That seemed highly significant to Maddox. “Are there more drones inside?”
“That’s a good question,” the professor said. “I don’t think so.”
“But you don’t know for certain?”
“Not for certain,” Ludendorff agreed. “Yet, as you suggested earlier, I wouldn’t have boarded the shuttle if I believed we were going to run into another Builder drone.”
Maddox maneuvered closer until the rotation became visible to the naked eye. At that point, the professor projected the sensor data onto the flight screen. Every rotation showed a metal circular area, the exit to a Builder launch tube, as the professor named it. The door was closed, and no extraneous junk lay on the asteroid’s surface.
“Do you still think we should land?” Maddox asked.
The professor studied a still-shot of the portal. The curved lines in the door made it seem the Builder hatch would dilate open.
“Match velocities with the asteroid,” Ludendorff said.
“You haven’t answered my question,” Maddox said. “Do you want to land?”
“I want a better view of the portal before I decide.”
“Professor, maybe it’s time we chose our goal for this flight. Treasure hunting seems like a waste of effort and resources. We have to reach the Nexus.” Maddox frowned. “Well, I don’t even know why that’s important. We’ve reached the asteroid field. You said the planet-killer used to be here. What exactly are you looking for? Another key to the doomsday device?”
“What you call treasure hunting, I call searching for clues.” Ludendorff paused, as if he’d said too much. “It is imperative we land.”
“Because…?” Maddox asked.
“This might give us a clue to the planet-killer,” Ludendorff said.
Maddox studied the professor, finally turning to his board. He eased them closer and began to circle the rocky object as it rotated. The captain circled the rock faster and faster until the smooth surface looked as if it was standing still below them.
“We can’t walk on the surface,” Meta said. “I’ve checked the asteroid’s mass. It’s infinitesimal compared to the rotation. If we attempt to walk on the surface, we’ll fly off into space.”
“I have no intention of walking on the surface,” the professor said. “I want you to ease down until you’re over the portal. We’ll broaden the shuttle’s gravity dampener to include the portal. Then, we can go down and examine the opening from an underbelly access hatch.”
“Sounds tricky,” Maddox said. “I’d want Keith piloting and Dana along for insurance before we attempted that.”
“Fortunately,” the professor said, “you have the best of both worlds in me. I know what to do.” The man stood. “If you please, Captain.”
Maddox allowed the professor to take his place in the pilot’s seat.
Ludendorff lowered the craft with consummate skill. Gently, the shuttle bumped against the surface, with the portal directly underneath the small vehicle.
The professor looked up. His eyes shined, and a weird smile stretched his lips. “Finally,” he breathed, “after all this time.” He rubbed his gloved hands together.
Abruptly, Ludendorff stood, heading for the hatch in his awkward penguin shuffle. “Leave the controls. I’ve set them.”
Maddox glanced at Meta.
“You’d better follow him,” she whispered. “If he’s going to find treasure, maybe you should grab our share.”
“Right,” Maddox said, heading for the locker room.
The professor climbed down a ladder as Maddox rushed past him. The captain raced to the locker area, flinging open an access panel. As quickly as possible, Maddox donned a vacc-suit. His stomach tightened. Trying to rush this could lead to a deadly mistake later. He slowed down even though he didn’t want to. What was the professor’s problem?
Finally, Maddox screwed a bubble helmet into place. He lumbered out of the locker room, reached the ladder and climbed down. Soon, he reached the air cycler. The professor had already gone ahead of him.
Maddox chinned on his short-way radio. “Professor,” he said.
There was no answer.
Entering the air cycler, Maddox pressed a button. The section rotated as air hissed out. In seconds, the cycler clicked into its new setting. Maddox exited, moving down a short corridor. The professor crouched over an open hatch in vacuum.
Maddox joined him, looking down at the Builder portal embedded in the asteroid several meters below.
“Professor,” Maddox radioed.
Ludendorff looked up at him. The man’s eyes shined even more weirdly than before. “I’m here,” the professor said. “I can hardly believe it.”
“Why does it matter? The portal is shut.”
With a gloved hand, the professor unsealed a pouch on his vacc-suit. He took out a small device, aimed it at the portal and pressed a button.
To Maddox’s astonishment, the ancient portal began to dilate open.
“Ahhh,” the professor said. “It worked. Did you see that? It worked.”
“Captain,” Meta radioed.
“What is it?” Maddox asked her.
“Victory just sent us a message,” Meta said. “There’s another Builder drone. It’s heading straight for us.”
Maddox stared at Ludendorff. “Did you hear that?” he asked the professor.
Ludendorff gave him a crazy grin. Then, the man looked down at the open launch tube. Bright lights came on inside.
Maddox glanced over the man’s shoulder. A vast hollowed out area appeared inside the asteroid.
“We have to get out of here,” Meta radioed.
“Professor,” Maddox said. “We have to leave.”
Instead of responding, Ludendorff began to climb down the underbelly hatch, clearly intending to enter the launch tube.
“Professor!” Maddox shouted. “Didn’t you hear Meta? Another silver drone is heading toward us. We have to leave.”
Ludendorff paused long enough to look up at Maddox. A strange, fixed smile was his only answer.
“I’ll leave you,” Maddox said.
The professor began climbing down again.
“You loony bastard,” Maddox said. Throwing himself onto his stomach, the captain grabbed protrusions on the professor’s vacc-suit. With a surge of strength, Maddox hauled Ludendorff off the ladder.
The professor shouted, reaching up.
Maddox strained, employing his considerable hybrid strength. Ludendorff’s gloved hands clamped onto Maddox’s wrists, trying to pry off the captain’s grip.
“I’m going down,” the professor said harshly. “You don’t understand what’s at stake.”
Maddox heaved, pulling the professor up. “Meta!” he shouted. “Lift off, lift off. Get us off the surface.”
“No!” the professor said. “Don’t do it.”
“Are you mad?” Maddox panted.
The two men struggled, Ludendorff trying to pry himself free, Maddox hanging on, attempting to drag the other up into the craft. Around them, the shuttle shuddered.
“No,” Ludendorff said. “I’ve waited longer than you can you imagine to get here. Let go of me.”
Maddox saved his breath for the struggle. What had happened to the professor? Why did the man risk his life for this? It didn’t make sense.
Slowly, the shuttle lifted, gaining greater separation by the second.
“Look!” Maddox yelled. “We’re too high now. You have to come back inside.”
Through his bubble helmet, Ludendorff looked down. The portal receded from view, as did the hollow, lit interior. More of the asteroid’s surface appeared.
The professor released Maddox’s wrists, digging into a pouch on his vacc-suit. Ludendorff came up with a shock rod.
“We’re too high,” Maddox said.
The professor slapped the shock rod against Maddox’s left wrist. Power crackled, some of it buzzing through the suit.
Maddox’s hand opened involuntarily.
Ludendorff slapped the other wrist. The professor fell free for several meters and should have floated once out of the gravity dampener’s range.