to command status. The sergeant had taken over with the ease of long experience and quickly had all the details of Piehl's life running smoothly.
Coffee with a tot of spacer's brandy in the morning, clothes, weapons and comm-sys all laid out. Before his desk had been a disorderly mess.
"A Fenwall Blaster and a Stunner in a leg strap, Sergeant. Two days and it's back into the deep. How do you feel about that?" Piehl asked.
"Good, sir. Can't say I'll be sorry to leave. I like having a destination that's more than a five minute walk."
"I agree, Sergeant. This job may be a little hairy, but by the God’s at least we'll be outward bound. Suit up, man. You and I are going into the city to see a man about some information."
"Full kit, sir?"
"Full kit, sergeant."
"Very good, sir. Should be a nice day for it."
Piehl chuckled to himself. I'll bet if I said we're going to single-handedly attack the central barracks, he'd say it was a nice day for it.
They headed out to the tubeway and caught a direct to city-center. As he left the ship, he spotted a lot of familiar faces around the docking bay. They were Legionnaires Flex had called in.
"Be alert, Sergeant, I haven't spotted anyone, but they're out there somewhere."
After a few minutes the sergeant spoke softly without moving his lips. "I've spotted two, sir."
"Where away?"
"As we move toward South-One lift-way there's a mirrored wall facing us. If you look in it you'll see them about fifty meters back. Two bureaucrat types with pale faces and metal attaché cases. They keep shifting them from hand to hand. Too damn heavy for a bureaucrat. Government workers are lazy, won't carry anything heavier'n a pay chit. These fellas are probably wearing bone induction implants, they talk without moving their lips."
"You earn your keep, Sergeant," Piehl said with admiration.
"I intend to, sir."
"What do you think, trying to put us in a box? They've probably got one or two people forward of our position."
"That would be my guess, Captain."
"Any idea where or when, Sergeant?"
"Their best bet would be the Central Tower Rotunda. Must be twenty exits in every direction from there," the sergeant said.
"Lot of people in there. I don't like the idea of blowing up a bunch of civilians even if they are bureaucrats. We've got to figure a way to deal with these bastards on our terms."
They were passing through an area of shops and businesses about a half mile from the tower. Piehl remembered something.
"Keep your eyes peeled for a red and yellow striped door," he said. "It's a maintenance access, used mostly by work robots as a machinery storage site; not likely to be anybody there. We'll go in fast and improvise."
"Sir, I'd say those guys are carrying some heavy-caliber hardware."
"Okay, let's be sure they don't get a chance to use it. As soon as we get in I'm going to climb to the overhead rails just inside the door. Use your judgment Sergeant, because as soon as they're all inside I'm going to drop down and remove them from the game."
"Beggin' your pardon, sir, maybe I should do the climbing?"
"What's the matter sergeant, worried I'll mess up my ship's suit?"
"Uh, no sir."
"That's good, because I've found what we're looking for just ahead on the right."
They moved along casually until they were opposite the door. Piehl removed an all-city access card from his jump-suit.
Damn, this had better work.
He moved to the door with a lunge and slammed the card against the I.D. Plate. Luck was with them and the big door slid back smoothly showing a dimly lit corridor.
"Go back twenty meters or so and find cover," Piehl said.
"Aye, sir."
It was a large space with machinery and parts spread around in piles. In the background he heard the throb of heavy engines and hoped it would cover any noise they might make. Piehl spotted the overhead rails, and on a damp metal wall, rungs leading upward. Piehl went up the rungs of the ladder at a run.
He grabbed a thick coil of cable going along the top of the passage and swung out then hooked a leg over one of the rails. They were slippery and he almost fell head first. The thought of falling on his head in front of their pursuers was so ludicrous he burst out laughing.
Letting the tension get to me, he thought. Loosen it up, Piehl. When he got his balance he ran down the rails in a crouch back toward the access door and waited.
For a moment nobody entered. They were smart. Whoever was out there wasn't going to hurry it. Probably waiting for the two back-up men.
After several minutes one of the two attaché types came through the door only the case was gone. In its place he carried an assault rifle with professional ease. Sophisticated equipment. Right behind the first man came his partner. The first jumped to one side and the next guy moved to the other side.
After a moment's hesitation they began moving forward. Neither man spoke but they moved with a familiarity and timing that spoke of experience. Piehl waited for the other two. About then he heard a metallic crash down the passage.
The first two men, now well into the gloom, crouched quickly and looked back toward the access door. It was a bad moment. If they looked up Piehl was in real trouble.
They weren't looking for him because just then the back-up men came through the door and stopped to let their eyes accustom to the darkness. They didn't separate which suited Piehl.
The two front men came up out of their crouch and began moving again. Piehl maneuvered himself over the two near the door. With the blaster in hand he dropped in the two-man attack position - right out of the manual.
One stiff leg knocked the man on the left forward onto his face and Piehl brought the other raised leg down like a piston catching the second man in the forehead. Piehl felt the crunch of bone.
He rolled toward the other man and swung the blaster at his head.
This bastard is quick! Piehl grunted with the effort. He only hit him a glancing blow. The man grimaced, but stayed with it enough to try to get his blast rifle into action.
Piehl had no choice. He brought the Fenwall up and shot the man in the face.
The man flew into the nearest wall, a crumpled mess. Piehl continued his roll toward some machinery beside the wall. None too soon. A searing orange flame shot through the space where he'd been and ‘opened’ the access door without benefit of I.D. plate.
It was a mistake. The two guys forward stood to shoot. The sergeant moved silently
