alf carried them to the rear of the
massive crane carrier. The operator had already leaped from his cab
and was lying prone, face down on the ground.

Troy and Alec, together with Hall and the driver, stretched out
alongside each other in the dubious shelter of the carrier and waited.

The seconds ticked off. A minute later, a small geyser of water shot
up a few feet from the surface of the water and seconds later they
heard a slight rumble. Then there was only the sound of their
breathing and the rush of water in the river.

Hall jumped up first while the others were still scrambling to their
feet. He raced to the radio after a hasty look at the river.

"Monitor," he called, "what's the story?"

"They got it, boss," monitor answered. "The pile is dead. You've got
some hot material in the water but it's dissipating fast. All other
pumps in good order."

Hall broke into a big smile. He walked back to where Troy and Alec
were struggling out of their pressure suits.

In the distance, the director's copter was lifting from the ground and
heading towards the riverbank. A few minutes later, while a new pump
was being lowered into the bore hole, the copter took off en route to
Spokane. The two junior engineers were aboard. When it landed at
Region Six heliport, Alec jumped from the ramp and ran to the nearest
building. He found a vidiphone and called home.

Carol's worried face appeared and then lighted when she saw her
husband.

"Honey," Alec said, "You can go ahead and bathe the kid now."

He came out of the building to find Troy waiting. They grinned at each
other. At that moment, Supervisor Morley Wilson came hurrying by.

"All right you two," he snarled, "so you've solved one little problem.
Remember, you've got just nine days left to give me an answer on those
new production units." He hurried away.

Troy gazed at Wilson's departing back.

"That's what I like about working for DivAg," he murmured. "Nothing
ever changes."

* * * * *

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Thirst Quenchers, by Rick Raphael

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