Miles crossed the room and picked up the RAM. The impact had snapped the thin handle, and the mirror was shattered. “There’s no way she’s fixing this.” He snorted and tossed it to Albriet.
Catching it, she held it at arm’s length, as if afraid it would shock her again. “Maybe with a lot of work and new parts, but that’s time we don’t have.”
“I tell you the girl's useless.” He swooped down and grabbed Nyssa by the cords that bound her chest. She gasped as her body left the floor. “I say we strap her to the doorwith my little key.” He waved the stick of dynamite in her face.
“I told you: it's too risky. We could ruin everything we came to collect, or bring the whole house down on our head,” Albriet said. “Get over here.”
Miles turned to her, his teeth bared. “Getting awful bossy, aren't ya? Do you think I need you to get through this? From what I see you just hold me back. If we'd have forced this little vixen through this maze at knife point, like I wanted to, we'd have been done hours ago. I've listened to you harping at me for long enough. Fry the girl, blast the door, and let's be done with it.”
“Do I have to remind you who hired whom?” Albriet raised her eyebrows, her cheeks flushing.
Oh please kill each other, Nyssa thought as she dangled from Miles's grasp like a fish in a net.
“You promised fifty-fifty, so I don't see how that puts you in charge. Partners, I believe you said.” His grip tightened, constricting Nyssa's bonds and cutting off her breath. “If that's true, then we can do this one little thing my way. Knife the girl. That's all I ask. Just one little thing?”
Albriet sighed. “Well ...”
“But I swear I can fix the RAM! The computer said there was a backup unit, but not where it was. Maybe I can find it,” Nyssa said between gasps for breath. “Just let me live.”
“Shut up!” Miles dropped her.
Pain charged up her tailbone like an electric shock. Her eyes watered.
I need a backup plan. She isn’t even looking at the other RAM. Nyssa felt along the floor. A sharp bit of glass pricked her finger tips, and she bit down on her bottom lip to stop from crying out. She managed to grasp the smooth edges and position it against the ropes on her wrists. Maybe if they leave me alone for a moment I can cut the bonds and run … but how would I get to Hart? I don’t want to leave him with them.
“Settle down, girl.” Albriet laughed, turning away. “We aren’t going to kill you yet. Who knows, if we grow desperate enough we might need you to fix that …” She stared down at the table. “Well, devil take me. Look at that, Miles, just like she said. A second unit.”
Miles pressed closer to her. Nyssa wriggled trying to get the glass in the right position, but the top-hat's glowing eyes snapped open and glared at her. She froze.
“It looks like a lady’s mirror.” Miles said, pointing at the second RAM. “What’re you gonna do with that? Powder your nose?” He slapped his leg.
Albriet sighed. “Your imagination is so limited.” She bent down and picked up the mirror.
Something beneath the table popped, followed by a hiss like escaping steam. Albriet flinched back, clutching the other RAM to her breast. “What on earth?”
A gray cloud rose from the floor, engulfing both Albriet and Miles. Still holding the RAM, Albriet tried to escape the expanding fog, but Miles thrust her aside and barreled past her. Albriet fell onto the table with a clatter of metal.
Miles only got a few steps. He faltered, clawing at his throat as if prying at invisible hands. His face turned red, then blue.
Nyssa held her breath. They were at least five yards from her, but if the cloud dispersed … she pushed with her feet, towards the stairway. Worming her way over the last few feet, she tipped herself through the doorway and rolled. Her ribs hit every step on the way down. She whimpered, stuck out her legs, and managed to catch herself against the walls. For a moment she tottered, then she found her balance and drew a deep breath.
The partially assembled robot rested a step below her. She scooted towards it. Rubbing the ropes on her ankles against the rusty plating until they frayed, she managed to get her feet untied, then with her new mobility repeated the process on her wrists. Free, she sat down with her head in her hands and breathed.
“It won’t take long for the gas to dissipate. It was just a quick blast of … whatever. It’ll be gone in a few minutes. It might not have even reached me. Good to be careful, though.” She ached for a response, but she didn’t even have Hart now. “He’ll be okay,” she told the darkness. “I need to get through the last of this on my own.”
Pulling her shirt over her nose, just in case, she returned to the workshop. Albriet and Miles lay where they’d fallen, their skin a ghastly gray-blue. Nyssa took the outside aisle on the other side of the tables, so she wouldn’t have to walk by them.
She scanned the ground as she moved. It was easy enough to spot the trap doors, their outlines marked in the dust. She hopped over them before finding herself in front of the metal door.
A combination lock of five wheels took up the middle of the door. She ran her handkerchief over the lock. The wheels had letters, not numbers. The first was set on E, the others all on A.
“So is E the first letter in the
