handily, flaring up on the backyard trash. There were screams, shouts from within.
M'chel went down the side of the Masked Ones' center, out into the street in front, finding shelter behind an abandoned lifter.
Goodnight and von Baldur came from their hiding places, a grenade in each hand. They lobbed one each, then the second. The grenades hit on the mansion's porch and exploded. Glass shattered, and now the screams weren't just from fear.
The enormous front door came open, and Grok sent three grenades into the house. They exploded, and bodies spun back, and out. A man came out waving a pistol, shouting for someone, anyone, to call the police, and Jasmine shot him.
M'chel squirted flame at one of the front windows. It melted, and she sprayed flammable mix into the room inside, then fired the flamethrower's igniter, and sent a sheet of flame into the mansion.
The flame set off the unignited mix, and a fireball boiled out toward the street.
M'chel felt her eyebrows crisp, decided to fall back a little, especially as Goodnight roared a burst from his rifle just over her head.
More grenades slammed into the mansion, and Riss saw someone trying to jump out a side window. She fired him up, and in flames, he stumbled away, fell.
Riss heard a noise beside her, saw King's white face. "Screw him," she said. "He would've gunned you down if he had a chance."
King reluctantly nodded, and, holding her blaster in both hands, shot down two figures inside the left side of the house.
"Good," Riss approved, sliding out of her empty flamethrower pack.
Von Baldur held his blast rifle's trigger back, and, on full automatic, the rifle sent bolts spitting through the mansion.
Flames were rising into the night, reaching high and higher.
Goodnight saw a curtain behind him move aside, waved at whoever was watching, and the curtain closed. He emptied a magazine into the mansion, saw nothing else worth destroying, ran into the middle of the street. "That's it," he shouted. "Let's go!"
All fire abruptly stopped, and then there was nothing but the thud of running feet, the flames, and dying Masked Ones.
"Good Lord." Reynard said. "I hired you to prove a man innocent, not murder some"�he turned away from the mike and consulted the paper�"the holos say either twenty or forty� men and women."
"Masked Ones," von Baldur corrected. "Neither your friends nor ours." "I have not gotten where I've gotten by burning to death everyone who didn't agree with me," Reynard said.
"I'm sorry you're unhappy with that accident of last night," von Baldur said. "Needless to say, all Star Risk operatives and their employees were here at our headquarters."
"Where, no doubt, you can provide alibis for each other."
"Certainly," von Baldur said smoothly. "And I know you� and we� prize innocence."
Reynard's lips pursed, and von Baldur was fairly sure he was trying to hold back laughter.
"L'Pellerin was in contact with me yesterday evening after the, er, excitement," Reynard said. "I tried to contact you immediately, but your coms were all out of order."
"We were checking them for bugs," von Baldur said. "It was unfortunate we did not hear about the, er, unfortunate incident until this morning."
"I was told," Reynard said, "that Star Risk's methods could be, and I quote, �rough as a cob.' But I didn't imagine this rough."
"We do what we have to do," von Baldur said.
"I guess you do," Reynard said. "So what comes next? A nuclear strike on Parliament?"
"If it comes about," von Baldur said, "we'll try to give you warning."
"Out of control," Reynard murmured. "Simply out of control." He blanked the com.
"And are we in trouble?" Grok asked.
"I think not," von Baldur said. "I think he was recording that for the record so he has something to say to the media if, or rather when, we do something equally nasty."
"If," Riss said. "Or when?"
"Be that as it may," Goodnight said, "what's next? I hope it's something we can get the guards in on. They gave me
M'chel went down the side of the Masked Ones' center, out into the street in front, finding shelter behind an abandoned lifter.
Goodnight and von Baldur came from their hiding places, a grenade in each hand. They lobbed one each, then the second. The grenades hit on the mansion's porch and exploded. Glass shattered, and now the screams weren't just from fear.
The enormous front door came open, and Grok sent three grenades into the house. They exploded, and bodies spun back, and out. A man came out waving a pistol, shouting for someone, anyone, to call the police, and Jasmine shot him.
M'chel squirted flame at one of the front windows. It melted, and she sprayed flammable mix into the room inside, then fired the flamethrower's igniter, and sent a sheet of flame into the mansion.
The flame set off the unignited mix, and a fireball boiled out toward the street.
M'chel felt her eyebrows crisp, decided to fall back a little, especially as Goodnight roared a burst from his rifle just over her head.
More grenades slammed into the mansion, and Riss saw someone trying to jump out a side window. She fired him up, and in flames, he stumbled away, fell.
Riss heard a noise beside her, saw King's white face. "Screw him," she said. "He would've gunned you down if he had a chance."
King reluctantly nodded, and, holding her blaster in both hands, shot down two figures inside the left side of the house.
"Good," Riss approved, sliding out of her empty flamethrower pack.
Von Baldur held his blast rifle's trigger back, and, on full automatic, the rifle sent bolts spitting through the mansion.
Flames were rising into the night, reaching high and higher.
Goodnight saw a curtain behind him move aside, waved at whoever was watching, and the curtain closed. He emptied a magazine into the mansion, saw nothing else worth destroying, ran into the middle of the street. "That's it," he shouted. "Let's go!"
All fire abruptly stopped, and then there was nothing but the thud of running feet, the flames, and dying Masked Ones.
"Good Lord." Reynard said. "I hired you to prove a man innocent, not murder some"�he turned away from the mike and consulted the paper�"the holos say either twenty or forty� men and women."
"Masked Ones," von Baldur corrected. "Neither your friends nor ours." "I have not gotten where I've gotten by burning to death everyone who didn't agree with me," Reynard said.
"I'm sorry you're unhappy with that accident of last night," von Baldur said. "Needless to say, all Star Risk operatives and their employees were here at our headquarters."
"Where, no doubt, you can provide alibis for each other."
"Certainly," von Baldur said smoothly. "And I know you� and we� prize innocence."
Reynard's lips pursed, and von Baldur was fairly sure he was trying to hold back laughter.
"L'Pellerin was in contact with me yesterday evening after the, er, excitement," Reynard said. "I tried to contact you immediately, but your coms were all out of order."
"We were checking them for bugs," von Baldur said. "It was unfortunate we did not hear about the, er, unfortunate incident until this morning."
"I was told," Reynard said, "that Star Risk's methods could be, and I quote, �rough as a cob.' But I didn't imagine this rough."
"We do what we have to do," von Baldur said.
"I guess you do," Reynard said. "So what comes next? A nuclear strike on Parliament?"
"If it comes about," von Baldur said, "we'll try to give you warning."
"Out of control," Reynard murmured. "Simply out of control." He blanked the com.
"And are we in trouble?" Grok asked.
"I think not," von Baldur said. "I think he was recording that for the record so he has something to say to the media if, or rather when, we do something equally nasty."
"If," Riss said. "Or when?"
"Be that as it may," Goodnight said, "what's next? I hope it's something we can get the guards in on. They gave me
Similar Books
