laughed out loud. The metal men, eyes glowing, watched impassively. Biologicals were not only a mystery beyond their comprehension—but as changeable as the weather. As the last bell tolled, more gunfi?re was heard, and the battle raged on.
There was a cacophony of sound within the circular stairway as boots rang on metal treads, guards shouted from below, and Phan fi?red the occasional shot to slow them down. Though still suspicious of the young woman, Rebo was grateful as well, as she continued to fi?ght an effective rearguard action. Norr had the lead. There were occasional windows, albeit narrow ones, that looked out onto the well-lit fortress. That was how the sensitive came to realize that she and her companions were trapped in the bell tower rather than some other structure. An impression that was confi?rmed when Norr fi?nally arrived at the top, where three thick ropes hung from above, and an elderly bell ringer cowered in a corner. Norr gestured for the oldster to stay where he was and paused to look around. A single electric light lit the area, but that was suffi?cient to illuminate the perfectly matched bells that were suspended above and the arched slits that opened to the outside. The sensitive could see her own breath as she turned toward the stairs. Hoggles had arrived by that time, and was quickly followed by Rebo and Phan.
“Warn the guards,” Norr instructed. “And send the bell ringer down. Tell him to take his time.”
Rebo nodded, motioned for the old man to come forward, and followed him to the top of the stairs. “Hey, you!”
the runner shouted. “Don’t fi?re! The bell ringer is coming down.” A largely incomprehensible reply was heard from below, and having been cautioned to take his time, the old man began the steep descent.
Meanwhile, having worked with Logos to activate a gate seed once before, the sensitive knew what to do. Like all its kind, the globe had a dimple on top and one on the bottom. The trick was to press on both at the same time, and having done so, to maintain the pressure for a full sixty seconds—
something most of those who came across a gate seed failed to do.
Once the requisite minute had elapsed Norr felt something give—and knew that was her cue to twist both hemispheres in opposite directions. They gave, a crack appeared, and multiple beams of light shot outward. “Let go,” Logos commanded sternly, and the sensitive was happy to obey as the globe not only hovered in midair but began to oscillate.
“Remove your outer clothing,” the AI instructed. “I need to
‘see.’ ”
Phan looked on in openmouthed amazement as Norr pulled the loose-fi?tting dress up over her head to reveal a garment the likes of which the assassin had never seen before. It shimmered the way sunlight shimmers on a windruffl?ed lake. Here, right in front of her, was the thing that she was supposed to protect.
That was the moment, perhaps the only moment, when Rebo could successfully approach Phan from behind. And even though the runner knew she had been untruthful, and might even be employed by the Techno Society, Rebo felt a sense of regret as his gun made contact with the assassin’s head. Because, strange though it might have seemed, Phan had become a member of their odd little family. But it had to be done, and Rebo was there to catch the woman and lower her unconscious body to the fl?oor.
“Don’t tell me,” Hoggles rumbled. “Let me guess . . . You want me to tie her up.”
“That would be nice,” the runner agreed. “Because she’s going to be real pissed when she wakes up—and she’s armed to the teeth.”
The time for conversation was over as the bell ringer passed the guards and they pushed their way upward in an attempt to reach the platform above. The treads were narrow, which meant the soldiers were forced to advance two at a time, and without the benefi?t of covering fi?re. Rather than simply slaughter them, which would have been easy to do, Rebo fi?red over their heads. The shotgun sounded like a cannon within the enclosed space, and some of the guards were struck by ricocheting pellets, but none fatally. That forced them to pause and look upward. “Hold it right there!” the runner shouted down to them. “Or die where you stand!”
“I think that got their attention,” Hoggles observed as he peered over the rail. “I’ll keep an eye on them. . . . Lonni wants a word with you.”
Rebo turned to discover that the sphere had disappeared into hyperspace, where, if the device was functioning properly, Logos would make use of it to contact subordinate computers on Socket. The runner felt suddenly nauseous, a sure sign that the AI was busy sucking power out of the fusion reactor located below the museum and channeling the energy where it needed to go. “We’re close,” Norr cautioned. “Pull Bo back from the rail.”
Rebo returned to the rail, fi?red a blast at the opposite wall, and heard metal clatter as the troops retreated down the stairs. Then, having grabbed hold of the heavy’s arm, the runner pulled him back toward the sensitive and the center of the platform.
Phan came to at that point, attempted to get up, and discovered that she’d been bound hand and foot. She felt a combination of shame, anger, and self-pity as Rebo, Norr, and Hoggles hugged each other, and the air began to shimmer. There was an audible bang as air pressure equalized, and the device Phan had been hired to protect disappeared.
The lights in the Grand Hall were still on when Okanda returned to fi?nd that while the remains of the recently completed meal had been removed, the wine service was still available. He had already poured himself a glass, and collapsed into his chair, when a pair of guards entered carrying Phan between them. The assassin was still bound, and therefore helpless, when the soldiers dumped her onto the surface of the table and took up positions a few feet away. Even though Okanda was furious, he chose not to say anything right away and sipped some wine instead. And, rather than complain, Phan was silent as well. But their eyes made contact—and something like respect passed between them.
“So,” the offi?cial said fi?nally, “they tricked you as well.”
Phan shrugged, or attempted to, although it came off as a jerk. The right side of her head was swollen and hurt like hell. “Yes, and no.”
The facilitator’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Which means?”
“Which means,” a male voice replied out of nowhere,
“that while Phan knew about the artifi?cial intelligence, she wasn’t aware that the others were on to her.”
Okanda came halfway out of his chair, and the guards looked right and left, as the air next to the government offi?cial shimmered and Shaz appeared. The soldiers went for their weapons, but the combat variant was ready for that, and shot each in the chest. Rifl?es clattered as they fell. Then, on the off chance that they were wearing some
