And they did, letting the rushing air of the pump cart’s progress dry their sweat-and-breath dampened faces, and breathing deeply without strain for the first time all afternoon.

Fifteen minutes more and they were back in the underground Rector recognized, and soon they’d reached the huge, round door to the Vaults.

Houjin leaped up to it and flipped the lever to let the door swing out and open. Like Rector and Zeke, Huey was impatient to get inside—to get someplace sealed and safe. But Angeline said, “You all go ahead. Huey, Zeke—you know your way around best. Comb through the Vaults and see who you can find, who you can tell. Red, you see about paying Yaozu a visit. We need to call a meeting.”

“But I don’t know the way,” Rector objected.

Zeke backed him up. “He’s only been out there once or twice. One of us’ll have to show him.”

The princess thought about it, then said, “Then skip it. Houjin, you rustle up a message and run it to the Station; you’ll do it faster anyway. Tell him what you heard up at the tower. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Houjin said, with a firm nod.

“And when you got that taken care of, see if there’s anyone in Chinatown you think should be informed. I got to admit, I don’t know too much about who runs the show down there. I know you’ve got Doctor Wong, and he seems like a reasonable man. If you got anybody else who acts like a leader, bring him up to join us.”

“Join us where?” he asked.

“Maynard’s—where else? Zeke, you know what to do while Huey’s gone?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll take Rector and round up everyone useful, and tell ’em to meet us at Maynard’s.”

Angeline turned on her heel and dashed off down a corridor marked by a hand-painted sign that read COMMERCIAL STREET and pointed the way with an arrow. After she vanished, the boys looked at each other. Then Houjin drew the big door open and said, “You heard the lady. Go on down without me. I know a quicker way to Chinatown than this.” From his back pocket, he pulled out his gas mask and put it back on with a sigh. “I’ll catch up in an hour or two.”

And then he, too, was gone.

Chapter 20

Twenty