Charles Sheffield - The Spheres of Heaven

Bony felt a curious heat and pressure in his belly, as though the inside was being cooked in a microwave oven at high setting. He stepped hurriedly backward, and a faucet for the delivery of air to the lock poked him hard in the small of his back. He exclaimed in pain.

Liddy laughed. “What are you doing? I’m not infectious.”

“If Indigo comes down here, and sees us together like this …”

“Like what? You haven’t touched me. And he was the one who told me to go with you and try to be useful for a change.”

“He’s an absolute bastard.”

“Everything’s relative. I saw a lot worse when I was growing up.”

“Where was that?” Bony turned away, partly to study the hatch design and partly to escape Liddy’s eyes. “I know you said you lived down on Earth.”

“I did, but I’m not sure it would mean anything to you. Did you ever hear of a place called the Shambles?”

Bony couldn’t help staring at her. “No.”

“Yes, you did.” She cocked her head to one side. “Your face gives you away. Why won’t you tell me the truth?”

“I’ve heard bad things about the Shambles. It’s supposed to be the worst of the Terran basement warrens.”

“It’s like most places, some parts better than others. I was lucky. I was educated at one of the better schools.”

“Which one was that?” Bony knew more about the Shambles than he was willing to admit, and schools were not what came first to mind.

“The Leah Rainbow Academy for the Daughters of Gentlefolk.”

“My God.” It didn’t need his face to give him away this time, the words popped right out.

“Uh-oh.” Liddy grimaced. “You’ve heard of that, too. Then I’ve said too much. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I had no idea, not one in a million off-Earthers has heard of it.”

“I have, because—” Bony was on the point of telling the truth, but he caught himself just in time “—because I’ve read a lot about Earth.”

“That’s even more peculiar. I didn’t think anybody wrote about the Academy. Customers normally came through a personal recommendation.”

“How did you come to be living there? At the Leah Rainbow Academy, I mean.” Bony sank down on his knees, studying the geometry of the lock. The internal air pressure was the same as in the rest of the ship, one standard atmosphere. The hatch was facing almost directly downward. When they closed the inner hatch, sealing themselves off from the ship, and opened the outer hatch just a crack, one of two things would happen. If the outside water pressure was less than the internal air pressure, some air would bubble out. If the outside pressure was greater, water would enter until the pressures equalized.

Were there any other possibilities? Well, there was always the improbable case where the inside and outside pressures were exactly equal, but chances were strongly against that. And there was the case where Bony had forgotten to take account of some crucial variable, and as the hatch was cracked open something totally unforeseen happened.

He was willing to take that risk. But he didn’t see why Liddy should be exposed to it, too. He stood up, suddenly aware that he had asked her a question whose answer he was very much interested in hearing; but he had no idea of how she had replied.

“I’m sorry. You were saying?”

“I wasn’t. I can tell when somebody isn’t listening.” Liddy sounded more amused than annoyed. “I thought I was here to help? All I’ve done so far is stand around.”

“You can help right now. You go back in the ship and stand next to the inner hatch. I’m going to stay here, close the inner hatch, and then open the outer one.”

“Shouldn’t you put a suit on? Suppose the fizziness in the water is something poisonous?”

“The tests say that’s it’s just oxygen, and lots of it. But I’m going to wear a suit anyway. And so are you.”

“Why do I need a suit, if I’m going to stay in the ship?”

“In case you have to do a rescue operation. We will be in radio communication, and I will make sure I keep talking. If I stop, or if I start to sound or act peculiar, don’t wait. Close the outer hatch most of the way — I’ll show you how to do it from inside the ship — then pump air from the ship into the lock until the water is driven out. You may find there’s still a little bit that won’t leave, because the hatch isn’t exactly horizontal. Don’t worry about that. Close the outer hatch completely when it’s as water-free as it will go. Then open the inner hatch, go into the lock in your suit, and drag me into the ship. Seal the inner hatch again. Until all that is done, don’t waste a moment finding out what happened to me. Did you follow all that, and remember it?”

“Yes.” Calm, quiet, and trusting. That made Bony feel good.

“Let’s do it, then. Quickly, Liddy, so I don’t have time to think of anything that might go wrong.”

“Nothing will. I told you, you’re going to save us all.” Liddy didn’t seem capable of a graceless movement. She stripped off her outer clothes and slipped into the suit as though it was something she did every day. Bony, aware that his extra pounds showed a lot more when he was undressed, did the same thing slowly and awkwardly.

Then he was standing in the lock, and Liddy was in the ship. The inner hatch, like the outer one, had a small, round port in it about six inches across. Bony closed the hatch and peered through. He could see Liddy, less than two feet away but with three layers of toughened transparent plastic between them. She raised her eyebrows at him in dumb show, then said over the radio, “All right?”

Bony nodded. “Everything is fine.” He had promised to talk to her nonstop, but that might be more demanding than it sounded. What was there to say? He glanced down at the outer hatch, right beneath his feet. He had to be careful to avoid standing on it as the plate slid to one side to admit whatever it was that lay outside the Mood Indigo , but that was the only thing he had to do; the only thing he could do. When the hatch opened, the rest of it would be out of his hands.

Bony glanced again at the inner hatch. Liddy was still there. She pursed her lips in a kiss and said, “Good luck!”

Bony gave the signal and the outer hatch began to slide open. He watched closely, then said, “External liquid pressure seems to be more than pressure in the ship, but not much more. I think it won’t rise much farther than my knees. So far, things are just the way I expected. When the hatch is fully open, if everything still seems all right I may try a short trip outside.”

“That wasn’t on your original plan.” Liddy sounded alarmed.

“I know, but we can’t stay inside the ship forever. We’ll have to go outside sometime.”

“Don’t take chances, Bony.”

“I won’t.” No one had ever worried on Bony’s behalf before. He decided that he liked it — even if Liddy’s concern was partly for herself. I expect you to save me, too . That was nice. Let’s hope he could justify her confidence. “The outer hatch is fully open now. The liquid level has stopped rising.”

All he had to do was take a step forward, and he would sink down. In another five seconds he could be standing on the seabed of — what?

This was a world with no name. Bony was nowhere, about to take a step into nothingness. Think of a name. Swirlworld . Not precise enough. Heavy-water-world . That was ugly. The world of the deuteron? That would be Deuteronomy — but at the moment he was more interested in Exodus .

“Are you all right?” said Liddy’s anxious voice. “You’ve stopped talking.”