blood, to strike hard against the wall and explode with a sharp whuumpf as his fuel tanks went up.
Forrester stood in the centre of the room, holding the M-16 like. a baseball bat and swatting at the Lilliputians as they buzzed around him like wasps around a nest, the criss-crossing beams of their tiny lasers creating a fine latticework of coherent light around him, making it appear as if he were trapped inside some glowing spider's web.
'Moses, get down!'' Delaney shouted.
Instantly, Forrester dropped to the floor and Delaney fired his gun. The full intensity plasma charge streaked across the room, incinerating the Lilliputians in its path, slamming into the floor to ceiling window on the far side of the room and melting right through it. Steiger made a running dive and landed right on top of Forrester, covering him with his body, but the remaining Lilliputians were in full retreat, swooping out the ruined window with their jets on full power and dispersing in the night like fireflies. Delaney ran over to the gaping hole, but he held his fire. There were people down there and he didn't want to risk hitting any innocent bystanders:'
As he turned around, a squad of soldiers came running in, armed with laser rifles and autopulsers, all of which were suddenly pointed in his direction.
''Freeze! Drop the gun! Drop it right now!'
Delaney rolled his eyes, dropped the pistol and raised his hands over his head.
''Don't shoot, I'm one of the good guys,' he said.
'On the floor! Flat on the floor right now!'
'Well, now that isn't very smart,' Delaney said. 'I just dropped my gun down there. If I got down beside it, I could pick it up and shoot you, you damn fool.'
'I said get down-'
'Harris, you idiot, put down those guns.!' Steiger shouted, as he got up off Forrester. 'It's over!'
'Colonel! I didn't realise-'
'No, of course not!' Steiger said, furiously. 'Congratulations, Harris.
You've just disarmed and captured Capt. Finn Delaney.”
Harris paled. 'Capt. Delaney! Sir, I'm sorry, I didn't recognise-'
Forrester groaned and rolled over onto his back.
'Oh, sweet Jesus Christ,' said Steiger.
Delaney was at his side in an instant. 'Oh, God. Don't move, Moses,'
Finn said. 'Don't just stand there, somebody get a goddamn medic!'
Forrester looked like he'd taken a nap on a barbecue grill. His face and skull were criss-crossed with blackened laser tracks, not bleeding because the heat had cauterised the wounds. There was a hole in his right cheek where a beam had gone in at an angle, exiting through the neck just below his jawbone. Part of an ear had been neatly sliced off. His fatigues looked like they'd been shredded in places and there were numerous pinholes in his shoulders and arms. Miraculously, none of the vital organs appeared to have been hit. He groaned again and tried to sit up.
'Don't move, Moses, help's on the way,' said Delaney. 'Screw that,' grunted Forrester. 'Help me up.'
They gently pulled him up to a sitting position on the floor.
'Anyone left alive?' he said.
'I don't know,' said Steiger. 'Well, check, God damn it!'
'Harris!' Steiger snapped.
'Yes, sir!' Hams rapidly detailed several men. 'You, you, and you, come with me, on the double!'
'Somebody give me a cigarette,' said Forrester, leaning against Delaney for support.
Steiger got him one and put it between his lips, lighting it for him. Forrester inhaled deeply and then slowly blew the smoke out. The smoke coming out through the hole in his cheek was disconcerting.
Harris came back into the room. His face was ashen.
'They're dead, sir.'
Forrester looked stricken. 'All of them?'
'I'm afraid so, sir.'
'Where the hell were you?' said Steiger, his voice barely under control.
'Sir, we responded the moment the alarm went off,' said Harris, 'but there was someone in the tube…' He broke off awkwardly when he realised that the someone he was referring to were Steiger and Delaney.
“Yeah, that was us,' Delaney said. 'Don't blame Harris, Creed. They were incredibly fast. Whoever trained 'em certainly knew what he was doing.'' He glanced at Forrester. 'Next time I warn you about keeping those antiques of yours, do me a favour. Kick me. But why the hell didn't you use a plasma gun?'
Forrester grimaced and pointed at the gaping hole where the floor to ceiling window in the far wall of his penthouse used to be. 'That's why,' he said, wryly. 'I don't see the point in shooting sparrows with a cannon. Besides, bullet holes are a lot easier to fix. Jesus, look at this place!'
The medics arrived and pushed their way through. As they started administering first aid to Forrester, one of them turned to Steiger and said, 'We've got to get him to a hospital right now'
'I'm not going anywhere,' Forrester began, but Steiger interrupted him.
'The hell you're not,' he said. 'Doctor, are you willing to certify this man unfit for duty in his present condition?'
'You'd better believe it,' said the medic.
'Right,' said Steiger. 'As of right now, I'm assuming command. '
'The Hell you are!' thundered Forrester. 'You've got a mission -
' This is the mission,' Steiger said. 'In case it escaped your attention, those commandos who hit you were about six inches tall. And that means the Network is involved in this thing up to their necks. Either that or we're all trapped in a Walt Disney movie. Doctor, get the general to the hospital right away. Harris, take your detail and accompany them. You're not to leave the general's side for so much as a second, got me? If any medical personnel give you any grief about it, refer them to me. but he's not to be alone under any circumstances. you got that?'
'Yes, sir!'
'Is there a doctor over there that we can trust?' Steiger asked Delaney.
'Capt. Hazen,' said Delaney.
'Yeah, I know her. I'll call her right away and explain the situation. Hams, nobody comes near the general unless Capt. Hazen says its okay.
Nobody. That means no nurses administering pills or drip I. V. 's, no cafeteria workers bringing him his breakfast. no orderlies to prep him for an operation. nobody. Either Hazen clears it or they don't get near him. Understand? If anything happens to him, it's your ass.'
'I understand, sir.''
'God damn it, Steiger,' Forrester began, but Steiger cut him off again.
'I'm sorry, sir. My first responsibility- is seeing to your welfare.'
'Forget about my welfare. I'll be fine. You can't leave your team short-handed!'
'They're not. They've got some very competent help.'
Chapter 7
Hunter thought he might be able to break the wooden chair that he was tied to and work free of his bonds, but unfortunately, there were two problems with that idea.
One was that the noise of the chair breaking would be certain to alert Vincent, with his hatchet face and his razor-sharp switchblade. And if Hunter managed to break the chair, it was doubtful that he'd have enough time to slip free of his bonds before Vincent came rushing in. The second problem was that the chair might not break on the first try, and one try was all that he'd have time for. If he tipped himself forward onto his tiptoes and then fell backwards hard, smashing the chair down, it would make a lot of noise even if it didn't break at once and he didn't think that Vincent would give him a second chance.
Hunter wondered what in hell he had gotten himself into. Was Manelli a temporal agent? If so, then why hadn't he simply clocked his captive to the future for interrogation? And what was he doing posing as a 20th century
