She pursed her lips. ?Are you sure the piston’s working??

It was Dillon who replied. ?Nothin’s for sure. Includin’ you.?

?All I can say is that the indicators are all positive.?Troy shrugged helplessly. ?It’s the best we’ve got.?

?Remember,?Dillon reminded them both, ?we trap it here first. We hit the release, start the piston, then the piston will shove the motherfucker right into the mold. This is a high-tech cold-stamp facility. End of his ass. End of story.?

Ripley eyed him. ?What if someone screws up?? 198

Alan Dean Foster

?Then we’re fucked,?Dillon informed her calmly.

?We’ve got one chance. One shot at this, that’s all. You’ll never have time to reset. Remember, when you hit the release, for a few seconds you’re gonna be trapped in here with that fucking thing.?

She nodded. ?I’ll do it. You guys don’t drop the ball, I won’t.?

Dillon studied her closely. ?Sister, you’d better be right about that thing not wanting you. Because if it wants out, that’s how it’s gonna go. Right through you.?

She just stared back. ?Save you some work, wouldn’t it??Troy blinked at her, but there was no time for questions.

?Where you gonna be??she asked the big man.

?I’ll be around.?

?What about the others? Where are they??

?Praying.?

The survivors spread out, working their way through the corridors, head-butting the walls to pump themselves up, cursing and whooping. They no longer cared if the monster heard them. Indeed, they wanted it to hear them.

Torchlight gleamed off access ways and tunnels, throwing nervous but excited faces into sharp relief. Prisoner Gregor peered out of an alcove to see his buddy William deep in prayer.

?Hey Willie? You believe in this heaven shit??

The other man looked up. ?I dunno.?

?Me neither.?

?Fuck it. What else we gonna believe in? Bit late, now we’re stuck here.?

?Yeah, ain’t that the truth? Well, hey, what the fuck, right??He laughed heartily and they both listened to the echoes as they boomed back and forth down the corridor, amplified and distorted. 199

199

Morse heard them all: distant reverberations of nervous laughter, of terror and near hysteria. He pressed the switch that would activate the door he’d been assigned to monitor. It whined … and jammed partway open. Swallowing nervously, he leaned through the gap.

?Hey, guys? Hold it, hold it. I don’t know about this shit. Maybe we should rethink this. I mean, my fuckin’ door ain’t workin’ right. Guys??

There was no response from down the corridor.

Farther up, Gregor turned to face his companion. ?What the fuck’s he saying??

?Shit, I dunno,?said William with a shrug.