"What do you suggest?"
Harriet considered the situation. An assault was out of the question, since they were out-gunned. They couldn't hold the enemy off indefinitely, either, since their bolts would run out. That left retreat, and she didn't think her people would be keen on that particular idea. "Alice should be here with the jet soon, and we could always—"
She never finished the sentence, because at that moment there was a tremendous explosion nearby. The wooden door at the back of the shop blew in with a cloud of dust, the shockwave throwing Flint and Caldavir off their feet. They were still struggling on the floor when a couple of men appeared in the doorway, guns levelled. Harriet raised her crossbow and shot one in the chest, knocking him back out the door even quicker than he'd come in. The other turned to face her, raised his weapon until Harriet was looking straight down the barrel, then very deliberately pulled the trigger.
— ♦ —
Alice watched the shopping mall on the main screen, willing the jet onwards. She was itching to join the fight, and she decided to land in the big empty area beside the mall instead of setting down at a distance. She didn't even see Timms as she flew over her.
"Explosion detected," said Arnie calmly.
Alice could see it. A cloud hung over the mall, right near the big open area, and she could see a couple of figures running towards the mall from the building next door. She didn't recognise them, and as she got closer she saw they were carrying blasters. Not on her side, then. They looked up at her, and she smiled as she activated the intercom. "Bernie, I'm going to set you down first. I can see two shooters—"
"I've already acquired them," said the robot.
The jet flew low across the open expanse, and Alice felt it jump suddenly as Bernie let go. Arnie banked sharply, bringing them round in a tight circle, and as he set down Alice saw Bernie holding each of the attackers firmly around the neck, their guns lying on the ground nearby.
Alice jumped up from her seat and ran for the hatch, scooping up her crossbow on the way. Birch was already climbing down the ladder, and together they ran after Bernie, who was stomping towards the second building. At last … it was time to get her own back!
— ♦ —
Harriet stared at the weapon in fascination, and time slowed to a crawl. She saw the enemy's finger tightening on the trigger but she couldn't move, couldn't get away. There was a flash as the gun went off, and then a blur as Worthy dived in front of the shooter. The shot hit his metal body, splashing harmlessly on the bright alloy, and then Caldavir fired a bolt which slammed the enemy against the door frame. Worthy leapt up, turned with one fluid motion and pinned the man to the wall by the neck.
"Where's Darting?" shouted Harriet, advancing on him. "Where's Anita Darting?"
The man swallowed fitfully, struggling to breathe. Worthy relaxed his grip and the man sucked in a lungful of air. "In the … building opposite."
The others tied and gagged him, and Flint peered through the door as a ship roared overhead. "Hey, it's Alice! And she's brought that big old robot with her!"
Harriet felt a rush of relief so intense she had to steady herself against the wall. She was still recovering from almost being shot, and the thought they might actually triumph was too much to bear. She didn't have long to recover though, because the others took their weapons and charged out, leaving her completely alone.
After a moment to catch her breath, she followed, quickly overhauling them as they ran past the parked fighter jet. She saw Bernie fifty metres away, striding towards the brick building as though she'd never stop.
She didn't.
With a crash, Bernie walked straight through the wall, leaving a ragged hole and a trail of bricks in her wake. Alice darted in behind her with Birch in tow, and Harriet sped up, crossbow firmly in her grasp.
By the time she got there it was all over. The door opened on an office, where Bernie was standing with one foot on a man's chest, her arm drawn back with a handful of bricks in her massive hand. There were three more men lined up against the wall, hands above their heads, weapons at their feet.
"Where's Darting?" demanded Harriet.
"Who?"
There was a clatter of feet as the rest of her team arrived, and the small office was crammed to overflowing as they lined the walls, making room for each other.
"Last chance before I shoot," said Harriet, raising her crossbow.
"Sh-she's in the other building. There's a-a basement."
Harriet cursed under her breath and turned for the door. The woman was as slippery as an eel! That's when she realised someone was missing. "Alice, where's Ben?"
"Beats me. He was near the ship last time I saw him."
"Anyone?"
The others all shook their heads.
"Damn," muttered Alice. "He'd better not be another one of Darting's spies."
"I'm sure he wasn't." Harriet looked out the door, back towards the mall, but the landing field was empty except for the fighter jet. She squinted as she studied the jet's canopy, which gleamed in the sunshine. She couldn't see anyone inside the ship, but she wondered if Ben might be in the airlock.
There was a sudden ringing noise from her pocket, and Harriet took her commset out. "Hello?"
"Trainee Walsh, it is?"
Harriet's eyes narrowed at the sound of Darting's voice. "You might as well give up. We've won."
"Ah, well there I have to disagree with you. Take another look at your little toy ship."
Harriet looked through the doorway and breathed in sharply. Ben was just stepping out from behind the landing leg, and there was a gun held to his head. A gun held in a woman's hand.
Chapter 27
"Don't try anything," said
