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"West side of the house. Gate's around to the north."
"Never mind the gate-we can go over the wall just as easily here." A corner of Jonny's mind considered the possibility that the Trofts had spy-mikes on them....
Still no sign of enemy soldiers. Moving to the former window cover, he hefted the metal for a quick examination. Kyrelium steel, all right, about five centim...
He'd never gone to the limit in quite this way, and for a long, horrifying moment he was afraid he'd thrown the panel too hard. If it cleared the wall-and in...
But he actually had nothing to fear. The panel arced smoothly into the sky and dropped with a crash of breaking branches into the middle of the distant patch...
And it made the whole trip without drawing any fire.
Jonny licked his lips. So the automatics would most likely leave them alone. Would the live gunners who were undoubtedly up there abstain as well? There was ...
"Ready for a run?" he whispered to Ilona.
Her eyes were still on the spot where the kyrelium plate had ended its flight. "Phrij and a half," she muttered. "Uh-yeah, I'm ready. Toward the wall?"
"Right. As fast as you can. I'll be behind you where I can theoretically handle anyone who tries to stop us." One final look around-"Okay; go."
She took off like the entire Troft war machine was after her, running in a half-crouched posture that offered at best an illusion of relative safety. Jonny l...
At the edge of the forest he put on a burst of speed, catching up to Ilona a few steps later. "Wait a second-I have to find that kyrelium plate."
"What?" she gasped. "Why?"
"Don't ask questions. There it is."
Not surprisingly, the heavy metal was undamaged. Jonny picked it up and balanced it like an oversized door in front of him, searching for the best and safest...
"What . . . you . . . doing?"
"Getting us out of here. Come here-stand in front of me. Come here."
She obeyed, stepping between him and the plate. "Arms around my neck-hold on tight . . . now wrap your legs around my waist . . . okay. Hold tight, whatever ...
"Yeah." Even muffled by his chest, her voice sounded scared. Perhaps she had a glimmering of what was about to happen.
Twenty meters to the wall. Jonny backed up another ten, getting the feel of the extra weight distribution as he gave himself room for a running start. "Here ...
The whine of the servos was louder in his ears than even the thudding of his pulse as his feet dug deeper into the dirt with each step and his speed increase...
And an instant later his knees straightened to send them soaring upward.
It was a move Jonny had practiced over and over again back on Asgard: a high-jumper's roll, designed to take him horizontally over whatever barrier stood in ...
The flash was incredibly bright, especially considering that all he was seeing was the fraction of laser light reflected from the underside of the kyrelium p...
He almost made it, hitting at an angle that probably would have ruined both ankles without his bone and ligament reinforcement. Recovering his balance, he ti...
He got halfway to the nearest building before the Trofts recovered from their surprise and began firing. Laser blasts licked at his sides and heels as he zig...
Jonny kept running, aiming for a second deserted factory a short block away. "Any suggestions as to a hiding place?" he called to Ilona over the wind.
She didn't even bother to raise her face from his shoulder. "Just keep going," she said, and even with the jolting of their run, he could feel her violent sh...
He ran on, changing direction periodically, searching for a section of the city he could recognize. A kilometer or so later he found a familiar intersection ...
"Are we safe here?" Ilona asked as Jonny set her down. Rubbing her ribs, she peered out the mesh-protected front window.
"Not really, but it'll have to do for the moment." Jonny found a chair and sat down, wincing as he did so. With the danger temporarily at arm's length he fin...
"While you what?" She spun around to face him, her expression echoing the odd intensity in her voice.
"While I go back," he repeated. "You didn't know it, but the only reason they let us go was to collect data on my equipment in action. I have to try and get ...
"That's suicidal!" she snapped. "The whole phrijing nest of them will be running around by now."
"Running around out here, looking for us," he reminded her. "The mansion itself may not be well defended for a while, and if I'm fast enough I may be able to...
She seemed about to say something, pursed her lips. "In that case . . . you probably can't take the time to go call the underground, either. If you're going ...
Jonny stared at her. No argument, no real protest . . . and suddenly it occurred to him he really knew nothing at all about her. "Where did you say you lived...
"I didn't say. What does that have to do with anything?"
"Nothing, really . . . except that I've just noticed I'm at a distinct disadvantage here. You know that I'm a Cobra, and therefore which side I'm on. But I d...
She stared at him for a long moment . . . and when she spoke again the usual sardonic undertone was gone from her voice. "Are you suggesting I'm a Troft hire...
"You tell me. All I know about you is what you yourself said-including how exactly you came to be tossed in my cell. Sure, the Trofts could have plucked a ra...
"Did I pressure you?"
"No, but then that didn't prove necessary. And now you're encouraging me to go back alone, without even calling for underground backup forces."
"If I were a spy, wouldn't I want you to get me to the underground?" she countered. "I imagine the Trofts would like to get a solid line on the resistance. A...
"You've got an answer for everything, don't you?" he growled. "All right. Let's hear your suggestion on what I should do with you."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Meaning . . . ?"
"If you're a spy I don't want you anywhere near the underground. Nor can I let you loose to tip off the Trofts that I'm coming."
"Well, I'm not going back to the mansion with you," she said emphatically.
"I'm not offering. What I guess I'll have to do is tie you up here until I get back."
A muscle twitched in her jaw. "And if you don't?"