“More than scouting. I reckon we could make a bridgehead out there. Think so, Jak?”
The albino nodded. “Enough cover if you give enough cover to make it,” he said to Rankine and Downey. “Get blaster from armory triple quick and we got them. Get grens mebbe.”
Downey shook his head. “Risky down here. Better if we can avoid it.”
Jak nodded. “Make sure you sharpshooter.”
Blake called two sec men over and ordered them to accompany a party of ville dwellers to the armory and return with blasters. While they assembled the small party and headed off, he directed two more to join Rankine and Downey in laying down covering fire. Meanwhile, Jak and Dean made note of the best cover, both for themselves and for Blake.
The wizened sec man turned to them, his face set in stone. “Okay, ready from my end. You?”
Jak nodded. “We head there and there—” he indicated two positions of cover. “—and you there,” he added, pointing to the easiest spot.
Blake smiled appreciatively. “You trying to tell me something?” he said simply before turning to the four marksmen. “Okay, guys, now or never…”
The four marksmen assumed positions along the barricade and started to lay down a barrage of covering fire.
“Hot pipe, this better work,” Dean shouted, as much to himself as to Jak and Blake, as the three clambered over the barricade and began their zigzagging run for cover.
IT WAS a long haul across the ville from where Ant and Dee had met Ryan’s party to where the nuke was stored, and the one-eyed warrior pushed the pace at which they crossed the distance. All the time, he was aware that Doc was the weak link, but he wanted the old man on hand when they reached the nuke. If it had been set running, then Doc’s knowledge of pre-dark tech, as sketchy and clouded as it was, may prove useful. Mildred knew more about comps per se, but she hadn’t had the firsthand experience of the Totality Concept that Doc had. That might make all the difference.
They had to circumvent the tunnels and passages, avoiding the strife-torn center, and that made their task all the more difficult. Ryan cursed with almost every step he took, the twins keeping pace with him. Krysty followed close behind. Mildred and J.B. hung back a little more, assisting Doc to keep pace.
“Go on ahead,” he puffed, moving as fast as he could. “I swear by all that is holy that I shall not be far behind. Besides, you may have to chill a path to the nuke that will take time.”
Ryan assented with a gesture, and in company with the twins and Krysty, he increased his pace, allowing Mildred and J.B. to stay with Doc. The old man was right. He could assume that only Jenna and Harvey were with the missile, but they may have others with them. If so, it may take valuable time to dig them out before trying to shut off the nuke.
“Down here, shortcut,” Dee puffed, swerving down a smaller tunnel.
“But be careful at the end,” his twin added. “It brings us out on a sharp turn. Take it easy.”
It was advice that Dee would have done well to heed. At the moment he reached the end of the small tunnel, and stumbled around the blind corner, he came straight out on Harvey and Jenna, who were making their way back toward the barricades in the center. Like the twins, Harvey had decided to utilize the shortcut.
The dreadlocked giant stumbled as he cornered, and crashed to one knee, momentarily losing his grip on his shotgun. It was a vital fraction of a second before he looked up…directly into the barrel of Harvey’s Colt Magnum Carry.
It was difficult to know who was more surprised by the encounter, the dreadlocked twin or the sec chief, both stopped dead in their tracks. For one absurd moment they were frozen. Then Jenna’s shrill voice rent the air.
“Chill the fucker!”
Harvey didn’t think. The voice made him jolt, his finger tightening and squeezing on the trigger as the twin began to raise the shotgun.