"Really? Well . . ." Matheson took off at a sprint, or as much of one as his bad leg would permit, across the ramp. No bullets came in until he was nearly across, and those missed.
He threw himself onto the deck of the passenger compartment and then swung his body around to face back towards the hatch. He dropped his night vision goggles back over his face. Then, slithering like a snake up to the hatch, he paused to make last minute check of his submachine gun. Satisfied, he whispered a prayer, and then poked weapon and head around the edge of the hatch.
Just as a janissary exposed himself to engage the airship again, Matheson fired.
an-Nessang, Province of Baya, 24 Muharram,
1538 AH (4 November, 2113)
Petra stood with her back to a wall. The alleyway was a dead end. A dozen feet before her, the policeman approached with a gleam in his eye that even the dim light could not conceal.
"I knew you would be waiting for me," the policeman said. "I could tell by the way you nodded."
"Yesss," Petra answered, her voice a throaty purr. "I knew you would follow."
Petra leaned her back against the wall, and spread her legs slightly apart in invitation. So excited and incited was the man that he began to fumble with his belt even as he walked forward.
When Petra judged he was close enough that even she could be certain not to miss, she raised the submachine gun, pointed it at his chest, and fired.
Castle Honsvang, Province of Baya, 24 Muharram,
1538 AH (4 November, 2113)
Matheson saw the janissary spin and fall, and the rifle he bore go flying. His night vision was enhanced as much by the chip in his head as the goggles on his face. With those, he turned his head to look across the ramp to where Retief stood back from the wall with his arm across the door that led to the children.
"Send 'em now, Retief," Matheson shouted. "Send 'em fast!"
"You must hurry, children; do you understand?" Retief asked of the group nearest him. "You must hurry and run and get aboard and then get out of the way. Don't look down. Don't fear the pitching and swaying of the ramp. Don't pay attention if anyone else is hurt or falls off.
"Are you ready?"
Somberly, the children nearest him nodded, or said, "Yes," or even shouted it.
"Then go, go, GO!"
Off they flew, the foremost, as fast as tiny legs would carry them. Ahead the ramp bucked and twisted. Even so they ran for it. At the edge of the ramp two of the former cargo slaves waited. These helped the children, largely by shoving, or picking them up, or even throwing them onto the ramp as circumstances dictated.
Matheson stood now, on the airship's end of the ramp, encouraging the children on with shouts and open arms. Mentally, he did his best to keep count as the children passed: "One eighty-six . . . one eighty- seven . . . " He still had his submachine gun in his hand. Which helped him not at all when one of the janissaries below, perhaps enraged at his colonel's death (for it was the corbasi whom the agent had shot down), stepped out into the open and fired.
Hamilton had arrived at the tail end of the mass of children just as the gaggle began to move forward. He couldn't have them lie down, as Matheson had, to allow himself to pass, not if they were to have a chance to escape. Thus, he had to wait until the line moved ahead and the last children exited the door before he was able to get onto the battlemented roof.
Which he did just in time to see Matheson cut down.
"Bastards," Hamilton said. "Fucking bastards. Retief, get yourself and the cargo boys aboard. Now."
Hamilton waited until they were moving across the ramp and then mounted it himself. He walked halfway out, his lower body covered by the ramp's low sidewalls and his upper torso by the body armor provided by Hans. There he stood, stock still, and waited for a janissary to show himself. When the janissary did, Hamilton whispered, "This is for Bernie, you bastard," and shot the man down.
Then Hamilton turned towards the hatchway and walked aboard.
As he entered the ship, he looked down at Matheson's body and knelt beside it. Retief was already retracting the ramp and closing the hatchway.
Quite to Hamilton's surprise, the black man opened his eyes and said, "That was all very touching, to be sure, baas, but I'm not quite dead yet. And, if you can manage to stop this red shit that's leaking out of me, I probably won't be."
"You're a bastard, Matheson, you know that?"
"I didn't know you cared."
The pilot heard in his ear, "Take off now." He didn't have to be told twice. Applying full power to his vertical thrusters, he began to move the ship up and out from the castle walls.
Where's Hans? Ling asked, in his mind.
How the fuck do I know, woman. He's not my responsibility.
I asked you politely, Ling said. Now tell me where Hans is.
Goddammit, fuck off. I'm busy.
The pilot reached for the control to add gas to the central and main lifting cell. Rather, he wanted to do so but discovered that he couldn't move his arm.
For the last time, where's Hans?
"She what?" Hamilton asked incredulously.
"She wants to know what happened to Hans. Who the fuck is Hans?" the pilot asked in Ling's voice. "If I don't come up with a good answer, she's not going to let me fly this airship. She's got me frozen. Look, I've got barely the horses to get up to Switzerland. Will you please tell her."
Listening in on the circuit, Hans asked, "Ling . . . can you hear me?"
"She can hear you . . . if you're Hans," the pilot answered.
"Then listen carefully," the man said. "I want you to release the pilot. It's important to me."
"Okay . . . she's unfrozen me."
"Ling . . . honey," Hans' voice continued. "Someone had to stay behind. I chose me . . . "
"Aiaiaiai!" the pilot screamed, then said aloud, "Goddammit, woman, I felt that."
"Ling . . . I chose me for a lot of good reasons. I'm sorry . . . .more than I can say. They're getting ready to rush me now. I have to go. I love you."
The last Ling heard was the pffft . . . pffft . . . pffft of Hans' submachine gun.
Down below, below the airship and even below Hans, the crematorium was fed from two tanks, each containing a mix of LPG, liquid petroleum gas, and oxygen. These tanks, for ease of installation, had been placed under the floor of the lab. That floor was growing very, very hot.
In those tanks under the floor, the oxygen-LPG mix was likewise growing very, very hot. Indeed, it was beginning to boil. This boiling was forcing more and more of the gas out through the crematorium's nozzles, lowering the liquid volume in the tanks and increasing the pressure on those tanks.
For one minute give me control, Ling demanded.
Too dangerous, Lee answered. Besides, I don't know how to cede partial control. I don't know how you were able to freeze my limbs and still let me talk.
Neither do I. So what? Give me control. Please, she begged. Weren't you ever in love?