The
asteroid miner who had previously been so sedate and hesitant now led
the way. The Starmen followed him and the ten others brought up the
rear. George reached the elevator door and pressed the panel. In
seconds a door opened and the men hurried in. Just as the last man
rushed through the opening and the doors began to close, the elevator
doors in the next shaft opened and a troop of pirates poured out, guns
drawn. In front of them they saw their two comrades lying motionless in
the corridor, table and chairs in full disarray.
"Come on!" commanded their leader, leaping forward and turning toward
his men to enforce his order. His eyes opened wide as he saw the doors
of the adjacent elevator closing on the escaped prisoners. The
Starmen's last view of the scene was the pirate leader's shocked face,
mouth agape, pulling his laser pistol up to fire. Then their doors
sealed and they began to descend.
Almost instantly, it seemed, the door opened. The only light came from
the interior of the elevator. It shone on an uncountable number of
enormous crates, stacked three high and set in rows extending beyond
the range of the minimal light. Though the walls of the room could not
be seen, there was a distinct feeling that the open space was
huge-larger than a gymnasium, perhaps larger than a stadium.
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