"What, attack you here? They're mad!"
"The woman they're following certainly is."
"I can help, I swear. I'm a good shot!"
"You have experience with firearms?"
"No, archery. We do it at school."
"Nice try, but no thanks." Harriet reached for the door control. "Steer clear of this part of the city if you know what's good for you."
At that moment Birch came in. "Another helper, eh? Good lad, come through and I'll introduce you."
"Dave!" protested Harriet.
"What?"
"He's …" Harriet was going to say 'he's just a kid', but she realised Ben was probably older than her sister. And if nothing else, it would be nice to have someone looking out for Alice. "Do you really think we should bring him into this?"
"Sure. The more the merrier."
Birch led Ben into the main office, and Harriet heard raised voices as everyone greeted him. She withdrew her hand from the door controls, shaking her head. Everyone seemed to be treating this like some kind of holiday camp, with no regard for the danger.
Tap! Tap!
Harriet jumped as something struck the doors, and she spun round, reaching for her gun. Then she saw someone outside, and her eyes narrowed at the sight. It was a man, about her age, with red hair, and when he saw Harriet had spotted him, he held a business card against the glass.
Harriet approached cautiously. She couldn't read the card at that distance, and it was a bit small to contain a list of surrender terms. As she got closer she saw a logo, and the words 'maintenance' and 'plumbing'. Underneath was the man's name: Mike Dantriss. "What do you want?" she shouted through the glass.
"I met Alice yesterday," he said. "Is she here?"
Harriet frowned at him. He had to be twenty-five at least. "Seriously? She's fifteen!"
The man looked shocked. "No! I mean … you've got it all wrong. Alice told me you were using the old Peace Force building, and I thought I could help out." He slid the business card back and forth against the glass. "Maintenance, see?"
"We don't need anything." Plus they were broke, thought Harriet, but she didn't mention that part.
"Please! I heard about the attacks in the city. I just want to help."
Harriet wasn't convinced. He could easily be one of the enemy, and if she opened the doors to him, more of them might pour in. She reached for her commset to check with Alice, and as her jacket parted the man saw her gun. His expression changed, and Harriet almost laughed as he stuck his hands up. He looked shocked, almost terrified, and she decided he had to be genuine. Still shaking her head, she activated the door controls and let him in. "Relax, I won't shoot."
Slowly, Mike put his hands down. "I thought my number was up," he said, with a laugh.
Harriet smiled back. "Come on. We're all in here." She led him to the main office, where Mike introduced himself. When they got to Birch, he studied the newcomer with a thoughtful expression.
"Have we met? Only your face is familiar."
"We could have," said Mike. "I've lived in Chirless my whole life."
"Birch is from Chirless too," said Harriet.
"Yeah, but I moved to Dismolle years ago." Birch studied the younger man. "How old are you?"
"Twenty-four."
"Oh well, you'd have been a kid when I left. Guess I'm wrong."
Harriet showed Mike around, but every now and then she noticed Birch watching them, a slight frown on his face.
Chapter 15
When Alice and Ben emerged onto the roof they encountered a nervous-looking Scrap. "Are you here to relieve me?" asked the robot, in his even male voice.
"Sure thing. We'll keep watch."
"Thank you. I must see to Mr Flint, as his medication is due."
Scrap left, and Ben watched him navigating the stairs with precise, careful steps. "I've not had much to do with robots," he said.
"You're lucky," said Alice, with feeling. "I work for a giant Peace Force robot, and she's tough going."
"Really?"
"Like you wouldn't believe. She never forgets anything, and she never believes a word I say. Not even when I'm telling the truth." Alice crossed to her fighter and opened the hatch, drawing the ladder down with practiced ease. "Come on, I'll show you round."
"Aren't we supposed to keep watch?"
"We'll see more from the cockpit." Alice indicated the ruined van lying on the roof nearby. "Especially if they attack from the air."
They climbed aboard, and Ben took everything in with a fascinated expression. "How did you buy something like this?"
"Online auction," said Alice.
"They must pay you heaps in the Peace Force. I'm lucky to get a hundred a week, and that's only when Pop can afford the rent."
"We get by." Alice took the pilot's chair, and gestured at the second seat. "Sit down. Arnie will let us know if he spots anything."
"Who's Arnie?"
"I am," said the ship. "Welcome aboard, by the way."
"Who calls their ship Arnie?" demanded Ben.
"Someone who doesn't want a ship called Rover." Alice raised her hand. "Don't ask." She activated a control, and a map of the area appeared on the canopy. The ship was marked in blue, and the surrounding buildings were grey shapes nestled amongst the yellow roads. "Arnie, can you track all vehicles for me? Ten mile radius."
"Targeting enabled."
Multiple dots appeared on the map, all moving in different directions and at different speeds. As Alice watched them, she wondered where the van Harriet had seen the night before had come from. It certainly wasn't one of the two she'd destroyed, which meant the enemy had another base. Or maybe they'd parked more vehicles inside the warehouse she'd seen.
"Do you think they're going to attack?" Ben asked her.
"Not really. When I found their base yesterday, I bombed the crap out of their transport. Half a dozen vans and a bunch of cars, all destroyed. You could see the smoke clear across the city."
Ben stared at her, mouth open. "So … why are we sitting around waiting for these guys to show up? You could
