by Simon Haynes
Harriet turned and beckoned to the others. They arrived out of breath, and while they were recovering Harriet sought out Worthy. "Can you walk past the front and scan the place?"
"I am a butler, madam. I am not fitted with espionage equipment."
"Just walk by and check the place out. Try not to draw attention to yourself."
Worthy looked down at his gleaming silver body, which shone like burnished steel in the morning sunshine. "If you say so," he murmured doubtfully.
"I'll go with you," said Moira. She passed her crossbow to her husband, and before anyone could stop her she stepped into the road with the robot. The pair of them crossed the street, and casually walked past the warehouse. It was only a modest building, with maybe room for a dozen specialty shops in its day. Now the brick facade was crumbling, and there were no lights behind the glass doors. Harriet wondered whether it was Darting's only base, or whether the woman had more places around the city. No, this was her nephew's business, and Darting hadn't been in Chirless long enough to establish a whole network of hideouts. This had to be the one.
Harriet watched Moira and the robot walking casually past the mall's entrance, then swore as someone appeared behind the glass doors. The doors parted, and a man in a black T-shirt and old jeans emerged, leaning on the door frame to watch.
Moira didn't falter, she just kept walking, chatting to her robot all the while. The man kept an eye on them but didn't leave the doorway, and Harriet strained her eyes to stare into the darkened interior of the mall, trying to spot more of the enemy.
Chack!
A crossbow went off right beside her, making her jump. She turned to see Flint reloading, and when she glanced back at the mall, looking for the enemy, she saw the man lying on the ground.
"Nice shot," murmured Caldavir.
"What happened to waiting for my signal?" demanded Harriet.
Flint shrugged. "I had a shot and I took it."
"He might have raised the alarm!"
"He's not going to raise anything until he wakes up," remarked Flint.
Harriet realised there was no point hiding now that Flint had tipped their hand. "Come on, follow me."
Then they were all running across the street, weapons at the ready. Moira met them halfway and took her crossbow back, and when they reached the entrance to the mall they found the man in the dark T-shirt groaning on the floor, one hand to his head.
Flint pulled the man's arms behind his back and tied them together roughly. Then he tore a strip of fabric off the man's shirt and gagged him with it, before he and Caldavir dragged the man out of sight along the wall.
Harriet looked inside the mall, which was gloomy and dark. The floor was paved with dirty tiles, and there was a handful of shops with boarded-up windows. The nearest had a sign with Mike Dantriss's name on, and when Harriet heard footsteps coming she frantically waved the others back. "Don't shoot until I—"
Chack! Chack!
The newcomer was a woman, a gun in her hand, and the heavy bolts knocked her off her feet, winding her. The gun clattered on the floor, and before the woman could cry out she was gagged and tied.
"—until I give the word," muttered Harriet. She realised she had no chance of holding her people back, so she told them to split up and check the building in pairs. "No heroics, okay? We're just going to round Darting's people up, and the spaceport security people can ship them off to the orbiter and organise for them to be taken away."
There was some muttering at that, but the others paired off and hurried down the corridor between the boarded-up shops. Only Timms remained, and she took up the fallen gun, checked it over expertly, then discarded her crossbow in favour of the blaster. "Come on, dear," she said. "Let's not leave all the fun to the others." The old lady trotted off, gun at the ready, and Harriet had to hurry to keep up with her.
Harriet heard raised voices and blaster fire, then a sound of breaking glass. More shots rang out from nearby, quickly silenced, and she hoped her people weren't taking on more than they could handle. Then she had no time to worry about them, because Timms hauled open the door to an abandoned shop, and they came face to face with Mike Dantriss, the so-called maintenance man who'd infiltrated their base. He stared at Harriet in shock, then went for his gun. It was barely out of the holster before Timms opened fire. Dantriss went down in a blaze of blaster fire, and Timms walked over and casually kicked his gun towards Harriet. Then she checked his pulse. "He won't trouble us for a while."
"I thought you'd killed him!"
"No need for that, dear. He's out of action, and that's all that matters."
There was a door at the rear of the shop, and Harriet eased it open while Timms stood with her gun ready. The door led onto a large open area behind the mall, with the back of another building facing them. A burst of gunfire lanced at them from the other building, and the door shuddered as the shots slammed into the woodwork. Harriet and Timms jumped back, sheltering against the concrete wall, and more shots hit the door, tearing holes in the timber and leaving bright after-images in Harriet's vision.
"There must be half a dozen of them at least," said Timms.
Harriet frowned. It dawned on her that Darting's people might have occupied the entire city block, not just her nephew's premises, and even now they could be circling round to the front of the building. The Peace Force veterans were scattered throughout the mall, and their slow-firing crossbows would be no match for blasters. "Captain, I need you to go and meet Alice."
"What, now?" demanded Timms.
"Yeah. She's a hot-head, and she's liable to abandon the jet and come charging into battle. I need her to stay with the fighter in case we have to make a quick getaway."
"Very well, dear." Timms offered her the gun, but Harriet waved it away. "Keep it. You might run into Darting's people on the way."
More shots hit the door, and they abandoned the shop and returned to the main hall, where they saw Moira and Worthy backing out of a shop, Moira struggling to reload while Worthy shielded her from blaster fire. Through the gaps in the boards covering the window, Harriet saw flashes of gunfire, and she raised her crossbow and fired at a shadowy figure inside the shop opposite. The window shattered, thousands of tiny fragments cascading on the floor, and the firing stopped.
"Nice shot!" called Moira. "Thanks!"
"They're in the building behind us," shouted Harriet.
"And the other side, too."
"Get everyone out. They could be trying to surround us."
Moira ran down the main hall with Worthy, her footsteps clattering on the tiles. On the way she shouted at the others, calling them back. In the meantime, Harriet escorted Timms to the front door. She looked out cautiously, but there was nobody around. "Wait at the landing zone," she told Timms. "Keep Alice there no matter what."
Timms nodded. "I'll be back," she said firmly, and then she headed across the street to use the parked cars for cover.
Harriet returned to the mall. "Listen up!" she called, and the others fell silent. "Timms and I saw five or six shooters in a building on that side," she said, indicating the shop. "I need two of you to cover the door."
Caldavir and Flint hurried off, and Harriet took up Timms' crossbow and passed it to Worthy, overriding his objections. "I know you can't shoot anyone, but you can load it, can't you?"
The robot nodded.
"Good. Go with those two, and load for them as quick as you can." Harriet turned to Banville, McCluskey and Caldavir. "How many did you see?"
"Only a couple, and one of them went down," said Banville, with some satisfaction.
"Any sign of Darting?"
They all shook their heads.
"If she's here, she'll be in the building next door. That's where most of the enemy were."
"What do you suggest?"
Harriet considered the situation. An assault was out of the question, since they were out-gunned. They couldn't hold the enemy off indefinitely, either, since their bolts would run out. That left
retreat, and she didn't think her people would be keen on that particular idea. "Alice should be here with the jet soon, and we could always—"
She never finished the sentence, because at that moment there was a tremendous explosion nearby. The wooden door at the back of the shop blew in with a cloud of dust, the shockwave throwing Flint and Caldavir off their feet. They were still struggling on the floor when a couple of men appeared in the doorway, guns levelled. Harriet raised her crossbow and shot one in the chest, knocking him back out the door even quicker than he'd come in. The other turned to face her, raised his weapon until Harriet was looking straight down the barrel, then very deliberately pulled the trigger.
— ♦ —
Alice watched the shopping mall on the main screen, willing the jet onwards. She was itching to join the fight, and she decided to land in the big empty area beside the mall instead of setting down at a distance. She didn't even see Timms as she flew over her.
"Explosion detected," said Arnie calmly.
Alice could see it. A cloud hung over the mall, right near the big open area, and she could see a couple of figures running towards the mall from the building next door. She didn't recognise them, and as she got closer she saw they were carrying blasters. Not on her side, then. They looked up at her, and she smiled as she activated the intercom. "Bernie, I'm going to set you down first. I can see two shooters—"
"I've already acquired them," said the robot.
The jet flew low across the open expanse, and Alice felt it jump suddenly as Bernie let go. Arnie banked sharply, bringing them round in a tight circle, and as he set down Alice saw Bernie holding each of the attackers firmly around the neck, their guns lying on the ground nearby.
Alice jumped up from her seat and ran for the hatch, scooping up her crossbow on the way. Birch was already climbing down the ladder, and together they ran after Bernie, who was stomping towards the second building. At last … it was time to get her own back!
— ♦ —
Harriet stared at the weapon in fascination, and time slowed to a crawl. She saw the enemy's finger tightening on the trigger but she couldn't move, couldn't get away. There was a flash as the gun went off, and then a blur as Worthy dived in front of the shooter. The shot hit his metal body, splashing harmlessly on the bright alloy, and then Caldavir fired a bolt which slammed the enemy against the door frame. Worthy leapt up, turned with one fluid motion and pinned the man to the wall by the neck.
"Where's Darting?" shouted Harriet, advancing on him. "Where's Anita Darting?"
The man swallowed fitfully, struggling to breathe. Worthy relaxed his grip and the man sucked in a lungful of air. "In the … building opposite."
The others tied and gagged him, and Flint peered through the door as a ship roared overhead. "Hey, it's Alice! And she's brought that big old robot with her!"
Harriet felt a rush of relief so intense she had to steady herself against the wall. She was still recovering from almost being shot, and the thought they might actually triumph was too much to bear. She didn't have long to recover though, because the others took their weapons and charged out, leaving her completely alone.
After a moment to catch her breath, she followed, quickly overhauling them as they ran past the parked fighter jet. She saw Bernie fifty metres away, striding towards the brick building as though she'd never stop.
She didn't.
With a crash, Bernie walked straight through the wall, leaving a ragged hole and a trail of bricks in her wake. Alice darted in behind her with Birch in tow, and Harriet sped up, crossbow firmly in her grasp.
By the time she got there it was all over. The door opened on an office, where Bernie was standing with one foot on a man's chest, her arm drawn back with a handful of bricks in her massive hand. There were three more men lined up against the wall, hands above their heads, weapons at their feet.
"Where's Darting?" demanded Harriet.
"Who?"
There was a clatter of feet as the rest of her team arrived, and the small office was crammed to overflowing as they lined the walls, making room for each other.
"Last chance before I shoot," said Harriet, raising her crossbow.
"Sh-she's in the other building. There's a-a basement."
Harriet cursed under her breath and turned for the door. The woman was as slippery as an eel! That's when she realised someone was missing. "Alice, where's Ben?"
"Beats me. He was near the ship last time I saw him."
"Anyone?"
The others all shook their heads.
"Damn," muttered Alice. "He'd better not be another one of Darting's spies."
"I'm sure he wasn't." Harriet looked out the door, back towards the mall, but the landing field was empty except for the fighter jet. She squinted as she studied the jet's canopy, which gleamed in the sunshine. She couldn't see anyone inside the ship, but she wondered if Ben might be in the airlock.
There was a sudden ringing noise from her pocket, and Harriet took her commset out. "Hello?"
"Trainee Walsh, it is?"
Harriet's eyes narrowed at the sound of Darting's voice. "You might as well give up. We've won."
"Ah, well there I have to disagree with you. Take another look at your little toy ship."
Harriet looked through the doorway and breathed in sharply. Ben was just stepping out from behind the landing leg, and there was a gun held to his head. A gun held in a woman's hand.
Chapter 27
"Don't try anything," said Darting, her voice harsh. "Anyone moves, I'll shoot the kid."
Harriet studied the older woman, trying to get her measure. Darting was dressed in slacks and a white blouse, and the string of pearls and high heels were at odds with the silver blaster she was grinding into Ben's neck. "Relax," said Harriet calmly, although she felt anything but. "Nobody's going to do anything. Just tell us what you want."
"That's easy, trainee. I want your people off this planet for good. I want my city back."
"She wants a good kicking," muttered Alice.
Harriet motioned her sister to silence. "You know I can't do that. It's my duty to protect these people." She decided to try another tack. "Look, why don't we sit down and talk about this?"
"Don't waste your time." Darting held up her commset. "I called my people. They're already are on the way."
"We're not going to surrender," said Harriet firmly.
"Then I'll shoot the kid."
"And then we'll kill you, and I don't care how many of your people limp back here, fresh from another defeat. I mean, it's not like they've covered themselves with glory, is it? We're going to crush them, and you know it."
Darting's eyes flashed, but she looked thoughtful.
"Here's what we're going to do," said Harriet. "Put the gun down, and I give you my word we'll drop you off on any planet you choose. No repercussions, no arrests. Just stay away from Dismolle."
"You can't let her go," hissed Birch, who was standing behind her. "Whatever deal you make, she'll break it."
"Worry about that once Ben is safe," Harriet murmured.
"She'll just come back with a bigger force," protested Birch. "You can't let her go!"
Harriet ignored him and raised her voice. "What do you say? Freedom, or fight to the death?"
"Say I choose freedom … who's going to fly the ship?"
"That'd be me," said Alice, stepping forward.
"You!" said Darting in surprise. "You're just a child!"
"No, I'm Peace Force," said Alice, tapping the badge at her shoulder. "Like Harriet said, let Ben go and I'll drop you off at the nearest planet."
Darting thought about it, then nodded. "All right, come over here. No weapons, no tricks … or I'll shoot."
Alice held her hands out and walked slowly towards Darting. Harriet went to follow, but Darting shook her head. "Not you. Just the girl."
Harriet heard a growl behind her, and she realised it was Bernie. The robot had been silent so far, and Harriet hoped Bernie didn't tr
y and resolve the situation herself. The big robot was about as subtle as a meteor strike, and any sudden move could lead to a lot of casualties. She held her hand to her side, making a soothing gesture, and the growling stopped.
"All right," said Alice, as she reached Darting. "I'm here. Let Ben go."
"I've got a better idea," said Darting. "You fly the ship, and Ben here can sit with me in the back." She prodded him with the gun, and Alice could see beads of sweat on his forehead. "He'll be my insurance."
"That wasn't the deal!"
"Yeah, but what choice do you have?" Darting gestured at the fighter with her gun. "Up you go."
Alice was going to argue, but there was no point. She clambered up the ladder and disappeared into the belly of the fighter, reappearing moments later in the cockpit. Then Darting realised she had a problem. To board the ship, she had to climb the ladder, and she couldn't hide behind Ben whilst doing so. She looked up at the ship, then frowned at Harriet and the others. "All of you, drop your weapons."
Harriet put her crossbow down, and the others followed suit, laying their weapons on the ground.
"I can't believe you held my people off with that junk," muttered Darting. "Don't the Peace Force give you real weapons?"
Very slowly, Harriet reached behind her back, until her fingers closed on the grip of the blaster tucked into her uniform. The minute Darting let go of Ben to climb the ladder, Harriet would put her down.
But Darting was too wise for that. "Now move back inside the building. All of you. Quick!"
"Last chance," muttered Birch. "We've got to take her now."
Harriet shook her head and backed into the old building. Once everyone was inside, she pulled the door to.
"You're mad," snapped Flint. "She's going to kill them both!"
"She can't touch Alice, she needs her to fly the ship. And she just needs Ben as a hostage. She has no reason to hurt him."
