Phan had bandages on both hands, but there was nothing wrong with the assassin’s feet, and her right boot made contact with Okanda’s head as the young woman performed a So-Lai, or high spin-kick. The offi?cial staggered backward, the communicator fl?ew out of his hand and skittered across the fl?oor.
Then, before Okanda had time to recover, Hoggles was there to wrap the norm in a muscular embrace. In the meantime Norr had intercepted the metal sphere and was holding it with both hands. It was smooth and pleasantly warm.
“It’s a gate seed!” the sensitive exclaimed. “Just like the one we had on Ning!”
“Correct,” Logos said laconically. “Which means that we can depart for Haafa without further delay.”
“Haafa?” Rebo inquired doubtfully. “We’re going to Socket.”
“Yes,” the AI agreed, “we are. After we go to Haafa . . . So stop wasting time, and take me elsewhere. I will need about fi?fteen minutes in which to prepare the network.”
“Listen!” Norr cautioned. “Can you hear that beeping sound? It’s some sort or alarm.”
“That’s correct!” Okanda said, his eyes fl?ashing. “My guards are on the way. . . . I don’t know what sort of machine Citizen Norr has concealed beneath her clothing, but it belongs to the government, and I suggest that you surrender it now.”
There was anger in the facilitator’s voice, and Rebo understood why. “Look,” the runner said, “I’m sorry. I truly am, but we’re going to take some of your weapons, and the sphere. Bo, tie him up. . . . Everyone else, let’s go shopping!”
With no rope or cord at hand the heavy had no choice but to remove the offi?cial’s belt and use that to bind Okanda’s wrists to his ankles. The heavy was still working on the project when more glass shattered. Rebo was still looking for some sort of tool when Phan broke into the cases with a series of very effi?cient elbow strikes. The runner watched in amazement as the young woman plucked a wide assortment of knives, pistols, and other artifacts out of the displays. So many items that he doubted her ability to carry them all.
Still, it was none of his business, so even as the distant Klaxon continued to bleat mournfully, Rebo went about making some selections of his own. The rapid-fi?re Crosser and the long-barreled single-shot Hogger made for an effective combination in the past. But, as the runner ran his eye over rows of gleaming handguns, the familiar shapes were nowhere to be seen.
So, being unfamiliar with many of the pistols racked in front of him, Rebo chose a matched set of stainless- steel semiautomatic Kobos, both because they would fi?re the same ammunition, and he could cannibalize one of them for parts should that become necessary. Fortunately, the clothes he had been given came equipped with plenty of pockets, which the runner proceeded to fi?ll with spare clips plus all the ammo he could lay his hands on.
Then, having cinched his belt in order to keep his heavily weighted pants up, the runner eyed the case again. There weren’t any holsters for the Kobos, but those associated with a neighboring display looked like they might work, so he grabbed two of them and draped the gun belts around his neck.
Conscious of the fact that he had short-term needs as well, and that, without his glasses, he wouldn’t be able to hit anything with a rifl?e, the runner snatched a pump-style shotgun out of a rack and opened the drawer below. It contained four boxes of ammunition. Rebo slid shells into the underside of the receiver as Norr caught his eye. A newly acquired sword was slung across the sensitive’s back, and she held the gate seed with both hands. “They’re coming, Jak! I can feel them!”
“All right,” Rebo shouted, so that everyone could hear.
“Let’s get out of here!”
Norr led the way, followed by Rebo, Hoggles, and Phan. The door appeared to be promising, but when the sensitive went to open it, the barrier refused to budge. “It’s locked!”
Norr exclaimed, and turned to look at the runner.
“Move back,” Rebo ordered grimly, and brought the shotgun to bear on the lock mechanism. The trigger gave, wood shattered, and a resounding boom reverberated through the hall. The runner gave the door a kick, saw it swing open, and pushed his way through.
Meanwhile, the fi?rst of Okanda’s guards entered the museum, spotted the thieves, and opened fi?re. Phan paused to fi?re her new rifl?e and had the satisfaction of seeing a dragoon fall. A fusillade of bullets splintered the area adjacent to the door as the assassin ducked into what turned out to be a circular stairwell. An iron door blocked access to the level below, so Phan went upward, her footsteps ringing on metal treads. The guards entered seconds later, yelled a series of incoherent orders at one another, and began to climb. Meanwhile, in the bell tower high above, the bells began to toll.
Thousands of stars twinkled in the clear night sky as Shaz, Kane, and the metal men neared the fi?fteen-foot-high stone wall that protected the citadel. The party paused to look upward as bells began to peal. Having followed the road into the village below and spent some time in the local tavern, it had been easy to establish the fact that a sensitive, a heavy, and two norms had been taken to the government complex on the hill above. And, while Shaz took comfort from the fact that the man in charge of the fortress was said to favor technology, the offi?cial’s protechnic stance implied a potential downside as well. What if the facilitator was to discover the true nature of the garment Norr was wearing?
He would want to keep the AI, and if suffi?ciently knowledgeable, might try to use the device. That was why Shaz was determined to enter the complex and take whatever action might be appropriate. “That sounds like gunfi?re,” Kane observed mildly, as something went pop, pop, pop beyond the walls.
“All the more reason to fi?nd out what’s going on,” Shaz replied as he got off his mount. “Stay here if you can . . . Otherwise, return to the village. I’ll meet you there.”
“I would feel more comfortable if I had a weapon,” Kane said suggestively.
“I’m sure you would,” the combat variant replied, as two of the metal men joined hands, and Shaz stepped up into the V-shaped aperture. Then, before the disincarnate could reply to the variant’s comment, the androids launched Shaz high into the air. And such was the operative’s natural athleticism that he was able to execute a forward somersault that carried him over the top of the wall. With that accomplished, he had only to extend his legs at the right moment in order to land squarely on both feet.
Meanwhile, not hearing any signs of alarm from within the fortress, Kane assumed that the combat variant was all right. The spirit entity felt a fl?uttering sensation as Dyson made still another attempt to dislodge him and
