You're probably right about remembering it Ebony, this is fairly closely based off one of the scenarios.
"There's something up ahead," Smith hissed. In light of Jones' injury, the wounded sailor had taken over responsibility for their remaining lantern, leaving Smith to take point and, not coincidentally, keep him in plain view of both the other men.
Drake simply nodded, knowing that Smith, looking back over his shoulder at the two of them, would be able to see him clearly in the lantern late. Moving slowly to avoid unnecessary noise, he waded forwards towards the corner that the sailor had been looking around. As he approached he began to hear the distant noise of restless animals, although not any animal that he recognised.
At first glance it looked like just another minor sewer passage, fairly short and ending at a T-junction. It took moment for Drake to register that there must be a light source down the right hand passage of the T-junction, for Jones was still well short of the turning but the T-junction was clearly visible. "Well spotted," he whispered.
Smith glared and Drake beamed sunnily at him to reassure the sailor that yes, Drake was indeed being intentionally patronising.
Then he strode determinedly through the sewage towards the T-junction, ignoring the muttering from Smith that was definitely not in English.
Peeking around the corner, Drake spotted the source of the light immediately. Indeed, it was hard to miss for the platform filled the entire width of the sewer, standing on piles perhaps five feet high to keep its floor above the water level, a simple metal stair leading up to it. At the far end, a metal wall cut off the platform from the rest of the sewer. The source of the noise was now evident for lining both sides of the platform were cage after iron cage, each stocked with some kind of ape. No naturalist, Drake was nontheless able to recognise from descriptions and drawings that he was looking at chimpanzees and orangutans, apes that were native not at all to any portion of Mars. Each was along in its cage and Drake was hard pressed to estimate their number beyond a stunned guess of score upon score.
Jones muttered something in a slavic tongue as he and Smith caught up with Drake. "What the devil are those creatures?" he asked.
"Apes," Drake concluded. "Apes from Earth, at that. Not something that I had expected to find here." He shrugged and gestured at the animals. "I doubt that they're set here as guards, but I imagine that they'll serve the same purpose if we go up onto the platform."
"We could go under it," Smith suggested. "There's room enough."
"True," Drake mused and then shook his head sharply. "No. We came here to deal with a fugitive. There's no use to skulking around as if it is we ourselves that are criminals." With that decided he did not hesitate to step forwards and set his foot upon the first stair.
The moment that he did so, a chimp stirred itself to glare at him with almost human hatred. Then it bared it's fangs, longer and more bestial than Drake had ever imagined such a creature to possess and hurled itself recklessly against the bars towards him with a howl of utter rage. The noise caused Drake to hesitate before taking his next step and also to wake more of the apes, each of which followed unerringly the example of the first. At the far end of the two ranks of cages, he saw a door leading through the metal wall.
A clatter from behind him had the Englishman turning on his heel before the first alarmed cry from Jones. A grate had sprung into place across the sewer behind the two sailors, trapping the three of them. Jones, bless the man, had thrust one arm through the bars and was trying to lift it by main force while Smith was simply leaning against the wall of the sewer a disgusted look on his face.
"You'll not move it," Drake told the wiry sailor, ignoring the useless Smith. "Come up here, there's a door."
Jones turned and then cursed - at least that was what Drake thought he was doing, the words were not among those that he knew - pointing at the area beneath the platform. Drake looked down and saw fumes rising from the darkness. The smell was... he shook his head to dispell the dizziness and leapt down from the stairs, trying not to breath.
It was dark beneath the platform but he was able to see some sort of vent half-hidden under the stairs. The angle was bad but he kicked at the slats anyway, trying to force them closed. His boot glanced off without any effect. Again, with no more luck. His head was swimming and he slipped when he tried to kick a third time, catching himself on the stairs. The metal was slightly warm to his touch, not even enough chill to cut through the haze.
A moment later and Drake lay limply against the stairs.
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
"There's something up ahead," Smith hissed. In light of Jones' injury, the wounded sailor had taken over responsibility for their remaining lantern, leaving Smith to take point and, not coincidentally, keep him in plain view of both the other men.
Drake simply nodded, knowing that Smith, looking back over his shoulder at the two of them, would be able to see him clearly in the lantern late. Moving slowly to avoid unnecessary noise, he waded forwards towards the corner that the sailor had been looking around. As he approached he began to hear the distant noise of restless animals, although not any animal that he recognised.
At first glance it looked like just another minor sewer passage, fairly short and ending at a T-junction. It took moment for Drake to register that there must be a light source down the right hand passage of the T-junction, for Jones was still well short of the turning but the T-junction was clearly visible. "Well spotted," he whispered.
Smith glared and Drake beamed sunnily at him to reassure the sailor that yes, Drake was indeed being intentionally patronising.
Then he strode determinedly through the sewage towards the T-junction, ignoring the muttering from Smith that was definitely not in English.
Peeking around the corner, Drake spotted the source of the light immediately. Indeed, it was hard to miss for the platform filled the entire width of the sewer, standing on piles perhaps five feet high to keep its floor above the water level, a simple metal stair leading up to it. At the far end, a metal wall cut off the platform from the rest of the sewer. The source of the noise was now evident for lining both sides of the platform were cage after iron cage, each stocked with some kind of ape. No naturalist, Drake was nontheless able to recognise from descriptions and drawings that he was looking at chimpanzees and orangutans, apes that were native not at all to any portion of Mars. Each was along in its cage and Drake was hard pressed to estimate their number beyond a stunned guess of score upon score.
Jones muttered something in a slavic tongue as he and Smith caught up with Drake. "What the devil are those creatures?" he asked.
"Apes," Drake concluded. "Apes from Earth, at that. Not something that I had expected to find here." He shrugged and gestured at the animals. "I doubt that they're set here as guards, but I imagine that they'll serve the same purpose if we go up onto the platform."
"We could go under it," Smith suggested. "There's room enough."
"True," Drake mused and then shook his head sharply. "No. We came here to deal with a fugitive. There's no use to skulking around as if it is we ourselves that are criminals." With that decided he did not hesitate to step forwards and set his foot upon the first stair.
The moment that he did so, a chimp stirred itself to glare at him with almost human hatred. Then it bared it's fangs, longer and more bestial than Drake had ever imagined such a creature to possess and hurled itself recklessly against the bars towards him with a howl of utter rage. The noise caused Drake to hesitate before taking his next step and also to wake more of the apes, each of which followed unerringly the example of the first. At the far end of the two ranks of cages, he saw a door leading through the metal wall.
A clatter from behind him had the Englishman turning on his heel before the first alarmed cry from Jones. A grate had sprung into place across the sewer behind the two sailors, trapping the three of them. Jones, bless the man, had thrust one arm through the bars and was trying to lift it by main force while Smith was simply leaning against the wall of the sewer a disgusted look on his face.
"You'll not move it," Drake told the wiry sailor, ignoring the useless Smith. "Come up here, there's a door."
Jones turned and then cursed - at least that was what Drake thought he was doing, the words were not among those that he knew - pointing at the area beneath the platform. Drake looked down and saw fumes rising from the darkness. The smell was... he shook his head to dispell the dizziness and leapt down from the stairs, trying not to breath.
It was dark beneath the platform but he was able to see some sort of vent half-hidden under the stairs. The angle was bad but he kicked at the slats anyway, trying to force them closed. His boot glanced off without any effect. Again, with no more luck. His head was swimming and he slipped when he tried to kick a third time, catching himself on the stairs. The metal was slightly warm to his touch, not even enough chill to cut through the haze.
A moment later and Drake lay limply against the stairs.
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.