Knights Of The Black Earth Page 19

Like hell he was. Trapped inside a computer room with his one-time best friend who had maybe tried to kill him, while half the Marines on the space station were lined up outside waiting for him. "I can help," Rowan offered. "Just tell me the setup." Xris hesitated, studied her. Logic told him not to trust this woman; she was battling for her life. But it was Rowan talking and they were together again, their backs against it, outnumbered, everything going wrong that could go wrong. And in the brown eyes that were Rowan's eyes was the same bright excitement of long ago--the delight in the challenge, the exhilaration of the adrenal rash, the fun of beating the odds.

  Besides, when it came down to it, what choice did he--or his team--have?

  "Remember this," said Xris, lifting his metal hand, wiggling the thumb with its deadly needle. "If you let me down, so help me, I'll--"

  He didn't finish. It wasn't necess. ary.

  "I understand," Rowan said quietly.

  "Here's the deal. I've got a man stuck in security. I've got three more men trapped inside our spaceplane, which is located on loading dock 28L. None of my men is armed. They have orders not to kill."

  Rowan raised her eyebrows. "You're kidding."

  All was quiet outside the door--too quiet.

  "No one dies," Xris said. "We're in enough trouble already."

  "You bet you are," Rowan agreed. She was seated at the computer, fingers dancing across the keyboard. "See if you can raise your man in security."

  "You're coming with me, you know," Xris told her. "I want to hear that explanation of yours." Then he was back on the comm. "Harry, Harry, can you read me?"

  Rowan paused, looked earnestly at him. "Taking me would put you in one hell of a lot of trouble, Xris. More than you could ever imagine."

  "You're coming with me," Xris said with finality. "Either you come or I blow your cozy little setup here sky-high. I'm sure the Navy would be real interested in knowing that once upon a time you used to pee standing up."

  Rowan looked at him a moment longer, then-unexpectedly--she chuckled, low in her throat. Still laughing, she went back to work.

  Xris was back on the comm. "Harry! Harry, come in--"

  "Harry here! Xris, are you all right?"

  "Never better," Xris answered wryly. "What the hell is going on down there?"

  "Security had a make on you. So I knocked 'em out. Like you said." "Then what was all that racket? The hypno-spray--" "Hypno-spray? Jeez, Xris. I forgot all about the damn hypno-spray. I just used my fists. Oh, uh, and I've got a lasgun now. A couple of 'em, in fact." "Damn it, Harry---"

  "They'll be okay, Xris. When they come to."

  "Is that your man?" Rowan interrupted.

  "Unless someone makes me a better offer," Xris returned bitterly.

  "Can he reach the spaceplane from his location in three minutes?"

  Xris relayed the message, received an answer in the affirmative. "But they've probably got the plane guarded," Xris added.

  "Maybe one or two Marines posted outside the door to the loading dock." Rowan shrugged. "After all, they know you're not going anywhere."

  "But we are, aren't we, old friend?"

  "Yes, old friend," Rowan replied, with that lopsided smile. "We are. Tell your man to move out. He's got three minutes, starting now." Xris gave the order.

  Rowan, breathing a sigh, sat back in her chair.

  "What do we do now?" Xris asked.

  "Wait."

  Xris pulled a twist out of his pocket, lit it.

  "Smoking's not allowed," said Rowan, amused.

  "Add it to the list of charges." Xris eyed her. "I never thought I'd say this, but you don't make a bad-looking woman. Just what is it we're waiting for?"

  "An enemy attack," Rowan returned gravely.

  "Fortuitous timing."

  "Yes, isn't it. Ah!"

  The deck shook beneath Xris's feet, nearly knocking him over. He grabbed hold of the edge of Rowan's desk.

  Rowan stood up. "That will be the enemy now. Coming?"

  Red lights were flashing, Klaxons sounding.

  Rowan negotiated her way through the maze of computer equipment, heading for the side door. Xris, lasgun in his hand, followed.

  "What was that?"

  "I set a plasma venting system to overload, caused an explosion on Level CC, Section 2. Don't worry. No one was around. That section's been abandoned for years. Unused living space. The hull's been breached--according to the computer by an enemy Corasian torpedo."

  "Let me guess: There are no Corasians within a zillion light-years of this place."

  "I shouldn't think so," Rowan returned calmly. "But according to the computer, there's an entire enemy fleet out there, complete with mother ships."

  "But the scanners--"

  "Shut down."

  "Hell, all anyone has to do is look outside the danan window. They'll know we're not under enemy attack."

  "True," said Rowan. "But it's going to take them at least two hours to convince the computer othewise. In the meantime, all the blast doors have been shut, which means most people are trapped in their own areas. The Marines are under orders to report to their combat stations--if they can get to them."

  "But they'll be able to manually override the controls."

  "Not anymore." Rowan had reached the door. She looked at Xris. "There'll be guards outside waiting for us."

  Xris waved the lasgun. "You're my hostage, remember? Just a minute. If the blast doors are shut, how do we get out?"

  "We have manual security override," Rowan answered. She had her hand on the controls, but she didn't open them. "You wouldn't have asked me such questions in the old days, Xris."

  "Ito hadn't been blown into a fine red mist in the old days. And I wasn't a machine. I'm letting you live, Rowan. Don't ask me to trust you into the bargain." He jammed the lasgun into her side. "Open the door. And watch what you say and do."

  She nodded, touched the controls.

  The door slid open.

  Five Marines, beam rifles leveled, were waiting for them out in the corridor.

  Rowan raised her hands, stepped out. Xris crowded close behind her, using her body as a shield.

  "I've got a 22-decawatt lasgun," he told the Marines. "It's set to fire the second the pressure of my finger relaxes. You so much as stun me and the major dies."

  "He's not bluffing," Rowan said swiftly. "He's a mercenary, working for the Corasians. Part of the enemy attack force. Now, if you'll just let us pass--"

  The captain of the Marines looked uneasy. "You know we can't do that, Major Mohini. We have standing orders to shoot you, rather than allow you to fall into enemy hands."

  Rowan glanced back over her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

  Xris glared at her. "Why, you--"

  The lights went out. The windowless corridor was suddenly, intensely, unbelievably dark.

  Xris's infrared vision clicked on; he could see warm bodies. The Marines, on the other hand, were completely blind. The cyborg took out the captain with a blow of his metal hand to the jaw, sent the man reeling. A kick of his steel leg sent another Marine to the floor.

  Grabbing hold of Rowan's arm, Xris dragged her after him, began running down the corridor.

  Leaderless and unable to see, fearful of hitting each other, the Marines were calling for security to turn on the emergency backup lights.

  Security wasn't responding.

  "Lights out--your work, too?" Xris asked Rowan. "Taking a chance, weren't you?"

  "Not really." She shrugged. "I know you. I figured you'd have some sort of infrared."

  They came to a blast door. Rowan punched in a code on the keypad. The blast doors shuddered, slid open. Xris and Rowan slipped through. Rowan hit the controls on the other side, the doors slid shut. This corridor was still brightly lit.

  "The elevators won't be working. We'll have to take the fire stairs. Oh, shit."

  People were milling about in the hallways. One, spotting Rowan, started toward her. "Major, what's going on? We can't reach secur-
-" "What the devil are you people doing out here?" Rowan demanded. "Don't you hear the damn alarm? We're under enemy attack! Get to your posts!"

  Some returned to their offices. Others remained huddled uncertainly in the corridor. But at least her orders gave them something else to talk about.

  Rowan shoved open the fire door, began running down the narrow metal stairs. Xris clattered after her.

  "Were those soldiers serious?" he yelled over the noise they were making. "About shooting you?"

  "Yes!" Rowan yelled back. "I told you. You're going to be in a lot of trouble."

  He grunted, said nothing, saved his breath for running.

  They exited out into the work area near the bug-'bot station. And there was Harry, looking nervous, lasgun in hand, waiting for them. He was so relieved at the sight of Xris that the cyborg was afraid for a minute Harry was going to hug him. "Where is everyone?" Xris cast a swift glance around. "Some Marines were all bunched up around the door leading to the loading dock and our plane. I hung around, making myself scarce, wondering how I was going to get past them. Then the floor began to shake and the alarms went off.

  That commander fellow talked to someone, then said something to his men about the hull being breached and they had to get up there right away. He left a couple of Marines on guard and the rest left. I took care of the Marines. I used the hypno-spray this time," Harry added hurriedly. They ran through the deserted work facility.

  "XP-28's got the engines warming up," Harry continued. "But unless you want me to blast that plane through a nullgray steel door, we're not going anywhere in a hurry. And then there's the tractor beam."

  "All taken care of," Rowan said briskly.

  Harry looked at the woman running along beside him in considerable astonishment. He nudged Xris. "Who's that?"

  "Rowan. Dalin ... Darlene ..." Xris gave up.

  "Just Rowan," she said, with her crooked smile.

  "The person you were gonna kilt," said Harry.

  Xris didn't see any need to answer that.

  Harry grinned, rubbed his hands. "That's great," he said. "Really great! I win the pot."

  Xris glanced at him, puzzled. "What pot?"

  "The bet. With the others. I said you couldn't kill her, Xris."

  Fortunately for Harry, Xris was too busy at the moment to respond. They dashed past the comatose forms of two Marine guards and entered loading dock Lima 28. The spaCeplane was lit up, engines throbbing, ready for takeoff.

  "I've got Xris, Jamil," Harry said into the comm. "Lower the ramp and prepare for takeoff." He cast a dubious glance at Rowan. "I sure as hell hope you know what you're doing, lady."

  The ramp lowered. They hurried on board.

  Harry went straight to the pilot's chair, Rowan right behind him. Xris came right behind her.

  "She's Rowan. I'll explain later," he said in response to startled looks from the rest of the team.

  "Strap yourselves in tight," Harry ordered. "We could be in for a rough takeoff."

  Rowan sat down in the copilot's chair. Xris kept as near her as possible, strapping himself into the seat closest to the cockpit. He still held the lasgun in his hand. Rowan glanced at it, then looked away.

  "This is what I've done." She spoke to Harry coolly. "I've set the docking bay door controls on automatic. When the spaceplane approaches them, they'll begin to open. Once they've started to cycle, the control tower can't prevent the blast doors from rising. That's a safety feature."

  "Okay, so we can fly out of here. What about that damn tractor beam?"

  "I've rerouted all power from the tractor beam to the food processing panels and recycling plants. It'll take them awhile to figure that one out."

  "All right," Harry said slowly, assimilating the information, "so we fly out and away from the tractor beam. Then the Navy locks us on target with the big guns and shoots us down."

  Rowan shook her head. "The lascannons are all being aimed at the Corasian invasion fleet."

  Harry gasped. "What? A Corasian invasion--"

  "Never mind!" Xris snapped. "Just get us out of here!"

  "You're going to fly into a Corasian invasion fleet? Xris, that's sui--"

  "It's not real!" Xris shouted.

  "He's right," Rowan said soothingly. "It's not real. I'll explain later. You can take off safely now."

  But Harry was not to be rushed. "What about patrol planes? We"---he tapped the cargo plane's console--"have no shields, no guns."

  "There'll be a few patrol planes out there," Rowan admitted. "Not much I could do about those. But most of the squadron pilots have discovered that their docking bay doors won't open. I activated a maintenance program that--"

  "Skip it." Xris knew from experience how long some of Rowan's explanations could last. "Get us the hell out of here now."

  Harry glanced over. "You trust her, boss?"

  "It doesn't much matter, does it? We can either fly out of here or walk out with our hands on top of our heads. Which is it going to be?"

  Xris had avoided the question of trust and everyone in the plane knew it. The others exchanged grim glances.

  "Well, when you put it that way ... XP," Harry ordered, "bring main engines on line and fire maneuvering thrusters."

  "Excuse me, Pilot Luck," said the computer respectfully, "but I am programmed to remind you that we have not received permission to leave--"

  "Take over manual control," Xris commanded.

  "Sorry about this, XP," Harry said, giving the computer a conciliatory pat. "But switch flight control over to manual. That's an order."

  "Yes, Pilot Luck. I was only doing my duty. I trust that will be so noted in the log."

  "Oh, sure, sure," Harry said absently.

  He was absorbed in his job now, oblivious to all else. The expression on his face even altered from one of almost perpetual befuddlement to intense, focused concentration. He seemed to flow into the spaceplane, almost like the legendary Blood Royal, who had reputedly been able to connect themselves with their own spaceplanes through the micromachines in their bloodstream. Harry had no micromachines in his blood. He connected with the plane by feel and thought, by instinct and intuition.

  The spaceplane lifted off the landing pad, turned, headed for the gigantic metal doors.

  The cockpit speaker crackled to life. "Olicien Two Five Niner, you are not cleared for takeoff. Repeat, not cleared. Return to your assigned parking area."

  Harry shut off the speaker and aimed the nose of the spaceplane at the blast doors. He fired the thrusters. The doors shivered. The plane flew nearer, nearer, picking up speed.

  "As fast as we're flying," Tycho observed to no one in particular, "we won't be able to stop." No one answered.

  Xris glanced at Rowan, who was staring at the doors with a pale, set expression on her face. Maybe this is how she's going to end it, he thought suddenly, his stomach muscles tightening. Go out in a ball of fire. And this time she'll make sure of me, as well.

  The plane's speed was increasing. Harry steered for the bottom of the blast door, planning to swoop out the moment he had enough room.

  If that moment came ....

  They were within two hundred meters, rocketing toward nullgrav steel doors that could absorb a direct hit from a meson without buckling. The spaceplane would smash into the blast doors, explode, and maybe leave a black char mark that would probably wash off with a little soap and water.

  One hundred and fifty meters. JamiFs ebony skin glistened with sweat. Quong's eyes were closed, his mouth moving, either in prayer or reciting algebraic equations; he did both in emergencies. Tycho's thin fingers gripped the arms of his chair; his skin had turned a sick pink not due to color alteration, but to strain. One hundred meters.

  "Ah!" Harry breathed softly in satisfaction.

  The blast doors shivered, began to rise--at a crawl.

  "Come on, baby," Harry said to the doors. "Faster."

  The doors were now a little over a quarter of the way up.

  "I'
m going for it," Harry shouted. "Hang on."

  The plane shot through the opening and soared into the black vacuum of space.

  "Did you hear a scraping sound?" Tycho asked, his translator squeaking. "I heard a scraping sound. I'll bet we've left a streak of yellow paint on that damn door."

  "I think I left a streak of yellow down my pants leg," Jamil muttered.

  "We're not out of this yet," Harry cautioned. "There's a Katana fighter coming for us. Not on visual yet, but you can see it on the screen."

  Xris looked--a blip on the sighting screen was converging on them.

  "Where's the nearest Lane?"

  "The one we took coming in. Out past the thousandkilometer marker." Harry glanced at the screen. "We'll be in range before then. And this cargo plane has all the maneuvering capability of a Solosian elephant. No offense," he added, for the computer's benefit.

  "None taken, Pilot Luck," responded the computer. "I am aware of the plane's limitations. And it is my duty to report that the Navy fighter is requesting us to shut down our engines and stand by for towing."

  'Tll take that under advisement. In the meantime, increase speed. Give me everything you've got."

  "Yes, Pilot Luck," said the computer, adding, after a moment, "I must admit, I find this rather exhilarating. I was once assigned to a short-range Scimitar myself, when I was in the Navy."

  "Were you?" said Harry, his gaze divided between the thousand-kilometer buoy, blinking up ahead, and the Katana itself, which could now be seen through the viewscreen. "Then perhaps you could tell me why it's not firing at us. We must be dead in the pilot's sights."

  "Pilots are not permitted to fire this close to the station, sir, unless under enemy attack."

  "And maybe the soldiers were bluffing back there," Xris said, eyeing Rowan. "Maybe they don't want to blow up Major Mohini."

  "It's possible." Rowan appeared thoughtful.

  Tracer fire flashed past the viewscreen.

  "Warning shot across the bow," Harry said. "XP, plot the jump. I want to be ready the moment we hit the Lane."

  "What course?" XP asked.

  Harry looked questioningly at Xris.

  "Olefsky's system. The rendezvous site. If Raoul manages to extricate himself from whatever predicament he's in, he'll know to meet us there."