"We've got to get out of here," panted Sten.
"Franz! What about Franz?"
"I don't know. He should be here by now. But he said he'd catch us."
As they fled down the corridor, the view-screens along the way were blaring the usual message of the glory of The Leader. Abruptly the voice died away, the whine faded to a diminishing hum, and there was an increasing stillness. The whine stopped and the corridors were silent. The women, terror stricken by the stillness, screamed and fell writhing on the floor. Shouts filled the corridors as panicked throngs left without the symbols of The Leader ran from their cubicles in terror.
"What is it?" Karl shouted above the din, shaking his head to clear it.
"The whining noise. It stopped." Sten gasped. "Franz! It's Franz! He must have gotten in and wrecked the dynamos." He pulled Kathryn to her feet and shook her to stop her sobbing.
Then, as suddenly as it had stopped, the whine began again, slowly gaining momentum until it reached its former pitch. With this, the sobs of the women subsided and calmness slowly crept back through the corridors.
"It's started again," Karl began running toward the tunnel. "They must have spare dynamos. Poor Franz, all for nothing."
Again the view-speakers were blaring, this time warning the people that a saboteur had made an attempt to destroy The Leader.
The women were gasping for breath when they reached the door to the tunnel. Sten plunged through the door, hurrying the others in after him, and then threw his weight against the wall. With three men pushing against it, the wall gave way and they entered the tunnel.