The latest in a long line of earthquakes saved Doc’s life as he ran from Exo.
Just as the mutie fired the third shot from Doc’s LeMat, the ground shook violently, throwing Doc off his feet. He came down hard on his right side, crying out in pain, but at least he missed taking the bullet that soared past above him. No question: the round would have struck him if he’d still been upright.
Unfortunately, the fall that saved him also left him at Exo’s mercy. Doc wasn’t fast enough to leap up and keep running before Exo could get to him.
Wincing, the old man pushed himself to a sitting position, but that was as far as he got. Suddenly, Exo trotted up in front of him, grinning and pointing the revolver at Doc’s face.
“Wow, finally!” Exo was panting from the run. “What does a guy have to do to have a talk with you anyway?”
Doc was much more winded than the shifter. “What do you…want to…talk about?” He had to force himself to act as if he wasn’t worried about the revolver in Exo’s hand.
“My device, for starters,” Exo said. “You need to get back there and fix it for me, Hammersmith.”
Doc nodded as if he had every intention of doing just that. “Right.” Playing along with the brain-damaged lunatic had to be the better plan…if any plan was better in these circumstances.
There was another quake as Exo shook the LeMat at him. “My empire is crumbling from within! We need to save it!”
“Of course.” Doc slid a hand in the pocket of his coat and found the razor blade. He pinched it tightly between his thumb and forefinger, trying to gather the courage to use it.
Could he bring himself to try to slash Exo’s throat? Did he have the slightest chance of success against the insane and murderous shifter?
Sweating from the run and the stress of what he was considering, Doc got to his knees. “Ankh and Fixie forced me to help them,” he lied, fighting to stop the rampant shivers rippling through his body. “I ran away because I was afraid you would not understand.”
“I understand perfectly.” Keeping the LeMat in one hand, Exo reached down with his free hand to help Doc to his feet. “I know exactly what happened.”
“Thank you.” Doc saw his moment present itself, as both Exo’s hands were full, and his bare throat beckoned. “You were always so good to me.”
“We need to hurry, Hammersmith,” Exo said. “Time is running out.”
Doc nodded. “It is.” Slowly, he started to pull his hand with the razor blade out of his pocket.
* * *
AS RYAN AND the rest of the group pushed into the mat-trans chamber behind Hammersmith, Jak rushed over to the gaping maw of the pit. Gazing into it, he saw only darkness, but he knew Union was down there somewhere.
“Oh, my God,” Mildred said. “This big room is a mat-trans chamber. Of course!”
“Did that bitch do this?” Hammersmith still sounded furious. “Did Union tear this place apart?”
Standing on the edge of the pit, Jak waved for the others to join him. “Come on! Need go now!” He jabbed a finger at the pit.
“Go where, Jak?” Ryan asked. “Where does that lead?”
“Not know, but she went this way!”
“We’re not here for her!” Ryan shouted over the loudest rumbling yet. “We’re here to rescue Doc!”
“Mebbe Doc there, too.” Again, Jak pointed at the pit.
“You see him go in?” J.B. asked.
Jak shook his head. “Big fight before got here. Two dead muties.” He gestured at the bodies of Ankh and Fixie on the floor. “Mebbe happen before Union got here, too. Mebbe Doc involved, got away.” Something caught his eye then, and he walked to the opposite edge of the pit. Bending, he picked up a long black object discarded there amid a jumble of wires and broken glass. “Look.”
Ryan marched over and took the item from Jak’s hand. “He was here, all right.” Ryan held the object up for the others to see. “It’s the sheath of his swordstick.”
“Which could have been left here by someone else,” J.B. pointed out.
“Gut says Doc there.” Jak motioned at the pit once more. “I go that way, too. You go somewhere else if want.”
With that, he nodded once at Ryan—goodbye—and leaped into the darkness on the trail of Union and, hopefully, Doc.