The Armorer had fit two of the P-39’s blasters with makeshift pivots and was mounting them on the front-left and rear-right positions of the wag’s open cargo area.
The two eased the blaster into position, and J.B. locked it in place with a single horizontal bolt and a cotter pin.
“Short bursts,” Jak said. “Two, three seconds, not more.”
“That’s right. Anything longer and you’re wasting ammo.” J.B. took hold of the blaster handles he’d made from a bale of heavy gauge steel wire he’d found on one of the loading docks and tested the movement of the gun. To his delight, it swung easily in both directions. “Should give a good range of fire. Pretty much a complete circle.”
“Test in morning?” Jak asked.
J.B. nodded. “I’m sure the .50 calibers will fire without a glitch, but I’m not so sure about the cannon.”
“Although I’m more than two centuries old, I never thought I would live long enough to see the day when John Barrymore Dix was unsure about anything to do with weaponry.” Doc had wandered up to the wag and was standing by the rear wheels, looking up at J.B. and Jak with a delightful grin on his face.
“Mebbe Mildred right,” Jak said.
“About what?” J.B. asked.
“Your dream.”
J.B. was silent. Being reminded about his dream sent a chill down his spine. The .50-caliber design had been tried and tested for years. The cannon was another matter entirely, since it had probably had a few reliability problems during its lifetime, even when it was new. He’d done everything he could to make sure it was working properly, but there was still a chance it could fail when they needed it most.
But while the Armorer had some reservations about the cannon, Dr. Theophilus Algernon Tanner had none whatsoever.
“Of course the cannon will fire, John Barrymore. Not only will it fire, but it will fire magnificently… stupendously. It will cut a swath of destruction through the farm, unleashing a little bit of hellfire from its angry maw with each deadly round.”
Doc had his swordstick raised in the air and although they were underground, he seemed to be standing in the path of some strange breeze that blew back his white hair and made him look like a wild-eyed doomsayer atop a mountain.
“Thunder will roll, the earth will shake and barons and sec men will cower in fear at the mere sight of this infernal blaster.” There was a strange shine in Doc’s eyes, and his body was beginning to shake and tremble uncontrollably.
Jak signaled to Clarissa to come to Doc’s aid. She came running, and when she reached Doc’s side, she took his arm and led him to a nearby pile of crates where he could sit and rest, while whatever it was that was affecting him ran its course.
“He’ll be all right,” J.B. said.
“Not worried Doc,” Jak replied. “Worried Ryan and others.”
“If I know Ryan Cawdor, he’s probably sitting back and enjoying his time on that farm. Who knows, after we break in, he might not even want to leave.”
The two men laughed.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ryan moved into the middle of the circle.
Mog stood facing him, his body somewhat grimy, but not nearly as bloody as Ryan’s. “Just you and me, One-eye! Just like I figured.”
Ryan had suspected it might come down to the two of them, but he wasn’t about to give the mountain of a man any compliments. “Really. I thought you’d be chilled a long time ago.”
“Mog always wins. And I’m going to feel good between Red’s legs.”
Ryan looked up at Krysty.
She was leaning to the side, trying to distance herself from the baron, who was now fully occupied with the woman servicing him. Her head continued to move up and down between his legs, but he now had firm hold of her hair, forcefully guiding her head in the movement and rhythms he wanted. The girl looked limp and lifeless now, as if she were either unconscious or dead.
Baron Fox either hadn’t noticed or didn’t care.
Ryan looked back over at Mog.
Mog flashed Ryan a gap-toothed smile. “If she’s used to having you, One-eye, then she’ll be thrilled to have a real man for a change.” Mog reached down between his legs and scooped up his genitals in his hand. Ryan had paid little attention before, but now that the man was making a point of putting them on display, he couldn’t help but notice how big they were. Like the parts of the rest of his body, Mog’s penis and testicles were enormous, and it was no wonder he enjoyed the status of the farm’s alpha male.