“What about wire?”
“Wire?”
“Yes.” Thor turned to him. “A coil of wire! Do you have a coil of wire that will reach a thousand feet?”
Blankenship gazed over the spot-lit camp. “Well, we've got a thousand-foot roll of eight-gauge that's probably strong enough to hold your weight, Thor. But the elevator shaft is really more like eleven hundred feet. So when you get to the end of the wire you'll still have another hundred feet or more to climb down. It's gonna be tough.”
Thor stared down into the darkness.
“Get me the wire,” he growled.
Blankenship stared.
“Tom!” Thor turned his head with a roar. “Get the wire for me!”
Instantly Blankenship raised a portable radio, speaking quickly with concise instructions before he looked down again. “It's on the way, Thor. It's on the way. It'll be here in a few minutes.”
“Good, Tom.” Thor frowned. “Tom, my friend, I want you to listen to me. I want you to listen to me closely! It is vital that you and your men and your families abandon this island as quickly as possible! Do you understand? Because what has happened in the cavern may be far worse than you think. Can you contact Iceland on the radio?”
Blankenship shook his head. “No way, Thor. We've already tried that. Those military guys put some kind of jamming on the radio, and the Communications Center was busted up in the big fight. We can't contact anybody.” He was shaking. “Why would they do that, Thor? What have those guys done down there? You act like you know more about this place than we do!”
“No, Tom. I only know that my friend and his family are down there.” Thor turned his head, glaring at the docks. “You have two forty-ton cruisers, Tom. Those ships are large enough to easily accommodate all of your families. Is that not true?”
Blankenship also turned his head to the dock. “Yeah, we could get everybody on the ships. We could even load up all the military guys that were busted up in the brawl.”
Thor frowned, squinting. “Those boats have probably been mechanically disabled by the military, Tom. But your people are expert mechanics, are they not?”
“Yeah, we can fix anything. That's what we do.”
“Good. Then quickly make those ships seaworthy and take a heading 230 to 330 degrees south-south-east for Iceland. And continue to hail the universal maritime frequency for assistance until you see land. Don't look back! Don't come back to this island!” Thor glared ominously into the shaft. “There is death here.”
Blankenship replied, “Okay, Thor. We can get those boats working in no time. That ain't gonna be a problem. We've already rushed the MPs guarding the warehouse. We've got their guns, got everything.” He paused. “We can probably get the boats working in less than an hour. But what are you gonna do?”
Grim, Thor stared into the darkness.
“I'm going down into the cavern,” he rumbled.
Blankenship stepped back. “Thor, come on, man. There ain't no telling what's down there! I hate to say it – ” His face twisted in pain, “ – but everybody's probably dead! And there ain't nothin' we can do! Why don't you come with us? We can fix those boats and get off this island! We'll be in Iceland in three hours!”
“Because my friend is down there,” Thor answered somberly. “And I will not leave him.”
“Well,” Blankenship began, hesitating, “Connor's a good boss, Thor. And he's a good man, a real good man. I ain't never worked for nobody better. But I'm tellin' you the truth. I wouldn't go down there for nobody.” He nodded, in pain. “I'm sorry to say it, Thor. But I just wouldn't do it. 'Cause if I go down there, I'd die, too.”
An engine approached and Thor glanced up. It was a front-end loader, forks locked around a pallet bearing a large coil of wire. Quickly they secured the wire to the elevator and pushed the coil into the shaft. It descended, rebounding, uncoiling quickly and easily. Thor moved to the edge, testing the makeshift rope with a tug. It held.
“Be wise, Tom,” Thor growled, poised at the edge of the chasm. “Repair the boats and be gone. Save your families.”
“We'll be gone in an hour, Thor,” Blankenship nodded. “All of us! You can bet your life on it! And we won't be coming back, either. We're finished with this place.”
“Good, Tom. Now gather your families and be gone!”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Blankenship asked, staggering. “There ain't no tellin' what's down there!”
Thor's face was grim as he descended over the edge.
“I know what's down there,” he growled.
Was gone.