessing once we got there.”
“The whole thing still gives me the creeps,” Padg said.
“Well, what about I scout ahead?” Myrch said. “And then find another bolt-hole we can hide in? We can reconnoiter from there.”
“You seem a little sure you’re going to find one,” Padg said.
“There are plenty of side passages and inspection hatches all over here; there’s bound to be something,” Myrch said.
Before they’d even come to a consensus, Myrch left. The others sat still. Tali silently broke out rations and handed them round, issuing flasks of the water from the Machine-people fountain. It made small comfort.
“Wait,” Dun said suddenly. “I’ve got an idea.”
“The whole ideas thing,” Padg said, “is becoming old.” But Dun had gone too, leaving a whisp of scent.
“Oh great, and then there were two,” Padg said.
“Let him go,” Tali said. “He at least knows where he’s going. Do you?”
For once Padg was speechless.
“Well? You came on this crazy outing because...”
“Because... Well, because...”
“Shall I tell you?” Tali said. “Because you love him, you idiot.”
“I still don’t want him to go on this crazy suicide mission after the ghost of his father,” Padg said, hurt.
“I know, but you’ll follow him all the same.”
“We both will, won’t we?”
“Yeah, but not for the same reasons,” she said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Never mind and pass me that water back, idiot.”
They waited huddled into a corner, cold and tired, unsure who would return first. Then distant clanking from behind them startled them into action.
“Someone coming,” Tali hissed.
“‘Kay,” Padg said, drawing his knife and pressing himself farther against the bulkhead.
The clanking stopped, and so did any echo or air-sense of what was there. The silence billowed out.
“What the..?” Padg said under his breath.
“I was sure...” Tali said.
“I heard it too,” Padg said.
“Shh!”
There was the merest scraping noise and a tiny waft of air. Then again, closer still. And again closer, Padg and Tali tensed, ready.
“Boo!” Dun said.
“How the...” Padg said. “You complete motherless wretch, Dun! You scared the life out of me!”
“Also,” Tali said, “how in the hells did you do that?”
“Neat, huh?” Dun said.
“What the hells is it?” Padg said.
‘That crazy ‘hiding machine’ that the Sentinel had,” Dun said.
“What? He’s given it to you?” Padg said.
“No,” Dun said. “Lent it to us more like.”
“What does it do?” Tali said.
“Masks your scent, your air-sense, noises, from anyone.”
“That’s astonishing,” Tali said.
“Yep.” The grin in Dun’s voice was evident.
“How does it work?” Padg said.
“Well, there’s this big, floppy, shield thing, and then a cable going to this box thing that he said was some kind of power pack. There’s a switch you flick on it and... swoosh, you’re gone.”
“Neat!” Padg said. “So, err, what are we going to do with it?”
“Hide, of course. If Myrch has scouted somewhere to go a little farther on, then we go there, use it as a door. Then wait for any activity. If there is none, we move a bit farther on. And so on.”
“You know, that actually sounds like a good plan,” Tali said.
Dun huffed. His sulk was a short one though as Myrch returned.
“It’s a bit farther on than I’d have hoped but three bends farther on there’s a pipe that joins the main corridor from the side. There’s some kind of hatch at the end of it, but I think we can jam it from our side; it’s got plenty of handles on it,” Myrch said.
“That sounds perfect,” Dun said. “And wait till we tell you about our new toy.”
They sploshed back into the pipe, the water ankle deep, although no one knew what kind of noise, if any, they made, as Dun went in front with Myrch and the hiding-machine. The cross-pipe wasn’t as far on as Dun feared from Myrch’s description and as they settled into it; it was pleasingly just above the level of water in the main pipe. Dun set up the hiding-machine and flicked the switch. From their side of the shield, there was a faint hum.
“What now?” Padg said.
“We wait,” Myrch said.
