He returned to the main party as they progressed toward the small sec door.
“Everyone else stand well back,” the sardonic voice intoned. “The slightest sign of resistance, and we turn on the sprinklers again. And I don’t think you really want that.”
“And I don’t think you really want the microphone jammed up your ass, but it may just happen if I get hold of you,” Mildred said under her breath as they reached the door.
Looking back, they could see that a few yards separated themselves from the rest of the army.
“Please move through the door now… and quickly,” the voice said as the sec door rose rapidly.
With Ryan in the lead, they passed through into the corridor beyond. As soon as J.B.—automatically taking the rear position, even though there was no real need—was through, the door dropped swiftly.
The companions found themselves in an antechamber formed by the two closed sec doors, one leading out to the mat-trans chamber, and one a regular sec door in the corridor beyond that had been lowered to contain them. It was a small space, and seemed confining and almost too quiet after the room beyond.
“What do you reckon their plans are?” Dean asked in a whisper.
“Seems that they know we’re apart in some way from the others,” his father replied. “What we need to know is whether that’s because they just recognize us from the last redoubt, or because they know something about us.”
“What could they know?” Jak queried.
Doc sighed. “Perhaps my fault, dear boy—if they were part of the Totality Concept, then records may have survived concerning me, for as far as I know I was the only survivor of Operation Chronos.”
“Yeah, well, let’s not jump to conclusions here,” Mildred urged. “This is going to be the only chance we get, right?”
“Right,” Ryan agreed. “Keep alert, and try to keep your eyes open for anything that can help us.”
Any further attempt at formulating a plan was cut short as the second sec door—leading farther into the corridor and the heart of the redoubt—slid smoothly upward, revealing a group of four Illuminated sec— two male and two female—standing in the corridor beyond, holding laser blasters, which were immediately leveled at the companions.
“Out here—now,” one of the men snapped. “Quick, sharp!”
Ryan led his people into the corridor. The sec force parted, so that two stepped backward to head the procession, and two would bring up the rear once the rest of the group had moved out of the self contained cell.
“They’re not taking any chances,” Dean remarked as the head sec pairing began to move.
“Silence! No talking until you’re asked questions.” shouted the sec man who had spoken previously, and whom Ryan took to be the sec chief on this patrol.
“Touchy, isn’t he?” Mildred muttered, almost to herself. She was at the back of the group with J.B. and Dean, and was taken unaware by the sudden blow in the small of her back as the sec woman at the rear of the group swiveled her laser rifle and drove the butt into Mildred’s kidney.
Mildred yelped in pain and surprise, buckling as her weakened system received a buffet, the pain sweeping over her in a wave of nausea and faintness. J.B. caught her as she slumped toward the floor.
“No stopping, keep moving,” the head sec man intoned.
J.B. looked up and glared at him, mentally noting the man in case the chance came later to chill him first.
They continued along the corridor, Dean helping the Armorer to carry Mildred and keep up the pace set by the sec squad. The callous action had determined them even more—if that was possible—to eradicate the menace of the Illuminated Ones.
Coming to a junction, none of the companions were prepared for what they saw next. Turning left, the sec squad took them along a corridor for another fifty yards until they came to a sec door. As they approached, the door sprang upward, and they found themselves walking out onto an open catwalk that was suspended over a deep chasm.
“Hot pipe! What’s that?” Dean whispered as they swayed along the catwalk, which moved with the shifting weight of the party.