"It's all right," he said urgently. "I know him. He's a friend."
Auden lowered his gun. The figure came on, until he stood only a few paces from them. It was Pavel.
"What do you want?" Chen asked.
"I want to come with you."
He had found himself a hoe and held it tightly. There was anger in his twisted face. Anger and an awful, urgent need.
"No," said Chen after a moment. "It's too dangerous."
"I know. But I want to."
Chen turned and looked at Auden, who shrugged. "It's his neck, Lieutenant Kao. He can do what he likes. But if he gets in our way we'll shoot him, understand?"
Chen looked back at Pavel. The young man smiled fiercely, then nodded. "Okay. I understand."
"Good," said Auden. "Then let's get into position. The other squad is going in five minutes from now."
They waited in the shadows at the bottom of the ramp, the main door to the house above them. The windows of the House were dark, as if the men inside were asleep, but Chen, crouched there, staring up at the great three-tiered pagoda, knew they would be awake, celebrating the night's events. He watched the vague shadows of the assault troops climbing the ropes high overhead, nursing his anger, knowing it would not be long now.
Pavel was crouched beside him in the darkness. Chen turned and whispered to him. "Keep close to me, Pavel. And don't take risks. They're killers."
Pavel's mouth sought his ear. "I know."
They waited. Then, suddenly, the silence was broken. With a loud crash the assault troops swung through the windows of the second tier. It was the signal to go in. Chen leapt up onto the ramp and began to run toward the door, his handgun drawn, Pavel, Auden, and his squad close behind.
He was only ten ch'i or so from the door when it slid back suddenly, spilling light.
"Down!" he yelled as the figure in the doorway opened fire. But it was only a moment before the man fell back, answering fire from behind Chen ripping through his chest.
There were shouts from within, then two more men appeared, their automatics stuttering. Chen watched them fall, then scrambled up and ran for the door.
He stood in the doorway, searching the first room at a glance, the handgun following each movement of his eyes. As he'd thought, the three men had been the duty squad. Close by the door a table had been upset and moh-jong tiles lay scattered about the floor. He stepped over the dead man and went inside.
Up above there was the sound of further shots, then a burst of automatic fire. Chen turned, nodding to Auden as the veteran came into the room, pleased to see Pavel, unharmed, behind him in the doorway.
"They'll defend the stairwell," Chen said quietly, pointing to the door at the far end of the room. "There's a second guard post at the top, then DeVore's offices beyond that."
"Right." Auden went across and stood by the doorway, forming his squad up either side of it. He tried the door. It was unlocked.
Chen took Pavel's arm. "Here," he said, drawing him aside. "Let them do this. It's what they're trained for."
Pavel stared back at him. "And"you, Kao Chen? YouVe one of them? A lieutenant?"
Chen nodded, then turned in time to see Auden tug the door aside and crouch there, the big automatic blazing in his lap.
The noise was deafening. There was a moment's silence, then four of the squad moved past him, climbing the stairs quickly.
But they were only halfway up when the firing began again, this time from above.
Chen started forward, but Auden was already in charge. He was climbing the stairs over his fallen men, his gun firing ceaselessly, picking off anything that dared show itself up above.
Chen went up after him. Two of the Overseer's men had been guarding the stairs. One lay to one side, dead. The other was slumped over a makeshift barrier, badly wounded. Auden took a new clip from his band and fitted it in the gun, then tugged the man's head back and looked across at Chen. "Who is he? Is he important?"
Chen shrugged, not recognizing the Han, then said, "No. . . . He's only a guard."
Auden nodded, then put his gun to the man's head and pulled the trigger savagely. "Come on," he said, letting the body fall away.
He was about to turn, when the door behind him burst open.
Chen opened up without thinking, firing off three shots rapidly, the big handgun kicking violently.
The man looked at him wide eyed, as if surprised, then fell to his knees, clutching his ruined chest, his gun falling away from him. He toppled forward and lay still.
Auden looked at Chen strangely. "Thanks," he said coldly, almost brutally. Then he turned and went through the door, the big gun chattering deafeningly in his hands.
Chen followed him through, into DeVote's office.
The place was a mess. The u>ei chi board was broken, the stones scattered over the floor. The bank of screens had been smashed, as if in a drunken orgy. He frowned, not understanding. Auden couldn't have made all of this mess. It was too thorough. Too all inclusive. It had the look of systematic destruction.
And where was DeVore?
One man lay dead beneath the screens. Two others were kneeling in the far corner of the room, their weapons discarded, their brows pressed to the floor in a gesture of submission. Auden glanced at them dismissively, then waved one of his men over to bind them and take them away. Pavel had come into the room. As the captives passed him, the young man leaned close and spat into their faces.
"For Supervisor Sung," he said, his voice hard, bitter.
Chen watched him a moment, then turned to Auden. "Something's wrong," he said, indicating the screens, the broken board.
Auden looked back at him. "What do you mean?"
Chen looked about him, uncertain. "I don't know. It's just..."
Auden turned away, impatient. "Come on, Kao Chen. No more foolishness. Let's finish the job."
Chen stared at him a moment, angered, then did as he was bid. But there is something wrong, he thought. The killings in the field. The broken screens. They mean something.
In the corridor outside Auden had stopped and was talking to the sergeant from the second squad.
"They're holed up at the top of the house, sir," the sergeant was saying. "About eight of them. Peskova's there. But not DeVore."
"What?" Auden turned and glared at Chen. "I thought you said—"
Chen shivered. So that was it. He'd gone already. It explained the killings, the board, the broken screens. He had known it earlier—some part of him had sensed it. But where? Where could he have gone to?
Chen turned and banged his fist against the wall, all his anger and frustration spilling out. "Shit!"
Auden blinked, surprised, then looked back at the sergeant. "Okay. Keep them covered, but pull most of the men back. We'll offer terms."
He watched the sergeant go, then turned and met Chen's eyes. "What's eating you, Kao Chen?"
Chen laughed bitterly. "You think I wanted DeVore to get away?"
"That's if he has. We've only their word. One of those eight could be him."
Chen shook his head. "I doubt it. He's too good a player."
Auden shrugged, not understanding, then went through. Chen followed.
There was a space at the foot of the narrow stairs where the corridor widened out, forming a kind of small room without doors. Two men were stationed there, guns at their shoulders, keeping the door at the top of the steps covered. It was the only way in to the upper room, and the stairs themselves were too narrow for more than a single man to use at any one time.
"What have they got?" Auden asked his sergeant.
"Guns. One or two deng rifles, maybe. But that's all."
"You're sure?"
"It's all they're issued with out here. These peasants never riot."
Auden laughed. "Lucky them!"
Waving one of the men away, he took his position on the left, half sheltered by the wall, then called out to the men above.
"My name is Lieutenant Auden of the T'ang's Security forces. As you know, you're totally surrounded by my men. Worse than that, you're in a bad situation. The Overseer, the man you knew as Bergson—his real name was DeVore. Yes, DeVore, the traitor. Which means that in helping him you, too, are traitors. Dead men. Understand me? But the T'ang has empowered me to make a deal with you. To be lenient. Surrender now and we deal with you lightly. If you come out, unarmed and with your arms raised where we can see them, we'll treat this whole matter as a mistake. Okay? Any tricks, however, and you're all dead."
•Chen crouched by the back wall, watching. He had heard the sudden murmur of voices from above at the revelation of Berg-son's true identity. So now you know, he thought. But what are you going to do? • The door slid open a fraction.
"Good," said Auden, turning to Chen. "They're coming out—"
Chen heard the grenade bump-bump-bump down the stairs before he saw it, and threw himself to the side, his handgun clattering away from him across the floor. He tensed, fearing the worst, but instead of an explosion, there was a tiny pop and then a furious hissing.
"Gas____"
It was a riot gas; a thick, choking gas that billowed out of the split canister, spreading quickly in the tiny space. He had to get up, above it. Forgetting his gun, Chen crawled quickly on his hands and knees, his breath held, making for the stairs. But they were quicker than he.
Chen glanced up. The first of them was already halfway down the narrow stairs. He was wearing a breathing mask and held a stiletto in his right hand. Seeing Chen, his eyes narrowed and he crouched, preparing to spring. But Chen moved quickly. As he jumped, Chen rolled to the side.
The man landed next to him and turned, slashing out wildly with the knife. It flashed past Chen's face, only a hand's width from his eyes. Chen scrambled backward, cursing softly to himself.
More masked men were coming down the stairs now, spilling out into the tiny smoke-filled space, while from the two side corridors Auden's men emerged, their knives drawn, afraid to use their guns in the confusion.
Chen's man had turned, looking for him. He took a step toward Chen, his knife raised; then, with a small strangled noise, he staggered forward, collapsing to his knees. Behind him Auden smiled fiercely through his mask, then quickly turned away, rejoining the fight.
Chen's eyes were streaming now, his throat on fire. He had to get air. He dragged himself forward, making for the stairs, then stopped.
"No-o!"
Pavel was halfway up the stairs, his hoe held out before him. He turned, surprised, looking back down at Chen. "It's Peskova!" he said hoarsely, as if that explained it all. Then his face changed and he fell forward slowly, a knife protruding from his back.
For a moment Chen struggled to get to his feet, then he fell back, a wave of blackness overwhelming him.