A portion of the roof collapsed in front of them and Billy jerked the ship to the right, but not before a room-sized boulder bounced off the asteroid below them and slammed into the bottom hull.
The Argent bucked like a wild horse, throwing everyone about but Billy, who grasped the controls for purchase. He glanced toward the open edge so far ahead and saw it almost closed.
Edgar said, “The robot’s still there, but it got banged about, too. It’s about seventy yards behind!”
The opening between the colliding asteroids was now only a slit of night. The air vibrated in the ship and they could hear the deep vibrations of two huge masses of cold stone colliding.
We’re not going to make it, Billy thought. He shoved the acceleration lever as hard as he could for more speed, and it moved forward a quarter-inch.
Edgar said, “The robot’s glowing!”
The Argent shot ahead.
John and Avi screamed as the asteroids completed their collision an instant after the Argent shot out from between them, trailed by a yellow beam that abruptly cut off.
Billy breathed again, then had to dodge a speeding boulder. Edgar said, “I can’t believe we made it through.”
“Any sign of the robot?”
“No, he didn’t get out.”
Billy couldn’t relax, because he was flying in a dangerous place, but the others let the euphoria overtake them for several minutes. Ekka came forward and kissed his cheek, but otherwise left him to his task.
John said, “We still have to get out of here alive, and that is no small undertaking.”
Billy slowed the Argent to a more maneuverable speed. “I know. I probably won’t take a breath until we are through it.”
John said quietly, so no one else would hear, “This journey toward Jupiter, although necessary to save our immediate lives, will cost us dearly. By my calculations, and at maximum speed, we will reach home with less than one hour to spare. Even fifty minutes slower in our long flight will mean that Earth speeds away from us in its solar orbit faster than we can catch it with our available power resources. I will not say anything about this, and neither should you. We may not make it.”
Billy said, “Thank you, John. But I’m not gonna give up. It’s not in me.”
“That is why you are you, Billy.”
[ 106 ]
The next eleven days were spent in recuperation, talks, sleep, and repairs to the Argent. Most of the passengers talked of what they would do when the Argent landed on Earth, and what their future plans were for their lives. During it all, Billy and John kept their secret. The New Delhi mathematics genius continued to work figures, theorems, equations and probability factors over and over, but the outcome was the same, even though he had figured the time to a more exact number: twenty-six minutes. He told Billy, but no one else.
On the twelfth day of their flight, Edgar scanned the ether with his telescope on maximum magnification, not looking for anything in particular. He worked the powerful lens in the vastness behind the ship, looking for his Barsoom. Something blurry in the distance caught his attention, and Edgar refocused the scope. The image sharpened.
The Golden Man still pursued them.
When Edgar told them, Billy said, “Are you sure?” He rose from the command chair to look through the telescope. Focusing it to better work for his eyes, Billy saw exactly what Edgar told him. The golden robot flew through the ether dead on their trail, but it was a wreck. Part of one arm was gone, as was one leg, and the torso and head showed large gouges, scrapes, and dents. The head was no longer round, but elliptical, with part of one cheek a jagged hole that dangled the strip of golden metal like a flap.
Avi asked Billy, “Is it true?”
“Yes. Edgar was sharp to pick it up while it’s behind us.”
While the others talked, Koothrappally looked through the scope at the golden robot, then went to his chair, grabbed a pencil and paper and scribbled several equations. He turned to the others and said, “The robot man will reach us tomorrow.”
There was no panic, just grimness among the crew. They prepared for a final battle, each in their own way. They slept little that night, and some of them stood at the window and looked at the small blue planet that was so close and yet impossibly far.
The thirteenth day came with Bixie nudging Billy awake, “We got more troubles dan just de Golden Man.”
“What is it?”
“Come.”
Billy followed her to the window and glanced behind the Argent, where he spied the golden robot. It is so close!