Dont look at me, howled Opal.
The Brill brothers fled to the cockpit, trying to simultaneously bow, look at their feet, not think anything dangerous and, above all, not pass wind.
Mulch was waiting at the rendezvous site when the LEP
shuttle arrived. Butler opened the door and hauled the dwarf in by the collar.
Did you get it? asked Artemis anxiously.
Mulch passed him the bulging bag. Right here! And before you ask, I left the radio.
So everything went according to plan?
Completely, replied Mulch, neglecting to mention the diamond nestling in his stomach wall.
Excellent, said Artemis, striding past the dwarf to the cockpit.
Go, he shouted, thumping Hollys headrest.
Holly already had the shuttle ticking over and was holding it with the brake.
Were gone, she said, releasing the brake and flooring the throttle. The LEP craft bolted out of the rocky outcrop like a pebble from a catapult.
Artemiss legs were dragged from the floor, flapping behind him like windsocks. The rest of him would have followed if he hadnt held on to the headrest.
How much time do we have? Holly asked through lips rippled by G-force.
Artemis pulled himself into the passenger seat. Minutes. The orebody will hit a depth of one hunded and six miles in precisely a quarter of an hour. Opal will be after us any second.
Holly shadowed the chute wall, spinning between two towers of rock. The lower portion of E7 was quite straight, but this stretch corkscrewed through the crust, following the cracks in the plates.
Is this going to work, Artemis? said Holly.
Artemis pondered the question. I considered eight plans, and this was the best one. Even so, we have a sixty-four per cent chance of success. The key is to keep Opal distracted so she doesnt discover the truth. Thats up to you, Holly. Can you do it?
Holly wrapped her fingers round the wheel. Dont worry. Its not often I get a chance to do some fancy flying. Opal will be so busy trying to catch us, she wont have time to consider anything else.
Artemis looked out through the windscreen. They were pointing straight down, towards the centre of the Earth. Gravity fluctuated at this depth and speed, so they were alternately pinned to their chairs and straining to be free of their seatbelts. The chutes blackness enveloped them like tar, except for the cone of light from the shuttles headlamps. Gigantic rock formations darted in and out of the cone, heading straight for their nose. Somehow, Holly steered them through without once tapping the brake.
On the plasma dash, the icon representing the gaseous anomaly that was Opals ship inched across the screen.
Theyre on to us, said Holly, catching the movement in the corner of one eye.
Artemiss stomach was knotted from flight nausea, anxiety, fatigue and exhilaration. Very well, he said, almost to himself. The chase is on.
At the mouth of E7, Merv was at the wheel of the stealth shuttle. Scant was on instruments and Opal was in charge of giving orders and general ranting.
Do we have a signal from the charges? she screeched from her chair.
Her voice is getting really annoying, thought Scant, but not too loudly.
No, he replied. Nothing. Which means they must be in their shuttle. Their shields must be blocking the charges signal. We need to get closer or I could send the detonation signal anyway. We might get lucky.
Opals screech grew more strident. No! We must not detonate before that shuttle reaches a hundred and six miles. If we do, the orebody will not change course. What about this stupid communicator? Anything from that?
Negative, said Scant. If theres another one, it must be switched off.
We could always return to Zitos compound, said Merv. We have a dozen more charges there.
Opal leaned forward in her seat, punching Mervs shoulders with her tiny fists. Idiot. Moron. Halfwit. Are you in some kind of stupidity competition? Is that it? If we return to Zitos, the orebody will be too deep by the time we return. Not to mention the fact that Captain Short will present the LEP with her version of events and they will have to investigate, at the very least. We must get closer and we must detonate. Even if we miss the probe window, at least we shall destroy any witnesses against me.
The stealth shuttle had proximity sensors linked into the navigating software, which meant that Opal and company did not have to worry about colliding with the chute wall or stalactites.
How long before were in detonation range? Opal barked. To be honest, it was more of a yip.
Merv did some quick calculations. Three minutes. No more.
How deep will they be at that point?