SUNGLASESS AND ROCKETS Part 2: The Machine

THE GUARDIANS

"Disembarking?" Darwin repeated.

"Doctor!" I persisted.

I thought about calling him again, but hesitated.

"He's not coming out!" Darwin said. "He's trying to close the hatches!"

Precisely, a metallic screeching grumble invaded the environment. The gears of the hatches were probably separating. I took a last glance at the hatchway.

You could not even see the doctor's shadow. I turned around.

"Let's get the hell out of here!"

Darwin had already found his way to the tower.

"To the roof and then, straight to the duct! On the count of three! Ready?"

Good idea. We were counting on the jet-packs: we could easily jump from the bridge to the roof of the building—behind the tower—and then, fly to rear, where the duct which would lead us to the beach was.

I rubbed my hands together and grasped the controls. Red lights were flashing in the distance. They were emerging from the cracks in the vault...

"Ready!"

My friend's left arm was extended.

"One...two..." he started to count rhythmically with his fingers. "...three. Go!"

I pressed the buttons.

Nothing happened. I pressed the buttons again.

Nothing.

Desperately, I tried to reproduce the frenetic movements that I had made before in the elevator when I managed to activate the jet-pack.

Nothing at all!

I raised my eyes. Darwin was not lifting off either. The red lights were multiplying in the distant cracks...

"What are we going to do?" I asked in distress. "They are coming into the silo!"

My friend did not hear. He was stepping forward little by little.

"Come on!" he shouted. "Come on!"

He attempted a jump to aid himself. He fell back on the same spot. He jumped more impetuously. He fell down again.

The bridge rumbled scandalously and started to tip forward.

"Oh, God!"

The building across seemed to be ascending. The weight of our backpacks pulled us backwards. I leaned forward and took a few steps: I began to climb! The grating was not the floor of the bridge any more. It was a wire netting of a twisted ramp, which declivity increased at the sound of the metallic creaks...I was sticking my fingers between the wires and lifted my body almost with hand and wrist. My feet could not find any support. They were bumping against the wire netting and slipped down.

All of a sudden, I heard Darwin's voice: "Watch out!"

I slightly raised my eyes. There were sharp ends a short distance away, the bridge was splitting right there. The section from the other side looked intact. I extended my right arm and managed to hold on fast to the shapeless iron.

"To your left!" Darwin called. "To your left!"

I knew that Darwin was ahead of me. I noticed with my peripheral vision that he was appearing in the upper section.

"Here I go!"

I swayed to my left. I passed one leg over and locked it. I used it for support and swung the other leg over. I turned around quickly, and ended up with my chest against the grating. The scorched platform and the rubble from the silo's hatches falling on it appeared before my eyes with no obstacle in the way.