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"They're late," Hellstrom said. "Something delayed them and they're trying to
make up for lost time. Are we all ready to clear out this aerie?"
"I'd better give the word," Saldo said.
"In a moment," Hellstrom said. "We can delay them at the gate. Were you able
to reach Linc?"
"Nobody answers his phone. You know, when this is over, I think we should
provide him with a better Outside cover -- a wife, another phone at his home
tied to the office line."
"Good idea," Hellstrom said. He pointed out the window. "Those are big
van-campers. Could they be the ones that were on the mountain?"
"They might -- Nils, they're moving much too fast. They're almost at the
fence. Maybe we should
--"
He broke off in shocked alarm as the first of the big vans crashed through the
north gate and swerved aside to block off the flat pillbox of the disguised
ventilator outlet. Two figures leaped from the van as it skidded to a stop.
One of them carried what appeared to be a black satchel. The other vans
roared right past the stopped one, coming straight for the house and barn.
"They're attacking!" Saldo yelled.
A shattering explosion at the ventilator outlet punctuated his warning and was
followed immediately by a second, louder explosion. The first truck had been
blown onto its side and was burning.
Our own explosives for removing the emergency cover on that ventilator!
Hellstrom thought.
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There were other blasts now, shots, screams, running people. Two of the
attackers spilled from a moving truck, ran crashing through the farmhouse
door.
"Nils! Nils!" It was Saldo pulling frantically at his arm. "You've got to
get out of here."
The wisdom of Harl. A society that cuts across all of the conduct that
Outsiders accept can exist only in a constant state of siege.
Mimeca sat in the farmhouse living room waiting for the arrival of Janvert's
"law" when the first explosion rocked the building. A piece of metal from the
first van ripped through the north wall a foot above her head. It crashed
into the opposite wall and stuck there, smoking. Shots, screams, explosions
erupted in the yard.
Ducking low, Mimeca sprinted for the kitchen. Mrs. Niles stored a stunwand
in there. She crashed through the swinging door, surprising Mrs. Niles, who
was using a stunwand to clear the yard between the farmhouse and barn. Mimeca
gave the scene only a passing glance. Her own presence to play the part of
Fancy was vital to the Hive's survival. She had to save herself. A door
behind Mrs. Niles opened onto solidly built old stairs into the original root
cellar. Mimeca jerked the door open, thundered down the stairs. There was a
crash overhead, shots, breaking glass. She dashed for the fake shelves that
concealed a tunnel to the barn, squeezed through. Workers armed with
stunwands were pouring toward her from the other end. Mimeca ran panting past
them, through the door to the barn basement. The tunnel behind her was
already empty of defenders and she could hear the hiss of mucilage filling the
area, plugging it.
A short hall stretched in front of Mimeca, open at the far end on a scene that
only the Hive-born would recognize as not one of utter confusion. She trotted
toward the area. Workers were dashing about, packages were being carried
toward the gallery head, a temporary repeater station had been installed
against a wall on the left and guardworkers were keeping it clear there.
As Mimeca entered this area, the concealed hatch over the emergency stairs
opened above her.
Saldo and Hellstrom came dashing down followed by armed workers. The opening
of the hatch amplified the clamor of battle overhead, but the noise died
abruptly. There came one more explosion, another shot. She heard the
brain-resonating humming of many stunwands.
Silence.
Hellstrom saw Mimeca, signaled her to join him, but continued his course
toward the temporary repeater station. At his approach, a senior observer
turned, recognized him, and said, "We've accounted for the ones who got this
far, but there are still two more down by the fence. They're out of
stun-range from this distance. Shall we get them from behind?"
"Wait," Hellstrom said. "Is it safe for us to go back to the aerie?"
"The two by the fence are armed with at least one machine gun."
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