‘I’ll start believing in how good you are when your program has done all you say it will,’ Cally retorted.
‘It will,’ Avon growled. He returned to his work with sharp movements.
It seemed longer than three minutes to Cally. Eventually, Avon’s memory cube began to flash. She tensed for a moment, then remembered that this was simply a signal to say to data was fully downloaded. Avon removed the cube and his probes, and began to reattach the panel he had removed.
‘Everything is good?’ Cally asked abruptly.
Avon nodded, looking self-satisfied. ‘My program is in the computer system. When we’re ready, I can activate it using a remote control.’ He finished snapping the panel catches into place. ‘I’ll activate it five minutes after we’ve left this building. I’d rather leave it longer, so we’re well away when the selling programs are triggered and the collapse happens, but if we wait too long, that pair…’ he gestured towards the women. ‘…will have a chance to raise the alarm.’
Cally stepped between the banks of workstations and looked at the two women. ‘These two aren’t going to move for a while.’
‘Good.’ Avon rolled up the set of probes, and rose to put his coat on again.
Cally followed his example, shrugging the spotted coat on over her holstered gun.
They both looked around the room, to check that everything seemed fine, before leaving. The security guard at reception seemed surprised to see them again so soon. Avon told him brusquely that their job was complete and walked past.
‘If there’s any complaints about our work, they’ll be directed at our company, not at you,’ Cally added, a touch patronisingly as she made her way through the security barrier too.
‘I’m not worried about my job,’ the security guard called.
He will be, soon, Cally telepathed silently to Avon.
Avon didn’t say anything, but dark humour glinted in his eyes for a few moments.
Once outside, they crossed the street and began to walk through the financial district. Avon glanced at his chronometer.
‘Blake should be back very soon,’ he said. He fished the conspicuous teleport bracelet out from a coat pocket and slipped it on.
Cally was already wearing hers. ‘Are you going to activate the program now?’
Avon produced a small, black device from an internal pocket. A pinpoint light glowed steadily green. Below it, a clear plastic flap covered a recessed button that was the only control. ‘I’ll wait another couple of minutes,’ he said, lowering the control box and picking up his pace again.
It had been a greyish day, and the light was beginning to fade from the sky. Already, advertisements and windows were noticably brighter than their surroundings, and the white streetlights had come on. People were starting to leave their workplaces, filling the pavements and clustering at public transit stops. The roads were busy with vehicles. As well as private vehicles, there were public ones, goods carriers, hire vehicles, tradesmen’s vans and a few vehicles belonging to the various public services. Altogether, there was a busy stream of an endless and colourful variety going past at a steady speed on the flat roads of Belzanko.
With the early evening traffic around them, neither Avon nor Cally noticed the public security vehicle until it switched its warning lights on, and cut across the lanes of traffic to approach them. As its siren gave a brief call, Cally was the first to spin around, her left hand reaching for the fastenings of her furry jacket.
‘Do not move!’ blared an amplified voice.
Around them, civilians were either freezing, or panicking, some shouting in fear or anger. As Avon glanced about, looking for a bolthole, Cally acted. She swiftly drew her gun and blasted the windscreen of the vehicle. As it pulled sharply to one side, she calmly shot up the engine compartment. People on the pavement screamed and fled. Avon opened fire too. For a few seconds they stood side by side and rained gunfire into the vehicle. Windows shattered, smoke plumed out, and finally, an explosion shook the stranded vehicle where it had stopped in the street. The people inside had no chance to return fire.
Cally was the first to stop shooting. She slammed her handgun back into its holster.
‘Run!’ she said abruptly.
Avon turned with her, and they fled among the shocked civilians of Belzanko.
*
Blake drummed his fingers on the teleport console. There was no-one in the teleport bay with him to comment on the display of nervous energy. Jenna was piloting the ship, and after her masterful display in the asteroid belt, Blake knew he could leave things in her capable hands. Vila and Gan were on the flight deck with her, both happy to follow her commands as they made a fast approach to the planet.
‘Scanners are clear at the moment.’ Gan’s voice came over the intercom.
‘Keep listening for messages from the ground,’ Jenna warned.
The Liberator was coming in to pick up Avon and Cally. Blake was on standby to operate the teleport when they got a signal. He was watching the signal locator, between listening to the conversation from the flight deck and responding occasionally.
‘We’re within range of the planet’s sensors,’ Vila reported, sounding as though he’d rather be elsewhere.
‘We can outfly any of the pursuit ships,’ Blake reassured him, looking up from the displays.
‘And outfight them,’ Gan added, his voice made slightly tinny by the intercom.
‘So there’s nothing to worry about,’ Blake answered.
Silence fell for two minutes as they swept in fast towards Belzanko. There was no feeling of movement in the teleport room, but the strategy had been agreed on during the flight back from the outer reaches of the solar system. Blake had no reason to doubt that Jenna was following their plan. Gan’s voice suddenly broke the silence.
‘I’m picking up signals from Belzanko.’ He sounded urgent, but not frightened. ‘They’ve spotted us and I think they’re scrambling ships to intercept.’
‘Holding course,’ replied Jenna coolly. ‘We should be over the capital by the time they get pursuit ships in the air.’
‘Just so long as we get Avon and Cally quickly and can get away again,’ Vila fretted.
‘We could always try to slow them down by throwing you out of an airlock,’ Jenna told him.
‘You need me to fire the neutron blasters!’ Vila objected, his voice rising.
‘Your body wouldn’t slow them down much anyway,’ Gan said.
Blake grinned to himself as he continued to study the teleport locator. He could just imagine Vila’s expression of hurt indignation.
*
‘We need to get off the main streets,’ said Cally, as they hurried between people.
‘We’ve got to keep out of sight until Blake arrives,’ Avon said. ‘Preferably without drawing any more attention to ourselves,’ he added witheringly.
Cally shot him an irritated look, but didn’t bother wasting breath on a reply.
She passed a wide junction and began to angle towards a narrower street a block ahead. When they were out of the main pedestrian flow, Avon slowed to take the transmitter from his pocket. Holding it unobtrusively in one hand, he used his thumb to lift the clear flap, then to press the button. He grinned at Cally with black humour.
‘Such a simple act to bring down a man’s little empire,’ he remarked.
She didn’t smile at all. ‘There’s still work to be done here.’
Avon nodded. ‘We have to avoid getting caught.’
Cally’s expression turned even sourer, but before she could reply, a new engine sound became clear from very close by.
As she looked around, Avon looked up.
‘A cloudskipper!’ he warned.
The flier came into view above the roofline as he finished speaking. It was black and angular, spiked with sensors, lights and weapons. Engines mounted in manoeuvrable side pods could be turned to allow quicker turns and fine control in tight spaces, which made it a popular choice of flier for secur
ity forces operating in cities. The cloudskipper fired a shot into their street as it passed over, already turning in the air. The energy bolt missed Avon and Cally by some distance, blowing a hole in the road. Debris scattered into the air and vehicles swerved crazily as it rained back down again.
Avon swore, but followed Cally as they started running.
‘Get to a busier area!’ he shouted.
She nodded to show she understood, saving her breath for running. The security forces would be less likely to shoot into an area packed with civilians. The ominous sound of the cloudskipper’s engines grew louder somewhere behind them. The fleeing pair swerved across the narrow street, darting between the vehicles stopped in the road.
Another energy bolt, a wilder shot, struck a wall a short way up on the side where they’d been. Chunks of concrete tumbled to the pavement, leaving a hole in the building.
They fled along the road, heading for a junction into a busier street. Some of the people around them stopped and looked for the cloudskipper, some ducked out of the way. No-one tried to stop them as they ran. They dashed out the far end of the small road and onto the main one. Cally narrowly missed colliding with a smartly-dressed woman, who reprimanded her sharply. Apologising breathlessly, Cally hurried off between the people on the pavement, following Avon as he wove through gaps in the crowds.
SEVEN
The thrum of the cloudskipper’s engines grew loud again. Cally was following in Avon’s wake as he shouldered his way fiercely through the pedestrians. Avon raised the arm with the teleport bracelet, triggering the comm button with his other hand.
‘Blake? Blake! If you can hear me, pick us up immediately.’ Avon couldn’t keep the urgency from his voice.
There was no answer. Avon lowered his arms to move more freely.
‘Blake said twenty hours,’ Cally said. ‘They’ll be in range soon.’
‘They’d better be,’ Avon snapped.
He turned to check the position of the cloudskipper. The ominous black shape hung low in the sky, orienting itself towards them. Cally gasped as she saw the guns track them. She darted sideways, almost into the traffic, Avon half a pace behind her. Lightning flickered from the cloudskipper’s guns. The energy bolt struck past them, among the unsuspecting civilians. There were screams of fear and agony and a sudden, awful smell of burnt meat.
Neither Avon nor Cally stopped to look. As the cloudskipper was heading along the street towards them, Cally raced back towards it. Close to, they were harder for the security men on board to see when almost underneath, and the guns couldn’t reach them. As they ran, the cloudskipper fired another energy bolt. It passed over their heads, close enough for them to feel the heat, and struck the people behind them.
‘We’ve got to get away from the civilians,’ Cally shouted.
Avon didn’t answer, but his shock and disgust were clear in his eyes.
Cally darted into the road, among the traffic. Vehicles were already swerving and halting at random, adding to the confusion. Avon went with her. A blue carrier slammed to a halt half a metre from him, making him dodge sideways. He bounced off the rear of a smaller vehicle and staggered to catch his balance. His heart pounding, he lurched towards a gap while Cally ran, as graceful as a wild deer. All the time, the cloudskipper was turning to bring its guns to bear on them. Avon heard the high-pitched hum of its weapons building up to fire again, barely audible over the chaos of noise around him.
He changed direction abruptly, throwing himself into the space between two high-sided carriers. A moment later, an energy bolt struck the space where he’d been. One of the carriers rocked violently under the impact. The explosion was deafening in the narrow space.
To the right. Cally’s instruction was clear in his mind.
Avon went the way she told him, skidding slightly on the smooth road surface. Recovering his balance, he shot between two more vehicles and onto the pavement. Pedestrians scattered out of his way. Avon caught a glimpse of the spotted fur coat and raced after it. Above them, the cloudskipper was turning. Momentum carried it further away as the engines adjusted direction, giving Avon and Cally enough time to get off the main road.
They ran into a narrower street, bounded mainly by office blocks, with a couple of cafés breaking the ranks of monotonous frontages. There were vehicles and pedestrians here too, but fewer than on the main street. Already, some of the people were ducking back into buildings or hurrying away from the explosions they’d heard from the main street. There was more space for Avon and Cally to run, their steps loud in the enclosed space. The sound of the cloudskipper ebbed at first, but grew louder as it made its turn and pursued them.
‘This side,’ gasped Avon, crossing to the side of the street the cloudskipper was approaching from.
Cally darted sideways too, dodging a two-wheeled vehicle. They were in the lee of an office building, hidden from the approaching cloudskipper until it was right over them. Cally stopped dead, drawing her handgun and raising it with both hands.
‘That won’t bring it down,’ Avon snapped.
‘I can damage it,’ Cally replied. ‘Slow it down.’
They saw the lights of the cloudskipper before the predatory black vehicle itself came into view overhead. Aiming, with a look of fierce concentration, Cally fired two shots at one of the engine pods. Sparks flew as smoke plumed out. The cloudskipper started to turn, but the damaged side pod wouldn’t move properly. The turn was wider and more jerky than before.
‘Nice shooting.’ Avon was grudgingly impressed.
They started running again, crossing the street diagonally in the same direction that the cloudskipper was moving, to once again be in the lee of the buildings. Over the thrum of its engines burst the piercing wail of sirens. Street vehicles were on their trail too, and not very far away. As they ran, Avon tried calling for help once more.
‘Blake, where are you? We need pick-up right now!’
There was still no answer from the bracelet’s communicator. Avon swore, between gasps for breath.
‘Down here,’ Cally said briefly, as she nipped into a narrow alley.
Avon was less graceful as he made the sudden turn, bouncing off the wall as he entered. He quickly recovered his balance and raced after Cally. Another blast from the cloudskipper struck the middle of the street they’d just left.
‘This is too narrow,’ Avon shouted. ‘There’s nowhere to dodge when they get that thing lined up on us.’
‘It opens up ahead,’ Cally answered, her curly hair bobbing as she ran.
There were no doors opening into the alley, so with nowhere else to go, Avon followed her. The alley gave into a small yard, bounded by buildings. Cally jinked to her left as she entered, staying close to the wall. The sirens sounded closer and the thrum of the cloudskipper’s engines was getting louder. Avon moved the other way, drawing his gun as he looked about. There were no other open exits from the yard. Large gates for vehicles on the far side were closed, and had a security lock. The only other ways in and out were service doors in the buildings surrounding the yard. Avon hastily tried the nearest door, but that was locked. Cally ran to the door nearest her position and slammed her hand on the control panel. It didn’t move.
She turned her back to the wall and looked up, towards the sound of the cloudskipper, her gun in her hands.
‘Can you get one open?’ she called desperately.
‘Cover me.’ Avon slapped his gun back into its holster and pulled out the gadget he’d made with Vila’s help. He didn’t know if it would work on this lock, but there was no point in saying so to Cally. His spine crawled as he bent to deal with the lock, turning his back on their attackers.
Cally moved sideways to join him, her eyes searching the sky. The wailing sirens got closer still and stayed in place, the sound magnified by the narrow alley.
The lights of the cloudskipper flared at the roof edge, giving Cally a few moments’ warning of its position before the flier itself came into view. She raised her gu
n and aimed at the spot where it would appear. Behind her, Avon took a deep breath, keeping his emotions tightly under control. His concentration on the lock was absolute as he made minute adjustments to the dials. The rippling blast of Cally’s gun made him start. Looking grimmer than ever, he refocused on the job, but precious moments had been lost. Heavy bootsteps pounded along the alley towards them. The cloudskipper’s engines whined as it turned towards them. Cally didn’t move, didn’t run for cover. She stayed, guarding Avon as he fought with the lock. Her gun blasted again and once again as she fired at the deadly fighter above them. Its searchlights swept dazzlingly across the yard as it turned.
Dodge when I tell you! Cally’s silent voice was loud in Avon’s mind over the noise of the flier and the sirens.
His hand trembled at the telepathic touch, but he didn’t stop working. Cally fired a single, sharp shot.
Now!
As Avon straightened up for the leap sideways, the teleport snatched them away to the sudden quiet of the Liberator.
*
‘Sshh! I’m trying to listen.’ Cally’s complaint temporarily silenced Avon and Vila.
The crew were on the flight deck of the Liberator, gathered around a portable speaker on the table enclosed by the padded seats.
Twenty-five hours had passed since the Liberator‘s quick dash through the planetary atmosphere to pick up Avon and Cally. Security forces on Belzanko had launched two pursuit ships but the Liberator had already been over the capital city before they left the ground.
Accelerating away from the planet, the huge spaceship had left the pursuit ships behind before they could get close enough to fire a single shot. Now they were in orbit around a standard gas giant, two out from Belzanko itself. The Liberator‘s position was in sync with Belzanko’s, so they always stayed on the side closest to that planet, regardless of the planet turning below them. At this distance, the Liberator‘s presence would be almost impossible to distinguish from the mass of the gas giant.
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