There was only one thing that spared all of us in those next few
minutes. That was the fact that the Toties did not know _exactly_ where
we were. Somehow they had learned the approximate location of Dr.
Mallory's mountain hide-away, but not in vain had the aged scientist
spent twenty years nurturing plant life to form a perfect barricade of
concealment about the dim, squat buildings. From above, the wooded dell
that hid his laboratory must have looked like one of thousands such.
Therefore they scattered their shots. One bomb exploded a quarter mile
from Mallory's house; I learned afterward that it killed two workmen
who had been laying in cordwood. Others exploded as far as five miles
away as the hive of lethal wasps eddied back and forth, bombing the
entire countryside with abandon.
A thousand questions seethed through my brain, but there was no time
now to ponder the answers. No time to ask why, or how, the Toties had
learned of this place. I seized Maureen's elbow, half-led, half-dragged
her toward the laboratory. Above the crashing din I howled in her ear,
"To the cavern! That's the only safe--"
The rest was lost in an ear-splitting thunderbolt. But she knew what I
meant.
We were not the only ones who fled to the security of the house.
The lab was the lodestone toward which all we tiny, helpless motes
gravitated. By the time we reached it, the shaking walls were jammed
with soldiers, workers, women, who had sought refuge there.
A few of these were itching for action. Such a one was Danny Wilson.
He was pleading with Mallory, "How about it, Doc? Just one of them
anti-craft guns? We can get it up here in no time."
"No. They don't know just where we are, Wilson. A shot would locate us
definitely. We must remain silent and take our chances against a lucky
placement."
Krassner, his handsome face oddly pale, clutched at Mallory's arm.
"This cavern you were talking about, Mallory. Take us there! We'll all
be blown to bits--"
Joe Sanders' nose wrinkled, he looked at the airman disgustedly, and
spat. Mingled with my own contemptuous reaction to Krassner's demand,
I felt a warming glow of pride in my men. Each of them had realized,
as had Maureen and I, that the only safe place was the underground
shelter. But each of them had wanted, before we took to that refuge, at
least one vengeful poke at the enemy. Quivering capitulation like this
rubbed them the wrong way.
But Mallory, serene as ever, had already led the way to the secret
entrance. He pressed the knobs, the door swung open. I was beside
Krassner as he did so; I saw the look of surprise on the aviator's face
as he saw the long tunnel that fed to the depths beneath. I couldn't
restrain the taunt.
"Thought Mallory was insane, eh, Krassner? Does this look like the work
of a madman?"
He muttered something incoherent. Then Pelham-Jones, whose squad had
been quartered farthest from the main house, burst into the room
excitedly.
"They're landing foray parties, Brian! How long will it take to get
everyone out of here?"