“You’re nuts, Hosato. I’d rather take my chances with the robots. Ravensteel. God protect me from innocents.”
“I’ve managed to figure it out all by myself,”
Hosato commented grimly. “Anyway, that brings us up to the present. We’re trying to bust out of here before they have another chance to lavish some of their Ravensteel hospitality on us.”
“Now you’re talking. Where are the others?”
“Upstairs in the room above this one. I suggest it’s time to regroup our forces and plan our next move.”
“You know, Hosato,” Sasha said, “sometimes you show a positive brilliance for tactics. Let’s go. Oh, one more thing.”
She wiggled her stump at him.
“They gave me some kind of stimulant to counteract the shock before they went to the truth serum. Right now I’m pillow-walking, and I don’t know how long it will last or how I’ll react to this arm once it wears off, so keep an eye on me, okay?”
Hosato nodded his understanding.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
They were halfway up the stairs when they heard the blaster fire from above.
Hosato bounded the rest of the way up the stairs, Sasha trailing close behind. After the initial burst of fire, the sounds from above had ceased. Weapon at the ready, Hosato slowed his pace and peered ahead at the landing.
The door to Gedge’s office was open, and he could make out the smoldering form of a security guard lying in the doorway. He shot a quick glance up and down the corridor to be sure the coast was clear, then called ahead softly, “It’s Hosato and Sasha. We’re coming in. Hold your fire.”
“All clear,” James’s voice came in reply.
Hosato beckoned to Sasha, and she darted across the corridor ahead of him into the office. He followed, pausing to stoop and catch the fallen guard by an armpit, dragging him inside.
“Okay,” he said, shutting the door and turning to the assembled group. “Now we…”
He stopped suddenly as another uniformed guard appeared in the door to the adjoining room. His blaster was halfway up before he realized it was Rick.
“Hold it, Hosato!” the mechanic called, raising his hands as if to ward off an attack. “It’s me.”
“Right,” Hosato breathed, relaxing his limbs. “Sorry. For a minute I forgot.”
“I was going to ask you if you thought I could pass inspection.” His friend laughed shakily. “I think you’ve already answered the question.”
A shrill beeping from the desk-robot interrupted their tableau.
Motioning the others to silence, Hosato moved to the desk. Taking a deep breath for relaxation, he depressed the button next to the flashing light.
“Yea?” he said into the speaker in a brisk imitation of Gedge’s voice.
“Everything all right there, chief?” came a worried voice.
“Of course,” Hosato barked back. “Why shouldn’t it be?”
“We heard blaster fire and thought there might be trouble. Just checking to see if you needed a hand.”
“One of our guests tried to go for a walk,” Hosato answered jauntily. “But when the day comes I can’t handle a motley bunch like this, you can have my job.”
“It’s a deal.” The voice laughed. “But Sammy won’t like it.”
“That’s Sammy’s problem,” Hosato retorted with the same joviality. “And you can tell him I said so.”
There was a moment’s pause before the answer came. “Right. Well, shout if you need help, chief. Well be here waiting.”
There was a brisk click as the unseen guard shut off his transmitter.
“Whew!” Rick let out his breath. “That was close.”
“We may not be out of it yet,” Hosato murmured thoughtfully. “Sasha, was it just me, or did our caller sound suspicious to you, too… there at the end?”
“It isn’t just you,” Sasha confirmed. “It occurs to me 'Sammy' could be a nickname for Samantha.”
Hosato was kneeling at Gedge’s side before she finished speaking.
“Gedge!” he snarled, shaking the injured security chief. “I don’t want to have to hurt you any more. Where’s the spaceport?”
“I can tell you that,” Sasha supplied. “It’s upstairs, directly over us.”
“You’re sure?”
“Come on, Hosato. Do you think we don’t track their layout and security as close as they track ours?”
“Okay, let’s go,” Hosato said, rising. “There’s probably a squad on their way here already.”
“What about your gear?” James asked suddenly.
“Leave it,” Hosato ordered. “I’ve got everything I need!”
“But your swords!” the boy insisted.
Hosato hesitated and looked at the youth’s expression. For the first time he realized who had shot the guard at the door, and why.
“Okay, James,” he relented. “Bring the epees but that’s all. We’ll have to move fast.”
“Say, Hosato,” Sasha interrupted. “Do you still need this pig. I’ve waited a long time to have him in my sights.”
Her blaster was pointed levelly at Gedge’s head.
“Yes!” Hosato insisted more hastily than was necessary. “Rick. Bring him along. He might be our ticket out of here.”
The small party traversed the stairs to the spaceport without further incident, though Hosato felt an increasing pressure for speed. He was sure that somewhere in the complex a counterattack was being prepared.
“What are you expecting to find in the spaceport?” Sasha asked.
“Hopefully a ship to get us away from this complex and off this planet,” Hosato replied.
“I mean, specifically what are we going after. Do you know if there’s a ship standing by for takeoff?”
“No,” Hosato admitted. “We’ll just have to take pot luck.”
Sasha shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way. They might have some company ships posted here, but it takes at least half an hour to get them ready for takeoff.”
“I know that!” Hosato snapped. “If we have to take the half-hour, we’ll just have to take it. I’m hoping there’s something ready to go. Either way, we won’t know until we check it out, will we?”
“Don’t get your back up. I was just asking.”
Hosato sighed. The strain of the last thirty-six hours was starting to tell on his nerves. He had catnapped in the crawler, but except for that, had had no sleep since the robot uprising.
“Sorry, Sasha. I’m just a bit tired is all.”
“Shh!” came Rick’s call from ahead.
Hosato hurried up the stairs to join the mechanic at the head of the formation. Rick was squatting on the stairs, a half-dozen steps short of where they terminated at a small landing. Gedge was sitting beside the mechanic, staring groggily at his shoes.
At the far side of the landing were two sets of airlocks with large glass windows in them. Through the farthest set Hosato could see a uniformed security guard apparently in casual conversation with a man in a gray jumpsuit.
“Security,” Sasha hissed in his ear from close behind him. “The double doors are a safety precaution against a failure in the hookups with the ships. They can be opened only from the inside.”
“That’s what we have Gedge here for,” Hosato replied grimly. “Rick. Get Gedge up there and rap on the glass. Don’t let them see your face!”
Rick nodded his understanding. He grabbed Gedge by one arm and stood up boldly in full view of the door. Dragging his dazed charge with him, he strode to the first lock and began rapping frantically on the glass.
Surprised, the interior guard spun around and took in the scene at a glance. What he saw was one of his fellow guards supporting their chief, who was obviously in bad shape physically. Human nature took over.
The guard whirled and shoved his companion aside. He hammered two buttons in the wall panel with his fist, and the double doors opened.
“It’s a trick!” Gedge managed, coming suddenly to life and trying to pull away from Rick.