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  The building loomed large, nestled between several apartment blocks, and then everything happened at once. As they approached the building, Alice saw men and vehicles in the streets below. Some of them pointed, and then the sky lit up with blaster fire as they opened up.

  The ship flew lower and lower, until it seemed they would crash into the station. Then, at the last second, the nose came up and the thrusters fired, slowing their speed to a crawl, just a metre or two above the roof.

  A burst of fire hit the ship, but it splashed harmlessly on the armour. More shots tore past, burning after-images into Alice's vision. Then she felt the ship jerk as Bernie let go, and on the display Alice saw the robot land, her huge legs folding to absorb the impact. Bernie ran for the stairwell, and Alice lost sight of her as the jet poured on the power and thundered into the sky.

  Chapter 21

  "Scrap," whispered Flint. There was a clang as he dropped his slingshot, and before anyone could stop him he darted around the barricade and ran towards the street. Harriet was closest, and she caught up with him in the doorway, dragging him back inside just as the enemy spotted him and opened fire. Their shots went wide, and Harriet saw Birch aiming into the street. She heard the vicious hum of a ball bearing as it tore past, and there was a cry of pain behind her. The rest of the Peace Force veterans opened fire too, and Harriet took the chance to manhandle Flint back to safety.

  "I have to go to him," protested the old man.

  "You will," Harriet promised him. "But not until the street's clear."

  She handed Flint over to McCluskey, then took up her slingshot. She only had three ball bearings left, and when she checked with the others she discovered everyone was short of ammo. Her gun was long since dead, and the next attack could very well be the last.

  Harriet ducked as a ship roared over the station, so low she hadn't even heard its approach. At first she thought the enemy had brought their freighter back, packed with more men and equipment, and her heart sank as she realised the situation had gone from desperate to hopeless. Then she saw the men in the street firing into the sky, and her spirits rose. Alice!

  "Drive them away from the building!" shouted Harriet. "Alice can't land if they're shooting at her. Fire! Fire with everything you have!"

  She drew back, took aim at a gun flash, and fired. The figure in the street was just a shadow, but she saw them go down, bent double in pain, and she aimed at another shooter and hit them too. Then she fired her last ball and tossed the slingshot aside. "Grab whatever you can from the barricade. We're going to charge them!"

  Birch stood up, tore the leg from a broken table, and brandished it at the doorway, roaring at the top of his voice. Others followed suit, and they were about to rush outside to face the enemy when Harriet turned towards the inner door. "Wait! Quiet, everyone!"

  Thud! Thud! Thud!

  "What's that?" asked Timms, her voice loud in the sudden quiet.

  The steady thumping noise got louder, and Harriet felt the floor shaking underfoot with every impact. It seemed to be coming from behind them, inside the station, and Harriet felt a huge rush of relief as she recognised the sound. "Oh, you beauty!" she whispered.

  Thud, thud, THUD!

  Bernie came striding through the door, her head barely clearing the lintel. She nodded briefly at Harriet, but her eyes were busy scanning the environment. The room, the makeshift barricade, the shattered doors … and the enemy outside. Bernie evaluated them all, then strode straight through the middle of the barricade and walked out through the front doors, leaving a trail of broken furniture in her wake.

  "What the hell was that?" demanded Caldavir, as he stared after the robot.

  "Darting's worse nightmare," muttered Harriet.

  The enemy saw - and heard - Bernie coming, and they started firing, but their shots bounced of the robot harmlessly. Some backed away, uncertain, then turned tail and ran.

  Bernie reached Scrap, who was still lying in the middle of the road, and Harriet saw the big robot looking down at their fallen ally. Then Bernie bent down, picked up a loose piece of concrete from Alice's earlier attack, and hurled it at one of the vans.

  The side of the vehicle imploded, the force of the blow almost tipping the van over. Bernie reached for another chunk of concrete and the enemy scattered. Vans drove off, trailing tyre smoke, and in the bedlam Bernie managed to hit another couple of vehicles.

  One of the drivers, braver than the rest, decided to take the robot on. His van turned sharply, veered towards the middle of the road, and aimed straight at Bernie and accelerated wildly. The big robot turned to face it, and Harriet could see the men inside urging the vehicle onwards, could see the anticipation on their faces as they prepared to run the robot down.

  Bernie had no time to get out of the way. The van was travelling too fast for that. Instead, she leaned forward and braced for the impact. Harriet watched in horror, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She'd already seen one robot crushed under the wheels of a van, and now it seemed she was about to witness another.

  At the last second, just before the van stuck, Bernie drew back her right arm, clenched her fingers into a massive fist, and punched the front of the vehicle with the force of a pile driver. There was a sickening crunch as the entire front of the van crumpled, the men inside hurled against their restraints by the sudden stop. The van actually bounced off Bernie's armour plated shell, scattering broken glass, and as it came to rest Bernie leapt forward with a savage roar. Stretching her arms wide, she gripped the pillars either side of the shattered windscreen and picked the van up, hurling it across the road with a howl of rage.

  Sparks flew as the ruined van skidded along the tarmac, and there was a crunch as it smashed into the apartment building. Bernie ran after it, her footsteps shaking the ground, arriving just as the occupants clambered out of the broken windows and fled.

  Bernie tore off the nearest wheel and sent it flying down the road, bowling the men over like ninepins. They got up, saw Bernie tear off another wheel, and scrambled for a nearby van, which was revving its engine, the side door wide open. The men dived in, and the van took off with a screech of tyres, someone inside desperately trying to close the door. Bernie launched the wheel like a missile, slamming it into the rear of the van, the terrific impact caving the back in. She reached for another wheel, but by then the vehicle was gone, leaving only broken glass and tyre smoke to show it had been there at all.

  Bernie let the wheel drop from her grip, and turned for the office. Instantly, she was surrounded by the Peace Force veterans, who cheered and slapped her on the shoulders. "You saved the day!" shouted Birch. "You little ripper!"

  "I'm sorry I was not here … earlier," said Bernie, addressing Harriet.

  Meanwhile, Flint crouched over Scrap, inspecting the damaged robot. "I'll get you fixed," he was saying. "I promise, whatever it costs you're going to be fine."

  Scrap didn't respond.

  "Give me a hand," shouted Flint. "Someone, please!"

  "Bernie, can you help carry?"

  "Negative, Trainee Harriet. That effort taxed my batteries to the limit."

  "Okay, we'll handle this. You get inside and take a charge."

  Bernie took one faltering step, then another. Each one was an effort, each slower than the last. She was still twenty metres from the front doors when she stopped completely.

  "Got … to … get me … inside," said Bernie. "Must … charge."

  Harriet saw the others carrying Scrap into the station. Then she heard the roar of an engine, and she looked past Bernie to see half a dozen vans racing down the road towards her. "Oh crap," she muttered. "Bernie, you've got to move."

  "I cannot."

  "Move!" Harriet put her shoulder to the robot's back, but it was like pushing one of the neighbouring apartment buildings. She heard the vans draw up nearby, and was forced to duck as the occupants opened fire on her. "Bernie—"

  "Leave … me," said the robot. "I will be … fine."

&n
bsp; Harriet paused.

  "Go!" muttered Bernie, and then her eyes went out and her head dropped.

  There was nothing for it, Harriet realised. She had to get to cover, and quickly. As she darted towards the front door the enemy opened up, and the street lit up with flashes of blaster fire, some of them so close she felt the heat of their passing.

  She was almost at the entrance when she heard a whistling roar, and as she covered the last few feet, she heard Arnie howl down the street, engines blasting at full thrust. She glanced back and saw several objects tumbling down on the vans, saw them lose their windscreens, saw their roofs dented and raked by large chunks of concrete.

  The firing stopped, and Harriet watched the enemy fleeing once more, leaving behind a couple of ruined vehicles. Surely they've had enough by now, she thought. Surely it had to be over.

  — ♦ —

  "Birch, see if you can find a power cable. We have to get Bernie up and running again or we're sunk."

  Birch nodded, and headed into the main office.

  Harriet turned to the others. "McCluskey. Duke. Help me with this table. You two, bring Scrap over. Captain Timms, let's have some lights, but stay near the switch. Caldavir, watch the road."

  They laid Scrap out and detached the remains of the BNE shell. Harriet winced as she saw the damage. Scrap's chest had been caved in by the initial impact, and the van's wheels had crushed one of his legs. The robot's coolant and hydraulic fluids were leaking from torn tubing, making pools of green and purple on the rough wooden desk.

  Flint gripped the robot's hand. "We're going to fix you, Scrap. Hang in there."

  The robot jerked, and his eyes opened. He turned his head slightly, then closed his eyes again. "Would it be all right if I shut down for a while?" he asked quietly.

  "Of course!" said Flint.

  "I'm sorry I couldn't stop them."

  "You did great. And don't worry, we'll get you fixed up."

  "I'm not damaged that badly." Scrap moved his leg a fraction, and there was a screech and a clatter from his damaged motors. "See? It's just a scratch."

  Then Scrap's eyes closed, and Flint released his hand.

  "We'll have him repaired, I promise," said Harriet, but privately she wondered whether they'd all end up in the same condition.

  Birch came back, and his expression wasn't encouraging. He caught Harriet's eye and shook his head. "I couldn't find a cable. We'll just have to bring Bernie in by hand."

  Harriet was about to point out that they'd have more luck moving the entire building to the robot when her commset rang. "Yes?"

  It was Anita Darting. "It's not too late, trainee. You can still walk away from this."

  "Hold." Harriet covered the mic and looked around the others. "It's Darting. She's saying we can all leave."

  "What, and give her the city?" said Birch harshly. "Forget it!"

  One by one, Harriet looked at the others, and as she met their eyes each of them agreed with Birch. "We're not going anywhere," said Timms, putting into words what they were all thinking.

  "Darting?" said Harriet, putting the commset to her ear.

  "Yes, trainee?"

  "Give it up. You've lost."

  "I can see your robot from here. It's not much help, is it?"

  "How many vehicles have you lost so far? How many people have to get hurt?"

  "I have plenty of both. And you'll be sorry you—"

  "Don't call again," said Harriet, interrupting her, and she pushed the commset into her pocket. "I'm glad you're all onside," she said, addressing the others, "but unless we can come up with more weapons, we're toast."

  "Do any of you have any contacts?" asked Birch. "Anything at all?"

  Everyone shook their heads. Firearms were tightly controlled across the entire planet, and although Darting had managed to smuggle in a few hand weapons and grenades, fortunately she hadn't brought rifles, rocket launchers, or worse.

  "The slingshots worked well," said Harriet. "How about rustling up some more ammo?"

  Caldavir looked thoughtful. "What about something a bit more powerful?"

  "What do you suggest?"

  "Crossbows. Accurate, deadly, and not too hard to make."

  "You're joking!" Harriet stared at him. "We don't have the time, the parts, or the equipment."

  "We managed to build those slingshots."

  "Yes, but you had Scrap's help."

  "We have another robot," said Caldavir. "You met Worthy at my place, didn't you? And as for the parts and equipment—"

  "Your workshop!" exclaimed Birch.

  Caldavir smiled at him. "Moira's workshop, actually. She's the one who makes ancient weapons."

  "It's not going to work," said Harriet. "This place is easy to defend. At your house, they'll swamp us."

  "That's not what I'm suggesting," said Caldavir. "A couple of us can head over there with the ship, pick up the materials and tools, and bring them back here. Shouldn't take more than an hour."

  Harriet frowned. "And if they attack again in the meantime?"

  "Try and get that big robot of yours charged up," advised Caldavir. "If not, it won't make any difference whether I'm here or not."

  Harriet nodded and took out her commset to call Alice. "Alice, where are you?"

  "Trying to knock out a few more of their vans. Ben got a couple, but we're running out of blocks to drop on them."

  "I need you to head back."

  "On my way."

  Harriet was tempted to explain the plan, but she remembered the bugging earlier and decided not to elaborate. However, just in case Darting's people were listening, she decided to give them something to think about. "We heard from headquarters. They're sending a couple of ships to help."

  "Great. Just when we were winning on our own."

  Harriet smiled at Alice's disappointment. "Just get yourself back here. We need to coordinate the attack on their base." She hung up, and saw the others looking at her with a mix of hope and confusion.

  "What was that about reinforcements?" asked Timms.

  "Sorry, I made that up." Harriet gestured with the commset. "They bugged us earlier, and I thought it might send them packing."

  "Then we'll just have to make do on our own," said the captain.

  There was a distant growl, which gradually rose to a thunder which shook the building. They all felt the thump as Alice's ship landed on the roof, and moments later she and Ben bustled into the office. Harriet told her about the ruse with the reinforcements, and she wasn't surprised when Alice seemed happy to hear it. "Don't worry," said Alice. "We'll knock these people off, no trouble."

  Harriet told her about fetching tools and equipment, and as she listened, Alice inspected one of the slingshots. "Cool," she said. "I wish I'd been here."

  Caldavir had been speaking into his commset, and he came over to join them. "That was Moira. I told her what we need, and she's putting some of the stuff together now."

  Alice gestured towards the stairwell. "After you."

  Caldavir shook his head. "Harriet can send the address. I'm staying here in case there's another attack."

  "Suit yourself." As she left, Alice glanced over her shoulder at Harriet. "Be safe, sis. We'll be back as soon as we can."

  Chapter 22

  Arnie flew across the city in darkness, but the scene below was lit with countless streetlights. The city sparkled with life, and as Alice gazed down on the inhabitants she found it hard to believe Darting's people were waging war it the middle of it, without anyone caring or intervening.

  The ship landed in the road directly outside Caldavir's place. The house was large, set back from the road and surrounded by immaculate gardens. Green spotlights illuminated the trees, and it was one of the most beautiful things Alice had ever seen. Her thoughts were interrupted by a rude honking, and she turned to see a groundcar pulled up next to Arnie, lights on high beam. "You can't land that thing here!" shouted the driver. "This is a public street, not the spaceport!"

  "
Sorry, ma'am," said Alice. "This is an emergency."

  The woman swore at her and drove off, the top of her car barely clearing Arnie's left wing.

  "Don't mind us," muttered Alice. "We're just risking our lives to save your lousy city."

  "It's not that lousy, is it?" asked Ben.

  "Compared to some, yeah it is." Alice saw more headlights approaching, and decided to get on with things before someone ran into her ship. Mind you, she thought, it would make for a wild insurance claim. She ran up to the front door and pressed the bell. Moments later, the door opened and a tall robot looked down its nose at her. "Yes?"

  "We're here to see Moira."

  "Is that so." The robot eyed Alice's uniform with disfavour, then turned a disapproving gaze on Ben. "Do you have an appointment?"

  "Yes. Her husband sent me." Alice glanced at him. "You're Worthy, right?"

  "Indeed, that is my name."

  "Right, then." Alice indicated her ship, which sat in the road nearby, illuminated by a groundcar's lights. "You might as well make yourself comfortable. You're coming too."

  "Me? What for?"

  "They want you to build weapons. Go on, off you go. I can find Moira myself."

  The robot stood back to let her past, and Alice motioned Ben inside. Instead of heading to the ship, Worthy followed them inside, looking for all the world like he expected them to steal the silverware. "Where is she?" demanded Alice.

  "In her study."

  The robot pushed past, and they followed him to the rear of the house, where Moira Caldavir was sitting at a wooden desk in a spacious, well-lit room. The far wall seemed to be fashioned from a single pane of glass, and it looked out on a garden which was even bigger than the one out front. There were fairy lights everywhere, twinkling in the darkness, and in the back corner, under a tree, Alice could just make out a large workshop with a gable roof. Then she turned her attention to the woman in the room. "Are you Moira?"