The Bridge: A Science Fiction Survival Story

Chapter 59

"Okay, Tom," said Airomem as she arrived at the section of wall where he waited. "On the other side of this wall is an apartment room. One room over from that is where they are keeping Horatius and Hannah. The problem is, we don't know what is in the first apartment, and we are going to have to move through it. So once we break in, I'm going to need you to guard the door. And if there is anyone inside, you'll need to keep them from getting help."

"You want Tom to hurt them?"

"No, all you have to do is block the door and keep them quiet. As long as it stays shut, we should be okay. Now, ready?"

"Ready."

With a careful hand, she began to slice with the Omni-cutter – here, she was far closer to the windows than she had been earlier, and under no circumstances did she want an accidental gash to expose the entire farmland to space.

Unlike earlier, she cut away a large section of the wall, comprised of rectangles six feet wide and as tall as she could reach, exposing the interior wall. With each completion, Tom helped her lift and set aside the rectangle blocks, their movements considerably more strained than the other porters due to the increase in size.

"You as strong as Tom!" he exclaimed after the second one, when beads of sweat appeared thick on his forehead.

"Yes, but I'm cheating," she said, gesturing at her suit.

Several minutes later, the wall lay bare, and she walked along its edge, searching the metal. Then, she stopped, her fingers parting two bundles of wires, and her expression triumphant.

There, along the smooth metal, were a set of fasteners. A rectangle of them, several feet apart, which would be holding a piece of furniture in place on the other side within the apartment. In this case, a wardrobe or closet, whose back was flush with the inner wall.

"Tom, have you ever heard of the bogeyman?" she asked, clearing away more wires.

"The who?"

"The bogeyman. He hides in closets and comes out at night to scare children. It's just a story."

"No bogeyman on this side of the ship," he answered, his voice resolute.

"That's where you're wrong," she said, and started to cut. "I'm going to need you to be our bogeyman. And this is your closet."