Part 51 (2/2)

Silence. Once more, a long silence. But now she knew there was someone there.

She let out a long, s.h.i.+vering breath, then spoke into the darkness.

”You missed.”

There was laughter; curiously familiar laughter, though she could not make out why.

”You have a sense of humour.”

Emily blinked, trying to make out where she'd heard that voice before. ”You think this is funny, then?”

”Hilarious. You see, he doesn't want you dead. But I do.”

The knowledge of who it was went through Emily like a shock. It was her double. Her other self, grown from her severed finger just as Eve was supposedly grown from Adam's rib. DeVore's plaything. His ”woman”. ”You're not jealous, surely?”

”What do you think? He made me so he could have you. Or someone who looked like you. Do you know what that does to a woman? Why, he even aged me so I'd look haggard like you.”

”Haggard?” Emily laughed. ”Well, looks don't matter much in the dark do they, my pretty? And a corpse looks like a corpse, however much rouge you apply.” ”Do you think thaf s what I am?”

Emily's voice was cold now, hard. This thing was what she could have become.

What DeVore had wanted her to be.

”Why? What do you think you are? Alive? You were never that. Nothing he makes is truly alive.”

Two shots rang out, one high, one low. Both missed. Emily smiled. She hadn't been sure at first, but now she was. It was even between them. They were both blind.

Emily closed her eyes, concentrating, preparing herself, then, steadying herself on one elbow, raised her gun and aimed.

There was another shot, but this time no bullet whistled past her.

There was a groan; a deep, anguished noise, tinged with pain. There were booted footsteps on the stone, and then the distinctive click of a gun-hammer being drawn back into the firing position.

The second shot was m.u.f.fled; a wet, spattering sound.

Even in the darkness she could imagine it Emily swallowed. ”Who's there?”

Two steps, then. ”If s okay. She's dead.”

”Daniel?” Relief flooded her. Clambering up, she took two steps towards him, then stopped. ”Daniel?'

The dart hit her right shoulder and knocked her backwards, her gun spinning away from her in the dark.

Booted footsteps, and then someone leaned over her, his breath warm on her face.

”Almost right”

DeVore had landed cruisers on the northern slopes and flooded the entrance tunnels with his men. Now Daniel and a handful of survivors crouched in the trees below the western gate, waiting to see if anyone else would come out A huge pall of black smoke filled the sky above the mountain. A great roiling ma.s.s that threw its shadow over everything. The great roof of the rebel headquarters had buckled in that savage conflagration and caved in. Now only a ma.s.sive blackened hole existed where their living quarters had once been.

The sight of it plunged Daniel into despair.

Emily was dead. He knew it for a certainty. And Hannah too. And soon he also would be dead, for there was no way they could defeat DeVore. Not now. But he would not go easy into the darkness. And if DeVore dared show himself - to gloat or simply to claim victory - he would have him. He looked about him. There were only fourteen of them left, himself included, and three of those were wounded badly. But they were well-armed and determined. They might yet prove a thorn in DeVore's side.

”Okay,” he said. ”Ifs time to hit back. We have two advantages. First, we know the tunnels better than they do. Second, they think they've won. They think they've only mopping up to do. They've relaxed. If we do this right, we could be in among them before they know what's going on.” He saw one or two of them look down and frowned. ”What is it?”

”They're boys,” one of them mumbled. ”They're only boys.” ”Boys with guns,” he answered. ”Boys trained to hate. To kill.” ”Yes, but...” ”But nothing,” he said, more harshly than he'd meant Then, relenting, ”Look. I know if s hard. I know if s against your instincts. But we can't simply lie down and let them bury us. Not now. Not ever. We have to fight” ”I don't know,” the first of them said, shaking his head despairingly. ”We've lost What point is there? They've taken Emily.” The words jolted Daniel. ”They've what?” ”They've taken her. Ho Jen and I saw it They must have drugged her. But we saw them carry her onto one of their cruisers.”

Daniel closed his eyes. Dead was bearable, but taken. He did not want to imagine what DeVore would do with Emily. ”Did it leave? Did the cruiser go?” The man nodded. ”Aiya...”

Then DeVore had her.

Grimacing, Daniel tore the rifle from his shoulder and began to load it ”So what are we going to do?”

He turned to stare at the man. ”We're going to do exactly what I said. We're going to go in there and kill as many of the little f.u.c.kers as we can.” ”But why? It's over. He's won.”

Daniel swallowed bile. It was true. He even knew it was true. But the anger he felt would not be a.s.suaged until...

”Daniel! Look!”

He glanced up, then turned, looking to where one of the men was pointing.

”What in the G.o.ds' names ...?”

To the north-west three peaks dominated the skyline. Between the first and second of them the sky was slowly turning black.

A swarm. He'd swear it was some kind of swarm. Then he understood. Cruisers.

Hundreds upon hundreds of cruisers.

Daniel felt his heart sink. He threw the gun down, then sat, watching them come on, the drone of their engines growing by the moment As the first wave roared overhead, he looked down, thinking of Hannah, hoping she had not suffered. Not that it mattered now. Not that anything mattered.

There was the sound of rapid gunfire, of rockets exploding. The ground trembled beneath him. Frowning, Daniel looked up.

”What the ...?”

Immediately in front of Mm, on his eyeline and barely five hundred metres away, three cruisers now hovered. Daniel swallowed, then stood again, his hands on his hips, facing them.

”Come on, then,” he said quietly. ”Come on you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds...” Behind him the mayhem went on; explosion after explosion. ”Well?” he yelled, his voice echoing across the slope. ”Don't you want me?”

The central cruiser detached itself and drifted slowly towards him. Stooping, Daniel picked up his gun then straightened again. DeVore. It had to be DeVore. Well, let the b.a.s.t.a.r.d show himself.

A hundred metres off, the cruiser began to settle, turning slightly to the side as it touched down on level ground. The engines died, whining down into silence. Daniel smiled. If he'd only had a rocket-launcher. The other two cruisers still hovered there, their wing-mounted guns covering him, but Daniel was barely aware of them. His eyes were fixed upon the hatch, even as it hissed and fell open.

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