But the post was deserted. There were no chilled sec men, nor was there any sign of a firefight. But the deserted post did look as though it had been vacated in a hurry, and a single tire track, suggestive of a motorbike, led away toward the ville.
“Looks like someone came for them in a hurry,” Tammy commented.
Krysty agreed. “I figure they wanted all hands— and all blasters—back on that main drag as soon as possible. Let’s hope they’ve done that on all the posts.”
“Yeah,” Tammy agreed, “it makes it a lot easier for us if they’re all in the one place—provided we can actually get something done before they run out of ammo, or get themselves all chilled.”
Krysty assented. “I’ll second that. Let’s get back there and find out.”
With which they turned their horses and headed back toward the point where they had agreed to rendezvous. When they came in sight, they could see that the other recon pairs had returned from their nearer targets, and were waiting for Tammy and Krysty to reach them. Looking toward the distant hill, Krysty could see the Gate convoy approaching.
“Listen up,” Tammy said as she drew near to the others, pulling up her horse. “Our sec post was empty, and it looks like they were pulled back rather than getting into a firefight and retreating. No chilled, either. Reports?”
The other pairs relayed that they had found a similar situation on all the posts bar the one that lay on the road immediately before them. There, three of the four sec that regularly manned the posts were chilled, with no sign of the fourth, who may have managed to retreat and warn the ville of the approaching danger.
“Okay, so we’re clear on all points, and all our action is concentrated down that main drag,” Tammy said in summary. “Guess Gloria and Ryan will have a few ideas about that.”
Krysty, without pondering the matter or speaking up, was sure that Ryan already had a germ of a plan in his mind. And she suspected that she knew what it might be.
The first of the convoy wags rolled up, with Ryan and Gloria dismounting before the horses had even come to a halt. The Gate queen demanded a report of Tammy, who gave it concisely. Gloria then turned to Ryan.
“That’s how it stands, then. Two sides of Crossroads, with the scum fuckers in the middle, waiting for them to run out of ammo. Any ideas on how to stop the wags?”
“Yeah,” the one-eyed man replied with a grin on his face. “We play this right, and we can help out Robertson and his shit useless sec, as well as getting ourselves a way to get into the redoubt.”
Gloria raised an eyebrow. “This had better be good, Ryan.”
“It is,” he replied, “but we really need to get our shit together and quick. Gather everyone around.”
And when the warriors had dismounted and were gathered, Ryan outlined his plan.
Gloria laughed. “If we don’t get ourselves chilled first, it might just work.”
“It’ll have to,” Ryan answered, ‘”cause if it doesn’t, we’re gonna run right out of time.”
THE GATE CONVOY SPLIT into two sections, with the mounted recon party riding beside them. They were well briefed on what they needed to do to get into position, and from there they would be able to communicate on some manner. But first they had to attain that position. Heading off in opposing directions, the split convoy headed out to the blacktop roads that ran at right angles to the one on which they had stood. To travel out and then loop in past the empty sec posts, they would approach the ville from either side of the main drag, and arrive at the rear of the bars and gaudies that lined the street and from which the Crossroads dwellers were mounting their defense.
They knew for a fact that the Illuminated wags had approached alone, and that there were no scouts to let them know of reinforcements approaching. So their only danger lay in an overzealous defense from any Crossroads sec that may be guarding the backs of the bars and gaudy houses.