crew?'
'Oh, around.'
It looked as though I wouldn't get much out of him, but I needed a little time. Krause's vehicle was pacing us now. I wanted to pick the best place to make my move. I'd take the offense first in this particular engagement. I was tired of screwing around with these guys. Besides, best to strike when the situation was still one-on-one. So I needed to chat him up a little longer.
'Where are you guys holed up?' I asked.
'We have a place. Kind of a temple, sort of. It's nice. But the food we found is awful. I bet that everything in that green palace of yours is first class.'
'You alone?'
'No. Got a few of the guys here. Are you?'
He laughed. 'I'll bet. Or did most of your gang decide to join up with that Prime fellow? They all ducked out on youthat right, Jake?'
'Yeah, they all ducked out.' I killed the mike. 'Everyone strapped in?' I looked around. My crew was well- trained by now.
Krause chuckled. 'They all want to be gods, huh? Actually, I don't blame them. Wouldn't mind being boss of the universe for a while. But the Goddess says it's all a crock.'
I switched the mike on again. 'That so?' I said, eyeballing the road ahead for a likely spot to do a 'moonshiner's flip,' a.k.a. an 'Alabama roundhouse.'
'Yeah, that's what she says. She says Prime is misleading people and getting them involved in things that aren't their business. '
'What's the Goddess' business?'
'You got me. What do I know from what a goddess is supposed to be up to? None of us understands what the hell's really going on here. Except that-whaddya call her? — the White Lady and Prime are enemies.'
'What's she been after you to do?'
Krause snorted. 'Kowtow to her, for one thing. I'm getting pretty tired of it.' His voice took on a worried edge. 'Jeez, I hope she isn't listening. But you should see what we have to go through. Kneeling when we talk to her, calling her Your Divinity, and crap like that… Christ, I hope she didn't hear that either.'
'What're you worried about? What happens if you incur her disfavor?'
'No food, no water. Two of our guys died last night-they got sick on the trip. Scurvy, I think, though Jules had a heart condition, too. Anyway, the Lady could have saved them, but she didn't; because Moore gave her lip.'
So, Moore wasn't in Krause's vehicle. And we had two less enemies on this world. Good and good.
'I probably shouldn't have told you any of that… but, I dunno. Most of us really would like to go home. You got the map now, Jake. The real one. How 'bout we make a deal?'
'You still believe rumors?' I said.
'C'mon, Jake. The Goddess told us. She gave you the real map. We need it to get back home.'
'The Goddess told you wrong, Krause. I never had a map and I don't now.'
'Then where are you going?' He grunted. 'Heading for that big portal on the other side, I bet.'
'Just out sight-seeing, Krause. Lots of interesting things here.'
'Yeah, sure. Look, we don't even want the map. All we really want is the Black Cube. The Goddess wants it. If she don't get it, we don't get off this pancake.'
'Krause, you got yourself one big problem, there. My sympathies, but I can't help you. I don't have the cube any more. My truck was broken into last night. Somebody stole it.'
Krause delayed answering a moment. 'How can I be sure you're telling the truth?'
'That's a tough one.'
'Yeah.'
Ahead was a sharp curve. I took it at high gee. Coming out of it I saw my opportunity. The road straightened out and continued into a long straightaway, bisecting a greensward that looked level and firm.
I cut the mike. 'Bruce, stand by for an Alabama roundhouse.'
'Jake,' Bruce admonished, 'that is not a recommended maneuver.'
'Stand by!'
'Standing by.'
I flipped the master toggle controlling the traction gradients on the trailer rollers. Those rollers were now frictionless. I braked hard. The trailer immediately jackknifed to the left, but instead of correcting, I let it go, twisting the control rings on the steering bars and defrictionizing the cab rollers as well. The rig spun. Stopping this maneuver was the hard part.
'You pulling over, Jake?' came Krause's voice.
'Bruce! Stabilize!'
I flipped the master toggle back and frantically twisted the control rings, at the same time countersteering and braking. I had to do almost everything at once-Bruce was handling the stabilizing jets and monitoring the various safety servos which would help keep the rig from going completely out of control. We were now traveling backward and decelerating. The trailer started to swing out again. I toggled and pedaled and steered, fighting to get it back into line. I juiced the power rollers to maximum grab, defrictionizirig the rears again. The rig shuddered, and we rolled to a crunching stop-a brief one, because I had the power pedal floored. The rig sprang forward and we flew back up the road.
Krause was coming out of the turn.
'Jake, I can't take your word… HEY, WHAT THE HELL!'
We were heading right down his throat.
The jungle-striped gun buggy swerved off onto the shoulder, but I kept steering right for him.
'Bruce, stand by on exciter cannon!' 'Roger. Target visually acquired.'
Krause didn't have time enough to get a shot off at us. The vehicle's exciter turret was swiveling into line, but whoever was driving was too busy trying to avoid getting smashed by one big mother of a trailer truck and was frantically steering against the turret's swing. The gun buggy veered off and headed out into the greensward, presenting its broadside to us for a perfect set-up shot.
'Fire!' I yelled, but Bruce beat me by a quarter second. His shot was dead on target, the blue-white exciter beam opening a fiery gash along the entire length of the gun buggy's starboard side. I swung off and headed back onto the road. The left parabolic showed Krause's vehicle trundling across the grass, heading for a clutch of bone- white pyramids. It hit a low rise, bouncing crazily.
Then it exploded. Bruce's shot must have penetrated to the ordnance bays. A starburst of arching contrails blossomed out of the fireball:
I couldn't look anymore because we were heading back into the curve. I braked into the turn and accelerated out. Two more military-style vehicles were heading right at us. 'Fire at will!'
Bruce let fly, hitting both gun buggies head-on. They shot past on either side, and I heard the crackle of belated return fire. Again, we had surprise on our side. They hadn't had reaction time enough to get off a shot at the cab. I wasn't about to give them another opportunity.
'Bruce, emergency power. Gimme all you got.'
'Yes, Jake.'
I roared back the way we had come, taking turns at maximum gee and cheating on the bends by cutting across the shoulder of the road when necessary. I hadn't had time to see if Bruce's shots had been effective. Most vehicles have their thickest armor front and back, since most attacks on the road come from those quarters. Knowing that, I still hoped we had lucked out, or had at least disabled them. We had a big lead, and it would take time for them to turn around, but those buggies were fast. I didn't think we could outrun them on this slow road. Out on the Skyway, no problem. They'd have trouble catching me. But not here. Which meant I would have to think of something quick.
I thought, quickly, if not brilliantly. I feared a missile attack. I had dealt with their ordnance before, and only Carl's magic Chevy had saved us-even at that, we had taken a hit. If they chased us, they would wait for a level stretch and let loose what missiles they had left. Better to get off-road now and try to take advantage of the terrain. They could follow, but out there we'd have a chance of catching them broadside, the only hope of a sure kill.
