Not Tepho’s brig, however, which because of its diminutive size, and position at the tail end of the armada, remained unharmed. That vessel’s luck wasn’t likely to hold however, both because it was increasingly visible as the size of the fl?eet was diminished, and because word had arrived that a large concentration of phibs was lying in wait just off Buru’s harbor.
But, having been made aware of Sogol and her alliance with the variants, the technologist had anticipated such a move and made preparations to counter it. A dozen wings, all recruited with Hitho Mal’s help, were waiting on the foredeck as the smudge of land appeared ahead. Each of the skeletal humans carried a bag made of netting as he or she fl?apped up into the air, and each container held a bomb, which, if the makeshift fuses worked like they were supposed to, would open a pathway through which Tepho’s ship could pass. If that provided the norms with the revenge they sought, then so be it, although the technologist didn’t care. He watched the wings until they were little more than dots, ordered the ship’s master to hoist more sail, and went below to prepare. He was in radio contact with Shaz, and based on the reports received, the journey up to the transfer station was going to be tough.
Rebo and Norr were no more than half a mile away when the fi?rst wing let go of his lethal cargo and allowed it to fall. None of the phibs were aware of the comet until the ball of concentrated energy dropped through the ocean’s surface and exploded underwater. The resulting shock wave sent a huge column of water up into the air, killed everything within a quarter-mile radius, and sent four-foot-high waves out in every direction.
Both of the off-worlders felt the force of the underwater concussion, and Norr “heard” a communal scream, as thousands of living organisms passed into the spirit world. Then came the second explosion, and the third, and more after that, until a total of six energy bombs had been detonated, hundreds of phib warriors lay facedown in the water, and what remained of the revenge fl?eet was free to enter the bay of Buru.
Rebo, Norr, and Sogol had surfaced by then, and were part of the much-diminished phib force that was about to invade the island. “Tepho survived,” Norr said glumly. “At least that’s what Lysander tells me.”
“And so did Logos,” Sogol added, having wrapped herself around the sensitive’s neck. “And he’s communicating with Socket.”
“Can you stop him?” the runner wanted to know.
“I can interfere with his efforts,” the AI replied. “Just as he can interfere with mine.”
“Then let’s go,” Norr said grimly. “We need to reach Socket before they do.”
The wings put up a fi?ght, but not much of one, as hundreds of phibs marched up out of the light surf. That was partly because the winged warriors were badly outnumbered, partly because they were vulnerable to massed ground fi?re, and partly because their hearts weren’t in it. Given the absence of other leadership, it was the commandant’s duty to lead a single mostly symbolic sortie, which he did. But having lost a quarter of his total force during the fi?rst ten minutes of battle, and with no ground forces to provide support, the old soldier was soon forced to withdraw. That left the way clear for the phibs to claim Buru as their own—and for the off-worlders to invade the jungle. A trip they would have to undertake alone, since the phibs had captured their objective and were still reeling from all the casualties they had suffered.
Rebo had supplemented his pistols with a phib energy rifl?e, along with a bag of grenades. And Norr, who had been reunited with her sword, carried the phib equivalent of a sawed-off shotgun plus a power pistol, which was strapped to her thigh.
With only light packs to burden them, the twosome marched up trail. And it wasn’t very long before Rebo, Norr, and Sogol confi?rmed what they already suspected. Not only had Tepho preceded them, but judging from the deep pod prints, the technologist was behind the controls of his raptor. And, as if that wasn’t disturbing enough, there were plenty of smaller footprints, some of which had been left by metal men.
Truth be told, Rebo might have called it a day right then had the runner been on his own, but Norr wasn’t prepared to give up yet, nor was Sogol. So they continued the march, and thanks to the bushwhacking carried out by those who preceded them, made excellent progress. As if aware of their presence, and holding its breath to see what would happen next, the normally noisy jungle had lapsed into a brooding silence, broken only by the sound of their breathing, the occasional clink of metal, and the intermittent splash of water as they crossed a stream.
It made for a pleasant rhythm. But hours later, as the light began to fade, Sogol became increasingly agitated. Rather than wrap herself around Norr’s biceps, as was her normal practice, the AI began to roam from one place to another. That was annoying enough—but the steady diet of intercepted intelligence was even worse. “Logos is communicating with Socket. . . .” “Two of Tepho’s people have arrived at the transit station. . . .” “The main party is almost there. . . .”
Finally, unable to take any more, Norr ordered Sogol to,
“Shut the hell up,” and threatened to stuff the computer into her backpack. That served to silence the AI for a while, but eventually, as the vegetation-covered butte loomed ahead, Sogol broke her silence. Her snakelike body was wrapped around one of the sensitive’s pack straps by that time—which put her triangular head only inches from Norr’s ear. “Based on their radio traffi?c, it’s clear that Tepho, Logos, and the rest of the party are standing directly outside the transfer station,” the AI announced. “The gate appears to be operational—and they are about to make the jump.”
That brought the sensitive to a momentary halt. And when Rebo heard the news, he said, “Damn!”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Norr added. “So, assuming the gate works, what will happen next?”
“They’ll arrive on Socket,” the AI predicted dispiritedly,
“where they will transport Logos up to level three, where the nexus is located. Once in position, he will begin to reinstall himself.”
“And how long will that take?” Rebo wanted to know.
“There’s no way to know what conditions are like,” Sogol answered. “If they’re good, then the technos could reach nexus within a matter of minutes. But judging from my contacts with Socket, I get the impression that they may encounter problems. As for the second part of the process, well, I can be fairly precise about that. Given the fact that subsystems have to be conditioned while installation takes place, the process will take three hours, twelve minutes, and fortytwo seconds. Give or take half a second.”
The sensitive felt the full impact of Rebo’s personality as his eyes made contact with hers. He was there because of her, because she believed in the star gates, and because he was sworn to protect her. Even if that meant dying for her. Something passed between them at that moment, as a promise made before either one of them had been born was kept and their fates forever joined. “Come on,” Rebo said gruffl?y, as he reached out to take the sensitive’s hand. “We’re almost there.”
The transit station was made of carefully joined blocks of limestone, which had been eroded by the weather and almost entirely hidden by a blanket of green foliage. The raptor, which Tepho had sealed against intruders, crouched off to one side. And right in front of the structure, where a parking lot had existed once, there was a fl?at area. And that was where the assassin stood as she looked out over the verdant jungle to the sparkling sea beyond. Phan had never been one to spend much time looking at nature, but as the light started to fade, and a golden glow settled over the island, even she had to take notice of the beauty that surrounded her. Then, just as quickly as the moment came, it was gone. And when darkness fell, it fell quickly, as if eager to claim its full share of the day. And that was when the assassin was forced to confront the fact that while Tepho, Logos, Shaz, and the rest of the party had been transported to Socket, she along with two metal men, had been left to guard what the combat variant called, “the back door.”