“It hasn’t been restored!” Garry burst out desperately.
The boys pounded on the metal walls until their knuckles hurt.
In a final desperate action, Garry slammed his closed fist against the stubborn power button. Instantly, he felt the elevator throb underfoot and begin to descend once more.
“Thank goodness!” Garry breathed prayerfully. “But we’ve still got to hurry in order to get off in time! No telling how long we’ve been stuck in this thing!”
When the elevator stopped, the doors slid open and the boys ran out. But they found themselves in a strange corridor.
“We’re not out of the ship yet!” Garry exclaimed. “We’ve only gone down a deck or two. The elevator must still be fouled up.”
“What’ll we do now?” Patch asked in desperation.
“Go back into the elevator and try to get to the ground. We’ll have to hurry! The elevator is part of the gantry crane, and it’ll be rolled away any moment!”
They rushed back to the closed doors of the elevator. But a sign in red lights on the door read: “DO NOT ENTER. ELEVATOR REMOVED.”
“They’ve already taken it away!” Patch said in dismay.