Karen stuck her head up. "Hey! Water Boss! There's canned water here."
"Well, goody for me!"
Joe said, "I had forgotten that. This hatch hasn't been opened since the shelter was stocked."
"Joe, shall I knock out the braces?"
"I'll get 'em. You clear out the supplies. Duke, this isn't armored the way the door is. Those braces hold a piece of boiler plate against the opening, with the supplies behind it and the manhole cover holding it all down. Inside the tunnel, at ten foot intervals, are walls of sandbags, and the mouth has dirt over it. Your father said the idea was to cofferdam a blast. Let it in, slow it down, a piece at a time."
"We'll find those sandbags jammed against that boiler plate."
"If so, we'll dig 'em out."
"Why didn't he use real armor?"
"He thought this was safer. You saw what happened to the doors. I would hate to have to pry loose a steel barrier in that tunnel."
"I see. Joe, I'm sorry I ever called this place a 'hole in the ground.'"
"Well, it isn't. It's a machine-a survival machine."
"I'm through," Karen announced. "Some gentleman help me up. Or you, Duke."
"I'll put the lid on with you under it." Duke helped his sister to climb out.
Joe climbed down, flinching at the strain on his ribs. Dr. Livingstone had been superintending. Now he followed his friend into the hole, using Joe's shoulders as a landing.
"Duke, if you'll hand me that sledge- Stay out of the way, Doc. Get your tail down."
"Want me to take him?" asked Karen.
"No, he likes to be in on things. Somebody hold the light." The braces were removed and piled on the floor above.
"Duke, I need the tackle now. I don't want to hoist the plate. Just take its weight so I can swing it back. It's heavy."
"Here it comes."
"That's good. Doc! Darn you, Doc! Get out from under my feet! Just a steady strain, Duke. Somebody hand me the flashlight. I'll swing her back and have a look."
"And get a face full of isotopes."
"Have to chance it. A touch more- That's got her, she's swinging free."
Then Joe didn't say anything. At last Duke said, "What do you see?"
"I'm not sure. Let me swing it back, and hand me one brace."
"Right over your head. Joe, what do you see?"
The Negro was swinging the plate back when suddenly he grunted. "Doe! Doe, come back here! That little scamp! Between my legs and into the tunnel. Doc!"
"He can't get far."
"Well- Karen, will you go wake your father?"
"Damn it, Joe! What do you see?" "Duke, I don't know. That's why I need Hugh." "I'm coming down."
"There isn't room. I'm coming up, so Hugh can go down."
Hugh arrived as Joe scrambled out. "Joe, what do you have?"
"Hugh, I would rather you looked yourself."
"Well- I should have built a ladder for this. Give me a hand." Hugh went down, removed the brace, swung back the plate.
He stared even longer than Joe had, then called up. "Duke! Let's heave this plate out."
"What is it, Dad?"
"Get the plate out, then you can come down." It was hoisted out; father and son exchanged places. Duke stared down the tunnel. "That's enough, Duke. Here's a hand."
Duke rejoined them; his father said, "What do you think?"
"I don't believe it."
"Daddy," Karen said tensely, "somebody is going to talk, or I'm going to wrap this sledgehammer around somebody's skull."
"Yes, baby. Uh, there's room for you girls to go down together."
Barbara was handed down by Duke and Hugh, she helped Karen down over her. Both girls scrunched down and looked.
Karen said softly, "I'll be goldarned!" She started crawling into the tunnel.
Hugh called out, "Baby! Come back!" Karen did not answer. He added, "Barbara, tell me what you see."
"I see," Barbara said slowly, "a beautiful wooded hillside, green trees, bushes, and a lovely sunny day."
"That's what we saw."
"But it's impossible."
"Yes."
"Karen is outside. The tunnel isn't more than eight feet long. She's holding Dr. Livingstone. She says, 'Come on out!" "Tell her to get away from the mouth. It's probably radioactive."
"Karen! Get away from the tunnel! Hugh, what time is it?"
"Just past seven."
"Well, it's more like noon outside. I think."
"I've quit thinking." "Hugh, I want to go out."
"Uh- Oh, hell! Don't tarry at the mouth. And be careful."
"I will." She started to crawl.
Chapter 4
Hugh turned to his deputy. "Joe, I'm going out. Get me a forty-five and a belt. I shouldn't have let those girls go out unarmed." He eased himself down the hole. "You two guard the place."
His son said, "Against what? There's nothing to guard in here."
His father hesitated. "I don't know. Just a spooky feeling. All right, come along. But arm yourself. Joe!"
"Coming!"
"Joe, arm Duke and yourself. Then wait until we get outside. If we don't come back right away, use your judgment. This situation I hadn't anticipated. It just can't be."
"But it is."
"So it is, Duke." Hugh buckled on the pistol, dropped to his knees. Framed in the tunnel's mouth was still the vision of lush greenness where there should have been blasted countryside and crater glass. He started to crawl.
He stood up and moved away from the mouth, then looked around.
"Daddy! Isn't this lovely!"
Karen was below him on a slope that ran down to a stream. Across it the land rose and was covered with trees. On this side was a semi-clearing. The sky was blue, sunlight warm and bright, and there was no sign of war's devastation, nor any sign of man-not a building, a road, a path, no contrails in the sky. It was wilderness, and there was nothing that he recognized.
"Daddy, I'm going down to the creek."
"Come here! Where's Barbara?"
"Up here, Hugh." He turned and saw her up the slope, above the shelter. "I'm trying to figure out what happened. What do you think?"
The shelter sat cocked on the slope, a huge square monolith. Dirt clung to it save where the tunnel had cracked off and a jagged place where the stairwell had been. The armor door was exposed just above him.
"I don't think," he admitted.
Duke emerged, dragging a rifle. He stood up, looked around, and said nothing.
Barbara and Karen joined them. Dr.-Livingstone-I-Presume came bounding up to tag Hugh on the ankle and dash away. Obviously the Persian gave the place full approval; it was just right for cats.
Duke said, "I give up. Tell me."
Hugh did not answer. Karen said, "Daddy, why can't I go down to the creek? I'm going to take a bath. I stink."
"It won't hurt you to stink. I'm confused. I don't want to be confused still more by worrying about your drowning-"
"It's shallow."
"-or eaten by a bear, or falling in quicksand. You girls go inside, arm yourselves, and then come out if you want to. But stick close and keep your eyes peeled. Tell Joe to come out."
"Yes, sir." The girls went.
"What do you think, Duke?"
"Well... I reserve my opinion."
"If you have one, it's more than I have. Duke, I'm stonkered. I planned for all sorts of things. This wasn't on the list. If you have opinions, for God's sake spill them."
"Well- This looks like mountain country in Central America. Of course that's impossible."