James Axler – Rat King

blast of flechettes. The four sec men were strung out across the width of the

corridor, crouched behind makeshift barriers made of tables. Two of them caught

the largest cluster of fire, the barbed flechettes ripping away flesh in searing

agony. Their companions flattened themselves to the floor, thankful they escaped

the brunt of the charge.

Ryan had flung himself across the gap and stood ready to provide covering fire.

The two surviving sec men opened fire. They were situated on each side of the

corridor, and were well protected. J.B. cursed and wished he had some grens. But

as he was relatively ill equipped, he made do with firing another load of

flechettes at the nearer sec man, while Ryan concentrated his fire on the man on

his side.

It was enough to allow Mac and Abner to cross as one, the sec man helping his

baron to make the crossing quickly, using his bulk to shield the even fatter old

man.

The flechettes were once more effective. By looking up at the wrong moment, the

sec man in the line of fire lost both his eyes and most of his face to the

barbed metal.

The sec man on Ryan’s side of the corridor was proving more tenacious. He kept

his head down, and the barrage from the H&K picked holes around him but didn’t

touch him. He returned the fire sporadically.

J.B. switched to his Uzi, unwilling to waste too much of his M-4000’s ammo when

it wouldn’t be truly effective. But the sec man was lucky and hung on, managing

to avoid being hit by the blasterfire from two directions. He also got off

bursts of his own, making it a tricky business for the rest of the party to get

across the divide.

Mildred finished matters when she made the crossing. She shook her head so that

her plaits swirled around her head. “That boy is really irritating me,” she

commented. Timing herself so that she acted in complete synchronization with

Ryan, she flung herself to the floor as he swung out to fire a burst of cover.

Bracing her elbows on the concrete to give her aim enough elevation, she sighted

in the sec man as his head appeared to return fire.

One crack of the ZKR and he was silenced, a small hole drilled neatly in the

middle of his forehead.

“Now let’s get on,” she remarked casually, getting to her feet.

The remainder of the party crossed.

“If the blasters and plas-ex are down there, why don’t we go that way?” Abner

asked.

Ryan shook his head. “That way will be well guarded. We’re being pushed this way

for a reason.”

“Then surely we should surprise the bastards by going the way they don’t

expect?” Mac said with a puzzled frown.

Ryan grinned. It was cold and deadly. “We will. But it won’t be that way.”

Krysty gave Ryan a puzzled look for a second, then a smile spread across her

face. “Right, lover. Wallace and Murphy think we only know the way we went

before, so they’re guiding us that way and making sure we don’t take another

path. But all the sec cameras are out along here because we shot them out.”

“Right. And these stupe bastards don’t know that we’ve been in other redoubts,

or that they’re all basically the same.”

“You’ve lost me, friend,” Abner said, his voice showing signs of irritation. “As

far as I can see, you’re just leading us into their trap.”

But Mac shook his head. “No, I get it. They can’t watch us along here, and

expect us to end up at the end. But we won’t, ’cause you know how there’s

another way out.” He laughed.

“Got it in one,” Ryan replied. “Now let’s go.”

They proceeded along the corridor strung out in formation, as before. The sec

cameras were all inoperable, and there were no more corridor junctions for some

way. Nonetheless to relax vigilance for one second was something that Ryan and

J.B.’s instincts wouldn’t allow them to do.

They came to a bend in the corridor.

“It should be just about here,” Ryan whispered, almost to himself as he

cautiously scanned the curve of the corridor before leading the party around.