Starship Wuthering Heights

4. THE REMARKABLE LUNAR HTH

"PERHAPS THE VIBRATIONS of the MER-2 blast-off from Earth were detected," suggested Max. "The humanotics could have instantly received these vibrations via communications satellites providing faster-than-light messaging. I'll bet the scouting starship will be investigating a certain patch of sand on Highcliffe Beach. Make no mistake; their investigations will lead them to our location."

"Then we've got no time to lose," said Susan. "Let's get a move on!"

Cindy quickly led the lunar spacesuited Equalisers to the Ventilation Filter Station.

"So far, so good," said Cindy. "Over to you, Susan."

Suddenly ...

Boom!

The Ventilation Filter Station shook.

A couple of ceiling light-fittings fell crashing to the floor close by.

"What was that?" asked Susan, fear etched on her eyes.

"Some sort of laser bomb?" queried Tony. "Perhaps firing through the MER-2 hiding crater."

"I would agree with you on the firing through the MER-2 hiding crater," said Max, "but I think it's a humavirus bomb rather than a laser bomb. The humanotics would not want to damage the subterranean lunar world we humans have built. We have time to get to the lunar HTH before the humavirus spreads to us through natural diffusion."

With a greater sense of urgency, Susan led the Equalisers at a fast jog through various twists and turns of the Ventilation Filter Station's pathways.

She slowed to a halt at a stairway. A grease-smeared signpost indicated that it led to the "MACHINE MAINTENANCE ROOM".

"Nearly there," she said. She looked down at a small device in her hand. "Nothing on my humavirus hand-detector. Let's get to the temporary safety of the lunar HTH cavern."

Down the stairway, they bundled.

At the bottom of the stairway was a short straight corridor.

On their left was a steel door ...

It was labelled "MACHINE MAINTENANCE ROOM".

On their right, farther down the corridor, was an incongruous-looking wooden door.

It was labelled "CLEANER'S ROOM".

Susan approached the door on the right.

She rotated its doorknob three times, then pushed the door forwards.

Into the Cleaner's Room the Equalisers spilled.

Tony closed the door behind them.

The room was wall-to-wall metal with a matching ceiling and floor. It was quite a large room stuffed with shelves of cleaning gear and an industrial washing machine.

"Gosh," said Cindy, "this room is stuffed full of the sorts of things I would expect to see in a museum. See that thing over there? I reckon that's an ancient washing machine of some sort."

"Never mind that," said Susan, "it's the door over there that we should be interested in." Susan pointed to another incongruous-looking wooden door at the back of the room.

"We'll need to put on our lunar spacesuit helmets now," she continued, "not because of the humavirus, but because we'll soon be entering a lunar environment."

The Equalisers quickly helped one another to pull out their spacesuit helmets from their backpacks, saving them the effort of taking off their backpacks and putting them back on.

"Don't forget to turn on your spacesuit helmet external communications for physical listening and speaking. Obviously we should not switch on our internal electromagnetic standard communications channels for the humanotics to eavesdrop on us."