As he spoke, he released the throwing spike with a sharp snap of his wrist. The spike darted across the room and embedded half its length in the forehead of the watching guard.
- * -
A surprised look spread across the guard’s face; then he crumpled to the floor.
Gedge blinked, then started to turn to Hosato.
An epee was in Hosato’s hand, and a gleam of light from the overhead lamp shone from its needle point, hovering inches from Gedge’s throat.
“Don’t even twitch, Gedge,” he said coldly. “There aren’t many reasons for keeping you alive, and lots for killing you. All I need is an excuse to change my mind.”
Gedge swallowed hard but kept his voice level. “What… What’s your game, Hosato?”
“That’s the problem,” Hosato retorted. “You’ve got it into your head I’m out to destroy Ravensteel. Well, that’s your prerogative. It’s mine not to go along with it.”
Gedge licked his lips nervously. “Okay, Hosato. Put the sword away and let’s talk it out.”
“No deal. Now we play it my way.” He edged over to the fallen guard and retrieved the blaster, shifting the sword to his left hand.
“How many guards on the two next door?” he demanded.
“Look, Hosato, we can—”
“How many?”
“Two.”
Hosato moved sideways until he stood against the wall beside the door into the adjoining room.
“If you’re lying, Gedge, you’ll be the first to go. Now, open the door and call to them.”
Gedge hesitated, then moved to the door and opened it.
“We’ve got a code Delta,” he announced casually.
In a flash Hosato was in the doorway, his blaster leveled at the occupants of the next room.
“Freeze!” he snarled.
The two guards, hands on the butts of their blasters, froze in place. Rick and James were seated on a sofa against the far wall, apparently unharmed. Hosato noted with satisfaction they had failed to relieve James of his dress sword—probably didn’t consider it a serious weapon.
“All right, toss your blasters into the corner,” he instructed the guards. “Easy!”
The guards obeyed with leaden slowness.
“Nice try, Gedge,” Hosato commented to his captive as the blasters thudded into the corner. “I don’t know what a code Delta is, but I had a hunch I wouldn’t like it. Okay, Rick, get their—”
Gedge kicked the door shut on his arm and rushed him.
Fighting the pain of his pinned arm, Hosato hammered at his assailant with the bell guard of his epee. Gedge was inside the length of the sword, negating the use of the point, and he clung to Hosato tenaciously for several precious seconds.
Finally Hosato slammed the heavy pommel against the larger man’s temple, and Gedge sagged, his grip loosening. With a heave Hosato shoved the man off him and wrenched the door open.
In the corner, Rick was wrestling with one of the guards, apparently for possession of one of the blasters. Before Hosato could call out, the mechanic found the proper leverage and jerked his opponent’s head around sharply. There was an audible crack, and the guard went limp.
The other guard was Hosato hesitated as he focused for the first time on the prostrate form on the floor by his feet. There was a pool of blood slowly spreading from the body.
James was standing shakily nearby, his bloody dress sword hanging limply in his hand.
Their eyes met.
“He… he was going to…”
“It’s all right now, James,” Hosato said quietly.
“I… killed him.”
“You sure did, kid,” Rick interrupted. “Saved your hide, too, Hosato. What do we do now?”
Hosato felt a quick surge of anger at Rick’s callousness; then it subsided. Rick was right. This was a time for action.
“Are you all right, James?” he asked brusquely, taking the boy by the shoulder.
The youth blinked vacantly, then nodded his head in stubborn assent.
“Rick, get their blasters.”
Without waiting for the mechanic’s reply, Hosato turned and strode into Gedge’s office once more. The security chief was conscious but out of action. He was hunched over on his hands and knees, holding his head and moaning softly. Hosato ignored him and moved to the desk, arming himself from his own arsenal, which Gedge had so conveniently laid out for him.
As he had noted earlier, his blasters were gone. Well, no matter. They’d gotten new ones from the guards. Throwing spikes in his belt, knife in his boot One by one he secured the deadly tools of his trade at various points on his body. Items such as clothing, he ignored. This was a combat mission.
“I’ve got the blasters, Hosato,” Rick said, joining him. “Now what?”
Hosato gestured at Gedge’s huddled form. “Ask our friend there where they took Sasha.”
Rick frowned. “I don’t think hell tell me.”
“They’ve taken her off to interrogate her,” Hosato informed him. “Thinking about that might help you find the right way to ask him.”
“Right!” Rick said, his face hardening.
Hosato felt a twinge of guilt as he turned his back on the inevitable scene in the corner. He shouldn’t delegate such a task to someone else, but forcing information out of people, especially injured people, had never been his forte. Still, he winced at Gedge’s first gasp of pain.
“Hosato?”
He turned, to find James at his side.
“I had to do it,” the boy mumbled. “He was going to kill you.”
Hosato seized the boy’s shoulders in an iron grip and shook him. “You said you wanted to come with me, James. Remember?”
“Yes, but—”
“Well, this is what I do. I kill people. We may have to kill some more before we get out of here. If we don’t, they’ll kill us. I’m not saying you should like it, but accept it. Accept it now, or when the next time comes, you’ll hesitate and we’ll all be dead.”
The boy’s eyes cleared. “I’ll be all right,” he said levelly.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.” His voice was surer now.
“Good. Then fetch my throwing spike. It’s in the guard’s forehead over there.”
It was a brutal thing to do, and Hosato watched the boy covertly as he went about his assignment. The boy was a bit wooden-limbed, but his hands shoot only slightly as he withdrew the weapon from the corpse’s skull.
“I’ve got your answer, Hosato,” Rick called. “Sasha is in the room directly below us. The stairs are across the hall.”
“Here’s your spike,” James said, passing him the weapon.
Hosato took it absently and tucked it in his belt.
“Shall I kill him?” Rick asked, jerking his head at Gedge.
“No. Hang on to him. He’s our hostage for now.”
“Okay, you’re the boss. Where do we go from here?”
“I go after Sasha,” Hosato corrected. “You try to find if one of these uniforms comes close to fitting you. James,”—. Hosato pressed a blaster into the boy’s hand —“watch the door. If anybody but me or Sasha comes through it, kill 'em. And keep an eye on our friend there.”
Their eyes met; then the boy smiled and nodded.
There was no one in sight as Hosato ghosted across the corridor and down the stairs. Likewise, there was no one in the lower corridor, not even a guard.
His suspicions aroused, he crossed the corridor in one long stride and hurtled himself against the door. It flew open with surprising ease, and he fell headlong into a dark room. As he hit the floor, he realized what a beautiful target he made silhouetted against the open door, and rolled sideways into the shadows.
“Hosato?” came a cautious call.
“Sasha?” he answered.
There was a soft shuffle of movement, and the door closed behind him. A moment later the lights came on, flooding the scene in the room with their harsh brilliance.
&nbs
p; “Til say one thing for you, Hosato. You never miss a chance to make a big entrance.”
Sasha was standing there, a blaster gripped loosely in her left hand. Aside from her disheveled appearance, she seemed unharmed.
“Are you all right?” Hosato asked, rolling to his feet.
“Sure,” she replied easily. “Nothing like the smell of truth serum to clear away the cobwebs. Luckily they didn’t seem to think I was dangerous enough, to strap down.” She gestured at the two crumpled and bloody forms on the floor.
Hosato whistled in silent appreciation.
“It looks like they were wrong in the worst way. How did you do it?”
“With my trusty desk lamp,” Sasha replied modestly, pointing at the implement. “You know, they ought to outlaw those things. They’re dangerous.”
“I meant, how did you do it at all?”
Sasha shot an annoyed glance at him. “By taking the one with the blaster first. After that, the other one was easy. I’m surprised you didn’t know that, Hosato.”
“As a matter of fact, I am familiar with that tactic,” Hosato retorted. “But when I do it, it’s neater.”
Sasha shook her head and held up her blaster. “Okay, Hosato. If we’re done rattling our sabers at each other, maybe we can get a few basic questions answered. For one, where the hell are we. Last thing I remember, I was fighting robots at the main corridor, then I wake up here with Dr. Frankenstein there about to shoot a load of goop into me.”
Hosato' shook his head. “Mc. Crae isn’t anymore. The robots overran the place and killed everybody.”
“Everybody?”
“Everybody except you, me, Rick Handel, and James. We were in the sand-crawler bay when they made their big push out, or we wouldn’t have gotten out either.”
Sasha whistled. “I guess I shouldn’t gripe about losing an arm, then. How about what’s-her-name Suzi. Your little robot. Did she—?”
“Got chopped up by an ore scout on our way here.”
“That’s too bad. Wait a minute, Hosato 'On our way here'. Are you trying to tell me we’re at…?”
She shot another glance at the uniform on the fallen guard.
“at Ravensteel,” Hosato finished for her. “It was our only chance. I thought they might help us.”
“You’re nuts, Hosato. I’d rather take my chances with the robots. Ravensteel. God protect me from innocents.”
“I’ve managed to figure it out all by myself,”
Hosato commented grimly. “Anyway, that brings us up to the present. We’re trying to bust out of here before they have another chance to lavish some of their Ravensteel hospitality on us.”
“Now you’re talking. Where are the others?”
“Upstairs in the room above this one. I suggest it’s time to regroup our forces and plan our next move.”
“You know, Hosato,” Sasha said, “sometimes you show a positive brilliance for tactics. Let’s go. Oh, one more thing.”
She wiggled her stump at him.
“They gave me some kind of stimulant to counteract the shock before they went to the truth serum. Right now I’m pillow-walking, and I don’t know how long it will last or how I’ll react to this arm once it wears off, so keep an eye on me, okay?”
Hosato nodded his understanding.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
They were halfway up the stairs when they heard the blaster fire from above.
- * -
Hosato bounded the rest of the way up the stairs, Sasha trailing close behind. After the initial burst of fire, the sounds from above had ceased. Weapon at the ready, Hosato slowed his pace and peered ahead at the landing.
The door to Gedge’s office was open, and he could make out the smoldering form of a security guard lying in the doorway. He shot a quick glance up and down the corridor to be sure the coast was clear, then called ahead softly, “It’s Hosato and Sasha. We’re coming in. Hold your fire.”
“All clear,” James’s voice came in reply.
Hosato beckoned to Sasha, and she darted across the corridor ahead of him into the office. He followed, pausing to stoop and catch the fallen guard by an armpit, dragging him inside.
“Okay,” he said, shutting the door and turning to the assembled group. “Now we…”
He stopped suddenly as another uniformed guard appeared in the door to the adjoining room. His blaster was halfway up before he realized it was Rick.
“Hold it, Hosato!” the mechanic called, raising his hands as if to ward off an attack. “It’s me.”
“Right,” Hosato breathed, relaxing his limbs. “Sorry. For a minute I forgot.”
“I was going to ask you if you thought I could pass inspection.” His friend laughed shakily. “I think you’ve already answered the question.”
A shrill beeping from the desk-robot interrupted their tableau.
Motioning the others to silence, Hosato moved to the desk. Taking a deep breath for relaxation, he depressed the button next to the flashing light.
“Yea?” he said into the speaker in a brisk imitation of Gedge’s voice.
“Everything all right there, chief?” came a worried voice.
“Of course,” Hosato barked back. “Why shouldn’t it be?”
“We heard blaster fire and thought there might be trouble. Just checking to see if you needed a hand.”
“One of our guests tried to go for a walk,” Hosato answered jauntily. “But when the day comes I can’t handle a motley bunch like this, you can have my job.”
“It’s a deal.” The voice laughed. “But Sammy won’t like it.”
“That’s Sammy’s problem,” Hosato retorted with the same joviality. “And you can tell him I said so.”
There was a moment’s pause before the answer came. “Right. Well, shout if you need help, chief. Well be here waiting.”
There was a brisk click as the unseen guard shut off his transmitter.
“Whew!” Rick let out his breath. “That was close.”
“We may not be out of it yet,” Hosato murmured thoughtfully. “Sasha, was it just me, or did our caller sound suspicious to you, too… there at the end?”
“It isn’t just you,” Sasha confirmed. “It occurs to me 'Sammy' could be a nickname for Samantha.”
Hosato was kneeling at Gedge’s side before she finished speaking.
“Gedge!” he snarled, shaking the injured security chief. “I don’t want to have to hurt you any more. Where’s the spaceport?”
“I can tell you that,” Sasha supplied. “It’s upstairs, directly over us.”
“You’re sure?”
“Come on, Hosato. Do you think we don’t track their layout and security as close as they track ours?”
“Okay, let’s go,” Hosato said, rising. “There’s probably a squad on their way here already.”
“What about your gear?” James asked suddenly.
“Leave it,” Hosato ordered. “I’ve got everything I need!”
“But your swords!” the boy insisted.
Hosato hesitated and looked at the youth’s expression. For the first time he realized who had shot the guard at the door, and why.
“Okay, James,” he relented. “Bring the epees but that’s all. We’ll have to move fast.”
“Say, Hosato,” Sasha interrupted. “Do you still need this pig. I’ve waited a long time to have him in my sights.”
Her blaster was pointed levelly at Gedge’s head.
“Yes!” Hosato insisted more hastily than was necessary. “Rick. Bring him along. He might be our ticket out of here.”
The small party traversed the stairs to the spaceport without further incident, though Hosato felt an increasing pressure for speed. He was sure that somewhere in the complex a counterattack was being prepared.
“What are you expecting to find in the spaceport?” Sasha asked.
“Hopefully a ship to get us away from this complex and off this planet,” Hosato replied.
“I mean, specifically w
hat are we going after. Do you know if there’s a ship standing by for takeoff?”
“No,” Hosato admitted. “We’ll just have to take pot luck.”
Sasha shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way. They might have some company ships posted here, but it takes at least half an hour to get them ready for takeoff.”
“I know that!” Hosato snapped. “If we have to take the half-hour, we’ll just have to take it. I’m hoping there’s something ready to go. Either way, we won’t know until we check it out, will we?”
“Don’t get your back up. I was just asking.”
Hosato sighed. The strain of the last thirty-six hours was starting to tell on his nerves. He had catnapped in the crawler, but except for that, had had no sleep since the robot uprising.
“Sorry, Sasha. I’m just a bit tired is all.”
“Shh!” came Rick’s call from ahead.
Hosato hurried up the stairs to join the mechanic at the head of the formation. Rick was squatting on the stairs, a half-dozen steps short of where they terminated at a small landing. Gedge was sitting beside the mechanic, staring groggily at his shoes.
At the far side of the landing were two sets of airlocks with large glass windows in them. Through the farthest set Hosato could see a uniformed security guard apparently in casual conversation with a man in a gray jumpsuit.
“Security,” Sasha hissed in his ear from close behind him. “The double doors are a safety precaution against a failure in the hookups with the ships. They can be opened only from the inside.”
“That’s what we have Gedge here for,” Hosato replied grimly. “Rick. Get Gedge up there and rap on the glass. Don’t let them see your face!”
Rick nodded his understanding. He grabbed Gedge by one arm and stood up boldly in full view of the door. Dragging his dazed charge with him, he strode to the first lock and began rapping frantically on the glass.
Surprised, the interior guard spun around and took in the scene at a glance. What he saw was one of his fellow guards supporting their chief, who was obviously in bad shape physically. Human nature took over.
The guard whirled and shoved his companion aside. He hammered two buttons in the wall panel with his fist, and the double doors opened.
Mirror Friend, Mirror Foe Page 11
