Chapter 23


Kris froze in midstep. Jack, mouth open in mid banter, a statue beside her.

''Now turn around. Do it now. Do it slow. Nothing fast, or I'll shoot you both dead.'' The voice was high, tending to crack in the upper registers. Just what Kris needed, a nervous finger on a gun aimed at her. She turned slowly, one hand raising high. The other still holding the tool box. Jack did the same.

''We're doing what you want,'' Kris said in a soothing voice. ''We don't want no problems here. We're leaving. We just wanted to get Jack here's new thermos. He paid one of those latte places to fill it,'' she rambled on, stepping forward and just casually coming between Jack and the gray-clad security guard.

''Everybody got told to get the hell out of here.'' The young man licked lips already raw and chapped. Very nervous type.

''Yeah, but when has the boss man ever meant what he says when he's panicking and ordering everyone around?'' Kris said, seeking sympathy. ''And we got really good coffee. You want a cup?'' she said, stooping to put down her tool kit, giving him a good view down her only partially zipped overalls and the one falsie she still had.

The youngster stared, part distraction, part confusion, and no part alarm. He nodded. A split second later, he collapsed slowly as Jack put three sleepy darts into him.

Kris grabbed his automatic pistol before it hit the deck. She popped his ammo belt off and snatched his wrist unit, stuffing it down her bodice. ''Nelly, crack that net. We got any bugs we can spare?''

''I have twelve. I am working on the net.''

''Send one bug zigzagging off that way,'' Kris pointed. ''Have it switch off every camera it can. Do the same with another bug in the opposite direction.''

''Doing.''

''Which direction are we going?'' Jack asked.

''I think we're close enough to the wall. Time to take the exit like we were told,'' Kris said, dodging around the elevator.

''Right behind you.''

''I had Corporal Stout report that he is pursuing two people and gave a bearing that follows my first decoy,'' Nelly reported.

''Good,'' Kris said as she opened the service hatch behind the bank of elevators. ''In you go, Jack.''

''I thought you were going to lead, and I got to follow.''

''Change of plan. You missed Chivalry 101 and failed to open the door for me.''

''Damn, and me out killing some of your dad's opposition the day it was taught. They said I'd never miss it if I worked for a Longknife.''

''That'll teach you to trust what other people say about those damn Longknifes,'' Kris said, leaving a whizbang on a ledge next to the door. ''Nelly, leave a nano. Blow the charge if something gray or ninja comes in here.''

''That leaves us only nine,'' Nelly pointed out.

''Nine will have to do. What's happening on net?''

''SureFire Security is dividing its forces between problems on Level 26—that's us—and Levels 51 and 39. One of those must be Tom and Penny. There are also crowd control problems on five other levels. Kris, people are panicking.''

Jack glanced down at her; she shrugged. She'd known when she started that evacuations were not orderly affairs; people got hurt. Whatever happened in the next twenty minutes had to be less deadly than what would happen when the station started whipping around as the yard blew out. Calculated risk.

Climbing went quickly. Gravity grew less the closer they got to the hub. Jack went hand over hand up the rungs, Kris right behind him. There was a shout from below them followed by a burst of rapid fire. A second later the whizbang went off. Noise, flashing light, and smoke turned the shaft into no place to be; Jack opened the next exit hatch and made good use of it.

''We're not quite at the hub,'' he told her. A glance showed a high ceiling, gray work spaces, heavy machinery, and from the smell, a wastewater treatment plant.

''Am I going to spend the rest of my life doing penance for that little bomb topside?'' Kris snapped.

''I'm sure you'll earn worse karma,'' Jack said and ducked behind a whirling green generator.

Two grays were headed their way at their best attempt at a run in this gravity, arms and legs flying.

''Put your hands up,'' one bawled. Kris did. Jack snapped off two shots; the grays tumbled and slid along the deck.

''That cuts it,'' Kris said. ''We fight the rest of the way.''

''The security net has squawkers reporting those two down,'' Nelly added.

''That way,'' Kris pointed. ''The wall can't be too far over.''

Problem was, that direction had four grays coming around a corner at a run. Kris took them down in one burst that pounded shredded bodies against the wall. A glance at the gray pistol she'd picked up showed only one setting: deadly.

''This is for keeps,'' Jack said, switching his weapon from sleepy to lethal. That wasn't what Kris intended, but Sandfire was calling the tune now.

She half-trotted, half-skated for the corridor the grays had just left, careful with her steps in one-quarter gravity. A stairwell's door gaped open. Ahead of her loomed a long open space, dotted with the occasional humming machine, pipe run, stairwells, and control stations. The far side of this big space was the wall. She spotted a room built out from it and pointed it out to Jack. Kris tossed a sleepy bomb in the stairwell, closed the door, and made fast, tiny steps for the wall.

Kris heard footsteps before she saw them. Going to ground behind a large yellow pump, she searched to the left. The legs of the grays came in sight first. This close to the hub, the pronounced curve up of the floor made for a close horizon. Kris waited, then drilled them as their bodies came in view.

Jack caught up with her, paused for a second, then said, ''Cover me,'' and launched himself for a pipe run.

Kris was up as soon as Jack got down, low trotted past him and across the floor to drop behind a compressor. Jack was up and moving while she was still bouncing.

On Kris's right, a gray turned the corner of a green-painted bank of pipes, seemed startled to find herself already in the fight, and turned to run as Kris dropped her. A fusillade of fire to Kris's left made a lot of noise and resulted in spent darts ricocheting off the ceiling but left no target for Kris. NELLY, GET A BUG OVER THERE

ON ITS WAY.

It showed three grays squatting behind a very solid generator, occasionally sticking their machine pistols out enough to fire but never enough to aim. Kris chalked them down to a risk not worth pursuing. Maybe others would catch their attitude if they lived.

Far to Kris's right, an elevator door opened, followed by an explosion, smoke, and flashing lights. Kris snapped off a burst and waited. Jack dropped but held his fire. Nothing came out that Kris could see; she wiggled around to the other side of the compressor for cover.

KRIS, THERE ARE OBSERVER NANOS OUT NOW, Nelly announced.

KILL THEM.

I AM TRYING, BUT THEY ARE TOUGH FIGHTERS.

Kris risked a look. A red-clad body lay just outside the elevator doors. Sandfire's harem had caught up with them.

Kris backed off and half-ran, half-sailed for a spinning turbine. A grenade flew out of the car to smash itself against a piece of massive machinery. Smoke swirled to cover the entire elevator landing. Jack liberally hosed down the smoke, but now there was return fire, and it spread out. The reds were loose.

''Follow me, Jack,'' Kris shouted. The two of them dodged and weaved as they fired and ducked their way across the industrial floor. Rounds flew from both directions. A pump took punishment it wasn't designed for, sending a spray of oil or other industrial-grade chemicals flying in lazy globules. Some caught fire, adding smoke to the mess before the lack of nearby oxygen suppressed the flame. The oil did send one swift-moving red into a pratfall. Kris got a good shot at her face. Now blood added its red to the wreckage.

Three grays came running down the decking over a wire run to Kris's left. They emptied their magazines at Jack to no apparent effect as Kris snapped off a fast volley in their direction. Suddenly, there were no more grays.

''Those damn fools,'' came from behind Kris. So the reds didn't think much of the grays either. Kris loaded a new clip and emptied it in cover fire as she lunged for the wire run.

Her orange coveralls ran red from the slaughter as she slid under it, but the fire that chased her did not catch her. She slammed a new magazine in. Shouldering two full ammo satchels, she grabbed a machine pistol from one of the fallen, reloaded it, stood, shouted, ''I'm covering,'' and let loose with both guns.

Jack did a fast trot for her. She waved her head, pointing him for the stairwell the three dead grays had used, and he changed directions. Snagging an extra machine pistol as he went by, Jack sailed into the stairs as Kris emptied both magazines.

Now Jack covered her as she made the dash, crashing into the stairwell as Jack slammed the door closed. A grenade bounced off it with a clank followed by an explosion. Someone was at least using only low-order stuff; the door bowed in but held.

Kris frowned. There should have been dents where darts stuck in the outside. Lots of dents. ''Somebody wants us alive?'' she muttered as she followed Jack up the stairs.

''That was the idea, remember? You naked, Sandfire and Smythe-Peterwald with knives. Looks like his harem of red ninja wannabies has got that word.''

''I don't like this.''

''I haven't liked it for some time. You got another one of those whizbangs?'' Kris passed it to him. He cracked the door a bit and rolled it out. Three seconds later, noisy, flashy hell broke loose. He counted to three. ''We run now.''

Staying low, he rolled right from the door. She rolled left, then wiggled for cover behind a bank of pipes. This ring was also industrial gray. Slugs cut the air over her head. She wiggled some more and spotted two attractive legs in red tights behind an elevated walkway. The legs led to a very intense face behind an assault rifle firing on full automatic. Kris was immediately in love with that rifle.

One shot, and a lovely face vanished.

Kris crawled forward, spotted another shooter, and knocked her down with a short burst, then finished her off with a single shot to the face. To Kris's right Jack handled similar problems. A few more wiggles, and Kris had the assault rifle. Not a Marine M-6, but it looked like a good knockoff. NELLY CAN YOU UNLOCK THIS RIFLE'S FIRE CONTROL SYSTEM?

NO, KRIS, IT IS HIGHLY CODED WITH LOCKOUTS.

DAMN, DOESN'T SANDFIRE TRUST ANYONE?

Nelly did not grace that question with an answer.

Kris studied the manual controls. If it did mimic the M-6. this dial should jack up the power behind the darts, squirt more juice into the fire chamber. She maxed it to the right and looked around for someone to test it on. A red was working her way across the floor. Kris waited for her to make her next move. A shot to the chest sent her spinning: she did not get up.

Super Spider Silk might stop a pistol. A slug from an assault rifle on maximum power was something else.

She checked Jack's quarter, found two antagonists, and brought both down. The floor became suddenly quiet as even the echoes of fire died off.

''Jack, I think we got them all.''

''Wait one,'' came back tersely.

She did, keeping a roving eye on the gray on gray of the industrial plant. NELLY, YOU HAVE ANY SPIES IN JACK'S AREA?

YES

YOU SEE ANYTHING?

NO.

Was Jack just spooked? Kris had a wall to drill and a plan to get moving. There had to be more trouble on its way. Time was wasting. But Jack knew what he was doing. If the hackles on the back of his neck said the bugs were missing something, Kris would trust his short hairs over Nelly's eyes.

A short burst came from behind Kris. She whirled to see a black-clad lump slowly tumble out of a long pipe, outfit changing to red as blood dripped slowly. A black staff, no a tube, crumbling under the fallen body.

''That's a blowgun, not a fighting staff like I thought,'' Jack said. ''They do want you alive.''

''Yep,'' Kris said, taking a look around. This floor had an office loft perched against the yard wall. Whether it was a supervisor's lookout or control station didn't matter; Kris wanted to be there. She pointed; Jack nodded and followed her as she trotted for it. He took short detours to pick up some ammo pouches and another long rifle.

Kris made it to the station and up the ladder with no more shots fired. Jack slammed the door behind him, then shoved a desk up to block it. Kris zipped down her coveralls and pulled out the laser.

''You didn't bother with underwear today, I see,'' Jack said, taking the other handle on the laser.

''I figured Super Spider Silk ought to protect me from catching anything. What are you doing, sneaking a peek? I thought you agents were beyond that,'' she said, turning the laser on and adjusting the beam down to its finest.

''Sometimes it helps to get a good look at the body we're protecting,'' Jack drawled. ''Hold that laser steady,'' he added as Kris took one hand off it to give him a swat.

They steadied the beam. Around the hole, metal turned to liquid and splattered. In the center, it vaporized, giving color to an otherwise invisible beam.

''Kris, there is movement on the work floor,'' Nelly said.

''Can you hold this?'' Kris asked.

''Pull that chair over here,'' Jack said. Kris gently gave up her hold on the laser. It dipped a bit, then Jack got it back to the hole they were working on.

She risked a glance out the window. A fusillade from several directions shattered the glass upper half of the office, showering her and Jack, but the metal bottom sent ricochets flying. Kris slid the chair in place. It wasn't quite high enough. She duck-walked to the desk, found some reports, and added them to get it the right height. Jack adjusted it, then reached for his rifle.

''There are three grays at fifty meters, say ten o'clock,'' Nelly told them. ''A pair of reds are closer, one at one, the other at two o'clock.''

''I'll take the reds,'' Jack said.

''You armored?''

''Isn't it a bit late to ask? But yes.'' Of course, neither of them had face protection. Kris and Jack fired out. The grays and reds fired back. Glass shattered into the small room, contributing nothing but making Kris move carefully as she changed her firing position from one volley to the next. The laser heated the room, even with the extra ventilation in the now windowless office. As the heat rose, the score stayed Christians 0, lions 0, but the lions had only to wait for dinner; time was on their side. Kris grew to dislike the present status as she bounced up to shoot, then ducked incoming. It was getting routine and boring.

''Time to do something to make life interesting,'' she muttered to herself.

''Ah gee, and I thought it already was,'' Jack said, ducking down as the space he vacated filled with darts.

''I'm bored. Can't you come up with anything more exciting to do?'' Kris said, then snapped off a dozen rounds.

''Hate to tell you this, Princess, but this ain't the best evening I've ever had, either. Think that laser is through.''

Kris glanced at it. No new fumes rose from the cut. She switched it off, careful not to move it. The metal looked plenty hot. ''Nelly, can you send a scout in?!'

''Did it as you were asking. It went through!''

Kris retrieved the ten pounds of only slightly dumb metal from her bustle and held it close to Nelly. ''Gal, slight change of plans. Can you convert some of the metal into defensive nanos, no bigger than the dust motes we want? they'll need to fight their way in as well as contribute for the explosion.''

''I am adjusting the construction as you wish. Seventy percent of the metal will be twenty-micron mobile units, optimum for coal or grain dust explosions. Twenty-nine percent will be defender units of forty microns. Still small enough to contribute to an explosion. One percent will be ignition units, also forty microns. Is that satisfactory?''

''Great, Nelly. Do it. I want to get out of here.''

''Interesting problem, Princess,'' Jack said, snapping off a short volley, then settling back down. ''We've got a solid wall to our back, albeit with one tiny hole in it, and five shooters, highly ineffective, but then I'm not really giving them much of a target to prove themselves on. I take it you have a plan?'' Jack slid over, fired a few rounds, and was down before return fire could make holes in him.

''Is air moving much?'' Kris asked as she watched the ten-kilogram cylinder of gray metal begin to melt away. She thought she could catch glints of light forming a path to the hole, but she wouldn't bet she was seeing anything but hope on the wing.

''Don't think so, why?''

''Wonder what two sleepy bombs would do out there?''

''I suspect I know what it would do in here.''

''But I don't plan to be here,'' Kris said, settling the thinning bar of metal down in front of the hole. She picked up the laser, aimed it at the floor, and sliced a hole.

''We going to disappear into the wall?'' Jack asked.

''Something like that.'' The chunk of floor bent back when she had three sides cut away. Beneath was a storage room, full of whatever the boss man felt needed to be kept under lock and key. It smelled musty and burnt now.

Kris dropped through and applied the laser to the next floor. It was metal also, old and apparently solid steel. It was also thin, probably predating the beanstalk, so it cost to get it here. She sliced through it quickly to find herself looking into some kind of isolated transformer room. She dropped into it, made her way quickly to the door, and took a peek out at the floor that had been the center of their firefight a few minutes before. A gray was helping a wounded comrade limp off, but no one seemed interested in policing up the wreckage.

The gray dead gave Kris some new options.

''Jack,'' she called up.

A quick volley answered her, then his scowling face showed at the hole. ''You called?''

She found the last two sleepy cylinders and tossed them to Jack. In the low gravity, they made lazy circles; he caught them. ''Toss them out there. Then get down here.''

There was a longer volley, a loud pop, and Jack was falling through both floors to land easily beside her. ''What now?''

''Nobody's bothering with the mess we made down here. What do you say we blow this transformer, cop a few gray uniforms off the dead, and go cruise chicks.''

''Now that's a side of you I never expected to see,'' Jack said as Kris brought out her last booby trap. ''You mean they were falsies all this time? You're breaking my heart.''

''Nelly, leave a nano behind. Same drill, gray or red.''

They made their way quickly across the work floor, Nelly directing them to first one gray, then another. Jack quickly found a uniform. ''I think I goofed,'' Kris muttered. All the grays, males and females, wore pants. Kris would not give up her skirt.

''Don't worry, young woman, you are my prisoner.''

''Damn, and we were having such a good time.'' Behind them, the transformer blew, plunging this area into darkness.

''Guess someone had a breather mask.'' Kris batted eyelashes at Jack. ''Well, captor mine, what do you have in mind?''

''Grabbing the nearest slide car and heading down station.''

''I am kind of looking forward to hot wiring a starship and going for a joy ride,'' Kris said, heading for a slide station.

''Nelly, how good are you at jiggling controls?'' Jack asked.

''Usually quite good.''

''I think the poor girl is having a crisis of confidence.'' Kris said.

''It is just that Mr. Sandfire is proving to be a very careful user of automatic systems,'' Nelly defended herself.

Kris found a slide station, punched for a car, and got one immediately. Jack hauled her in, strong grip on her forearm.

''What do you have?'' a voice asked. Kris looked over to see a small screen and observation camera hastily slapped onto the control board.

''One of those idiot workers who kept jacking around rather than leaving like they were ordered.''

''One?''

''Short fat woman. Nothing like we're looking for.''

''They were shooting all over the place,'' Kris whined, pitching her voice high enough to shatter flint. ''Good God, man, how's a woman supposed to find a ride out of here when there's these red dudes running around shooting up the place?''

''Oh shut up. Bring her down here. We got to talk to all of them now. See anything of the four we're hunting for? Things on the floor above you are confused.''

''Hey, man, it's quiet on this floor. I'm just glad I wasn't one of the first here. There's a whole lot of dead bodies. Oh, and a transformer just blew. It's dark!''

''Yeah, yeah, it's tough all over. Get down here.'' The light for stop five lit up, and the car began to move sideways.

''Docks are at stop eleven,'' Kris said, prying open the service panel on the control console. ''Nelly, stop us between stop twelve and eleven.'' The computer reached a tendril of smart metal into the controls. The numbers flashing as stops went by suddenly stopped at ''1—''

''What's wrong with your car?'' came from the speaker grille. ''I've lost your visual, and you're not moving.''

''No power,'' Jack said. ''Car's stopped, I don't know where.''

''Looks like you're between ten and eleven. No, nine and ten. Just relax. We'll get you out.''

''When?'' Kris screeched. ''This place is falling apart around us! I want out now!''

''I'll take care of this one,'' Jack shouted at the speaker.

''You can have her. I'm closing down your audio.''

''Hmm, you're all mine,'' Jack whispered.

''That sounds wonderful. Got a knife to open this door?''

''All work and no play,'' Jack said, putting a stout blade to the door crack. He leaned. It opened on a thin metal walk.

''Nice place you got here. Invite folks up often?''

''Needs a bit of cleaning,'' Kris said, dropping her last red banded explosive into her ammunition satchel as she slipped out the door. She held it open for Jack to join her. ''Nelly, leave a spare nano. Reactivate the car and take it to stop five. Then explode the charge.''

Jack tossed his spare ammo bag onto the heap. Kris led him to an exit hatch, worked it open, and found herself in a small room filled with electrical cabling. A peek outside showed a corridor suited to the needs and fine tastes of the refined businessman or woman.

It was time to start looking like a Princess again.

Загрузка...