They both loaded their crossbows and aimed above the window. Harriet felt the wooden stock against her cheek, cool and smooth, and she felt a sense of unreality as she prepared to fire. When she joined the Peace Force, she hadn't really seen herself crouched on a rooftop firing home-made weapons at an apartment block.
There was another burst from the blaster, and as the flashes illuminated the shattered window, she squeezed the trigger. The crossbow jumped, jarring her cheek, and she lost sight of the bolt. A split second later Moira fired as well, and all of a sudden the gunfire stopped.
They sank down behind the wall to reload, then exchanged a glance. "Do you think we got them?" asked Harriet.
"We stopped them firing at us," said Moira. "That's all that matters."
Seconds later they were under fire again, this time from three of the surrounding buildings at once. The roof was far too exposed, and they got up and ran for the stairwell, weaving and ducking as the shots thumped into the roof around them. They arrived out of breath, and to Harriet's surprise she heard Moira laughing. "What's so funny?"
"All of this," said Moira, with a gesture. "I can see why you do it. What a rush!"
Harriet wondered if Moira had gone mad, but there wasn't time to ask. "We've got to spot the windows they're using," she said. "Are you ready? Okay, on three."
"Wait! What do you mean, on three? What are we going to do?"
"Run across the roof again, but watch the buildings."
"How about watching where we're going?"
Harriet ignored her. "You take the building on the left, I'll take the one on the right. Say check when you've got it, then we'll both spot the last window."
"Then what?"
"Then we take cover. Ready?"
"Sure."
"One … two … three!" said Harriet, and they both ran from cover. Despite the darkness, the enemy spotted them and opened fire, and the roof flashed and glowed with multi-coloured blaster shots. They slammed into the concrete, sending glowing sparks shooting into the air, but Harriet ran on regardless. "Check!" she called, as she spotted the window in her building, and then she turned to the second building ahead of her.
"Check!" called Moira, who was further away to her left.
The gunfire intensified, and Harriet spotted the final shooter. He was so eager he was leaning out of the window, firing down at Moira with blast after blast. Harriet's pace slowed, and as she came to a halt the other two shooters turned their fire on her. Gunfire struck the roof all around her, but she ignored it and raised her crossbow. She was breathing hard, and it wasn't easy to steady her aim, but she managed to hold still long enough to shoot. The bow jumped, and she saw the bolt streaking towards the target. Then … it hit. She saw the man drop his gun as he was knocked backwards, into the apartment. Seconds later, his gun smashed on the ground far below.
There was a chack nearby, and she turned to see Moira lowering her bow. They both reloaded, still under fire from the two remaining shooters, and then Harriet got Moira's attention and directed her to the far side of the roof. "Take cover on your side. I'll get this one."
Moira nodded and ran for it, and they both crouched below their respective parapets. The blaster fire petered out, and Harriet took several deep breaths to steady herself. While she was under cover, she crawled ten or fifteen metres along the parapet, hoping the man above wouldn't realise she'd moved.
Then, slowly, she raised her head. She could see the window with her target, and she thought she could see him looking out, peering down at her as he tried to pick a target on the roof below him. Very slowly, Harriet eased the crossbow up, avoiding sudden moves so as not to catch his attention. She aimed at the window above the shooter, held steady for a second or two, then fired.
The bow jumped in her hands, and when she focused on the window, the shadowy figure had disappeared. Whether she'd hit him, or he'd been spooked by a near miss, she had no idea. Either way, he'd gone. Harriet looked for Moira, and saw her approaching in the open. There was no gunfire from the buildings above.
"Are you all right?" called Moira, her voice concerned.
Harriet gripped the crossbow to disguise her shaking fingers. The adrenaline was draining away, and it left her feeling weak and a little sick. "I'll be fine." Harriet got up. "Thanks for the help, by the way. These weapons might just save the day."
"Yeah, nice bit of shooting too," said Moira, her voice calm.
Harriet didn't want to think about it. "Can you keep watch up here?"
"Sure. I've still got half a dozen bolts. Maybe send up some more, just in case."
Harriet nodded, and took the stairs to the ground floor. On the way she reached for her commset, intending to call an ambulance … or three. Then she withdrew her hand. She couldn't send paramedics into danger, and she didn't have enough people to protect them. Darting would just have to look after her own.
With a grim face, she entered the office. "Listen up," she called, over the noise, and everyone stopped work. "Moira and I just took out the shooters in the apartment buildings."
There was a cheer, which made Harriet feel even worse.
"About time we fought back," said Duke, and he took up a crossbow which was almost ready for use. "Once we've all got these, we've won!"
They all cheered again, as though Darting were already fleeing the planet.
"Okay, that's enough," said Harriet. "Moira's on watch, and I need someone to take her more bolts. You can take this bow as well, and she'll show you how to use it. If we can keep the roof
