Against A Dark Background (65 page)

Oh, save your grief, Lady Sharrow,’ he said, putting the gun back into his robe, a small frown joining the faint smile on his face.
She was a blank,’ Molgarin said, spreading his hands.
A nothing; scarcely human.’ He laughed lightly.
For whatever that’s worth.’

He stood looking down at her for a moment, then swivelled and returned to his throne. He sat back with one leg crossed over the other.

What, Lady Sharrow?’ he said after a pause.
No insults, no threats, no curses; no bravado?’ He shook his head. ‘I warn you I shan’t be satisfied until you’ve called me something vile - doubtless involving that disagreeable word “fuck” - and come up with some unlikely and painful-sounding fate you may merely wish on me but which I have the means - and for all you know the intention - of inflicting upon you.’ He contrived to look terribly amused with himself.

She was still breathing hard, fighting back her terror, trying to find strength from somewhere, from anywhere. She stared at him, not knowing how to express anything she felt.

Molgarin gazed at her with a look of tolerantly amused patience.

Then his expression changed. He frowned and looked up at the slit-views of the desert displayed in a wide circle around the chamber.

`What?’ he said. He looked distracted. He peered at the screens, turning to stare at those behind him.
What?’ he said again, and raised a hand to one of his earrings.
How?’

She looked up. The slit-views of the desert were no longer static sections of a peaceful panorama. Dots danced in the skies above the mountains on three sides. What looked like a cavalry charge was taking place on two of the screens; Keep guards were running from the mounted troops, throwing their guns away.

`Well, do it!’ Molgarin said, still with his hand at his ear and looking away from her.
Now!’ he shouted.
Anything!’

She saw the emissary in front of her looking worriedly at the one holding her arms. The one at her feet let go and drew a small laser pistol out of his uniform jacket.

There was sudden movement on several of the screens. A series of great grey explosions lifted slowly from the surface of the desert. They continued to expand and lift. They looked so immense she expected to hear them, no matter how deep they were, but then they started to fall back in silence.

Molgarin turned back. He glanced at the two emissaries, then smiled shakily at her. `We seem to be-’ he began.

The floor trembled and a full third of the view-slits suddenly went dark. Feril was staring intently at the confused scenes portrayed in the ones that were left. Molgarin glanced at the dark screens. The emissary holding the laser pistol stared at them.

We seem to be under attack, Lady Sharrow,’ Molgarin told her.
Possibly from that irritating cousin of yours.’ He seemed to have difficulty swallowing.
I promise you this will be his last piece of romantic melodrama, lady. He’ll suffer for this, and you’ll watch him suffer.’ Molgarin looked at the two emissaries.
Mind her,’ he told them, then put his head back against the throne and gripped its arms tightly.

The topmost step of the dais rushed upwards, taking the throne with it on a great gust of air and a thunderous rumble from beneath the chamber; the throne vanished into the ceiling ten metres overhead, leaving a single solid black column in the centre of the circular room.

Before the two emissaries could react, the whole chamber shuddered, the remaining view-slits went black and every light in the place blinked out, leaving utter darkness.

She hauled, twisted and ducked, bringing the yelping emissary holding her arms tumbling over her back. `No!’ he screamed.

There was a sudden snapping noise and brief stuttering blink of light, then, as she threw herself to one side and the emissary rolled away from her, a scream that became a sizzling, gurgling noise. She lay, silent, on the steps. A smell of roasted flesh wafted over her.

`Twin?’ said a tremulous, hesitant voice. It was answered by a bubbling noise. She started to move.
Twin?’ the voice said again, an edge of panic in it now. Another bubbling, gurgling noise. She moved closer, correcting, anticipating. A tremor shook the bunker; there was a tremendous crack, and a crashing, tinkling noise off to one side.
Twin!’ the voice screamed.

That last anguished shriek was enough. She stood silently, closing her eyes and lashing out with her foot.

`Tw - oof!’ The voice cut off.

She stepped to one side; a blink of white laser light fired at where she had just been was enough to show her both of them, captured as though by a flash of lightning; the one who had held her, lying spread out on the floor at the foot of the steps leading to the black column, and the other one, crouched sideways on the floor in front of her, looking towards the steps, holding the laser in one hand and his lower chest with the other.

She swung her left foot at his head. The heavy, sensible shoe connected with a crack that jarred her whole leg. She fell to the floor.

The burbling sound came again from a few metres away, then a noise like a snore from nearby. The bunker shook once more and she heard what sounded like debris falling somewhere.

`Lady Sharrow?’ said a distant voice. Feril.

She said nothing. `Lady Sharrow,’ Feril said calmly.
I can see you. The laser pistol which the man you just kicked was holding flew from his hand and is lying approximately seven metres to your right.’ Feril paused.
I do not believe either of the young men will trouble you for the moment,’ it said.

She stood and walked quickly to her right, still silent.

Just two steps further,’ Feril said.
Stop. The pistol is now a metre to your left.’

`Got it,’ she said, lifting the weapon.

I believe one of the young men you disabled has the chip key to the explosive restrainer collar I am wearing,’ Feril said as another tremor shook the floor beneath them.
If you intend to remove it from me, that is,’ it said. It sounded apologetic.

She swivelled and started walking through the utter darkness. `Am I going the right way?’

Stop,’ Feril said.
Yes; you are a step away from the young man you kicked.’

She felt down. `So they weren’t androids,’ she said.

No, I believe they are clones, but otherwise perfectly normal human beings,’ Feril said. There was a pause.
Well. . .’

The man was breathing shallowly; she kept the gun pointed at where the breathing was corning from, then felt in his uniform jacket. `This feels like a chip key.’

The android directed her to it. `The slot is at the back,’ it told her.

The key snicked in, the collar buzzed alarmingly, then a small white light flashed and the collar clicked open. She removed it and put it on the floor, which trembled again as she set the collar down. More smashing, tinkling noises sounded in the distance.

`Which direction to the Lazy Gun?’ she asked.

Your hand?’ Feril said. She shivered, gritting her teeth as she put her hand out into the darkness. Feril held her bandaged hand gently; they walked forward.
Here it is,’ the android said.

She felt for the device and lifted it.
Great,’ she said.
Now all we have to do is try and find a way out of this place.’

If I may make a suggestion,’ Feril said, its voice calm.
While I was standing near it earlier I had the opportunity of scanning the monowheeled vehicle taken from the tower. It appears to be in working order.’

‘Hmm,’ she said. `Or we could just wait here for my cousin to appear.’

‘Ah,’ Feril said carefully. `I am not sure about that.’

`You’re not?’

`I was able to observe the action taking place on the desert surface and in the nearby hills by way of the high-definition screens built into the walls of this place. Those in the first wave of comparatively lightly armed attackers were not identifiable.

However, those in the second wave, who seemed to be fighting both the Keep’s defending forces as well as the first wave of attackers, were almost certainly Huhsz.’

`Huhsz?’ she said into the darkness.

‘I believe so. There were certain insignia on the wings of the aircraft forming-’

`Are you sure?’ she asked.

`I am sure of what I saw on the screens,’ Feril said cautiously.

`Fate,’ she said. Then,
But if Geis is mad enough to start crossing the Areas, they certainly are.’ She hoisted the gun to her hip, holding it like a child.
Where’s the monowheel?’

`This way.’

The floor bucked beneath them, almost throwing her off her feet. Another devastating crash sounded from a distant part of the bunker.

The android helped her into the monowheeled vehicle’s open cockpit. She shoved the Lazy Gun into the long footwell past what felt like a pair of hanging pedals, then she sat. There was a small compartment just to the rear of the cockpit; Feril climbed up and stuck its legs into it, sitting on the rear of the vehicle just in front of the tilted monowheel. The vehicle moved fractionally, with the hint of a whine.

`Now what?’ Sharrow said, raising her voice above a roaring noise coming from somewhere ahead in the darkness. A gust of hot air blew around them, flinging dust into her face. She closed her eyes.

Try this,’ it said.
Excuse me.’ She felt it lean over her, bending her forward; she heard a click, then lights glowed. The android leant back again. She looked round at it; its face gleamed softly in the green light spilling from the vehicle’s screen and instruments.

`Perhaps you should drive,’ she said.

The position here is a little exposed,’ it told her.
Allow me to navigate.’

`All right.’ She turned back and studied the controls; a twinstalk hand-grip with various buttons arranged on the columns, two pedals for her feet; various dials, screens and touch-bolos, and a head-up display seemingly hovering in mid-air in front of her.

She pressed a pedal; the monowheel’s nose dipped. The other pedal brought it level again. She took the hand controls and squeezed both; her left hand was stiff and hurt a little, but it was bearable. There was a beeping noise from the instruments. Nothing else happened until she let go the left grip. The monowheel leapt forward, banging her head against the seat’s head-rest.

`Stop!’ Feril yelled.

She released the grip and they stopped quickly. She sensed the android turning behind her.

Oh well,’ it said, turning back.
I don’t believe you were too keen on that young man, anyway.’

`Dead?’ she asked.

`Thoroughly,’ Feril said.

She found the lights and another holo display, switchable between radar, ultrasound and passive EM.
Hell,’ she said,
I had a unit like this on a bike once.’ She adjusted the display to optimum on EM.

She was sitting on the safety harness; she lifted, pulled the straps out and fastened them round her. The holo display showed the whole bunker ahead of her in grey; the roof had collapsed in at least two places. The ramp she had been brought up was lying off to her left.

There was a muffled rumble from above, followed by another hot gust of air.

`I think we should leave this place fairly soon,’ Feril said.

So do I,’ she said.
Ready?’

`Ready. I suggest you head for the ramp.’

`On my way.’ She pressed the right grip lightly, sending the monowheel humming forward over the floor, then tipped the wheel; the vehicle turned. She looked at the squashed body of the young emissary she’d kicked and then run over. The monowheel was obviously quite heavy.

The other emissary lay still at the foot of the dais. His chest, neck and face were still cooling. She thought she heard him moan.

She took the laser from her jacket, reached out over the side of the cockpit and shot him twice in the head.

She paused just once more, at the other cooling body on the floor, then left her image lying there and powered the monowheel down the ramp.

There was a door.

gust a minute,’ Feril said. `This seems to require a fairly simple radio code..’

The door trundled aside, revealing the short corridor walled with roller doors.

`Well done,’ she said, moving the monowheel forward.

`My pleasure.’ The second roller door on the left rippled as a rumble of noise sounded all about them.
The door opposite that, I think,’ Feril said.
It will require the vehicle’s cannon.’

`Cannon?’ she said, looking round at the android.

It nodded. `I believe this was a robo-tank hunter; a sporting vehicle used by the Vrosal Moguls following the-’

Another blast shook the roller door.

`Aiming and firing controls?’ she said quickly.

You aim the whole vehicle,’ Feril said.
The pedals control nose angle, the red cursor on the head-up is aim-point and the red button on top of the left hand-grip fires.’

She fired at the door; there was a burst of light from beneath the monowheel vehicle, an ear-ringing bang and a single small hole appeared in the roller door. An instant later the door bulged and burst open as the shell exploded behind it.

Wreckage tumbled past them; she ducked, glanced back at Feril, who seemed to be unharmed, then eased the monowheel over the remains of the door. The vehicle rolled with uncanny smoothness into a circular-section tunnel fitted with twin toothed-metal rails. There were flat rail-cars sitting on the rails; beyond them the tunnel spiralled upwards.

This is how I was brought in,’ Feril said.
I believe it leads to just below the surface.’

`Maybe so, but how do we get over these flat cars?’

`I believe this vehicle is quite sophisticated for our. day; I suggest just driving at them.’

`All right,’ she said. She sent the monowheel forward slowly; it climbed over the flat cars as though they weren’t there. She looked back and shrugged, then powered on up the spiral tunnel.

There were blast doors but they had all been opened.