The space left in the gap was large enough for a man to slip through if he was careful.
Ryan entered the room with the blaster in his hand. “J.B.”
“Yeah.”
“You got our retreat.”
“Count on it.”
Stooping, Ryan lifted a flashlight from one of the dead men in the room. A small wind gusted from the open doorway, shifting his hair. It was dark beyond, but there was enough light to see that a tunnel continued on.
Krysty and Doc went to the sec-monitor station and started looking over the controls. Jak brought up their prisoner and quickly tied his hands behind his back with a length of chewed rawhide.
Ryan switched on the flashlight, standing at the edge of the door so he wouldn’t be highlighted by the bright yellow beam. A cone of light was cast down the tunnel, sending shadows scurrying. He followed his sweep with the blaster.
No one was there.
Ryan kept watch over the tunnel. Just because no one was there now didn’t mean it would stay that way. “What have you got?” he asked Krysty and Doc.
“A satellite system, Ryan,” the old man replied. His long fingers played across one of the keyboards in front of him. Scenes altered on the monitors, creating new patterns of light that filled the room. “It operates off a mainframe computer.”
“Can you find Mildred?”
“We’re looking, but it appears this system is tied in with outside viewers, as well.”
“I’m looking for a master list,” Krysty said. She was at another keyboard, her brow wrinkled as she studied lines of programming on the monitor in front of her. “This system isn’t as simple as the one back in White Sands. And there’s a number of lockouts on different areas.”
“We don’t have a lot of time here.”
“I know, lover. If we can’t turn something in the next minute or two, we’ll give up.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.” Ryan glanced at the man Jak had dragged in.
The albino squatted beside the guy and uncapped a canteen. He poured water over the man’s face, sluicing away some of the blood, which was quickly replaced by more gushing from the wounds Ryan had inflicted.
The sec man groaned in pain and shock. His eyelids snapped open, and he blinked to clear the water from his vision. He started struggling at once, crying out in fear.
Jak leaned in close and shoved one of the leaf-bladed knives under the man’s jaw, with almost enough force to break the skin. “Not talk,” the albino said in a low voice. His ruby eyes sparked with threat. “Not yell. Not breathe if told you no.”
The sec man fell silent.
Jak held the knife in place a little longer, his gaze never faltering. Almost reluctantly he took the knife away. “Breathe.”
The man exhaled loudly and noisily, his jugular pulsing madly along his neck. A white spot still showed where the knife blade had been pressed.
Ryan walked over and looked down at the guard. “The black woman,” he said. “We want to know where she is.”
“In the lockup,” the guard said hoarsely. He had trouble focusing his eyes on Ryan.
“How is she?”
“Prince Boldt didn’t want her hurt.”
“She’s in one piece?”
“Yes.”
“What’s she doing there?”
“The Prince was talking to her. Wanted her to do something for him. Pepper might know all of it, but I don’t. I swear.”
“Where’s the lockup?”
“Through that door,” the man replied. “You go down, follow it around to your left awhile. Take the second left you come to. Follow that tunnel straight through, and you’ll be there.”
“Men on guard?”
“Yeah.”
“How many?”
“Three. Four. I don’t know for sure.”
Ryan nodded and looked at Jak. “Gag him.”
The albino made the leaf-bladed knife dance along the man’s forearm, then removed a strip of cloth from his shirt. Working quickly, Jak gagged the prisoner.
J.B. stepped quietly and quickly into the room, pulling the door closed behind him. “Company,” he said, resting one hand on the door while holding the shotgun in the other.
“More guards?” Ryan asked.
The Armorer shook his head. “Soldiers from White Sands. Looks like they were blazing along our backtrail and followed us into the complex through the hole we made. If we get lucky, mebbe they won’t see this door the way you did.”