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Jo
Jo
Terl was horror-struck. The last thing he wanted to appear on Psychlo's platform were those phony contracts!
Terl started to dive toward them and pick them up. He collided with Snith just as the general sought to give orders to his bowmen.
Reaching down, Jo
Jo
“Grenade!” shouted Jo
He pitched the eighty-pound weight straight at Terl. It struck the Psychlo a glancing blow and bounced down under his feet.
One glimpse of a lit grenade, their own favorite weapon, caused the Brigantes to run. At that moment trumpeting elephants sounded outside. The Brigantes hit the atmosphere-armor curtain and were thrown back from it.
Terl took one look at the bomb and any thought he had about papers fled as his horror turned into terror.
It was the bomb! But it had a time fuse. How had the animal gotten it away from Brown Limper, unwrapped it, and changed the fuse all in no time at all?
But Terl knew what he had to do. He had to get rid of it fast!
He was about to pitch it off the platform when the Brigantes came thudding back in recoil off the curtain. He knew that if he threw it, the bomb would just bounce back.
The wires were humming! Terl knew he had to get that access plate off and remove the core and do it fast! He could even see the time fuse closing.
He crouched down and began to claw at the access plate in the bottom. It was stuck! He fought with it.
Jo
console.
A Brigante was up on one knee. A poisoned arrow slapped past Jo
Jo
All chaos had broken out beyond the curtain. There were Scot battle cries, and the roar of stampeding elephants.
Flame splashed against the other side of the atmosphere armor. The falling snow, even inside the platform, was converting to rain. Heat!
Terl was clawing at the access plate. He had no a
Two Brigantes charged Jo
He was able to drag Sir Robert a bit further. It was a long way to that console!
Another Brigante was up. Jo
Snith was up, shouting and pointing at Jo
The din was deafening outside this cage.
A Brigante tackled Jo
Snith was trying to get the last two of his guards to fire. Their bowstrings were too wet. They snatched out bayonets and charged.
Jo
He got Sir Robert a bit closer to the console. He was trying to pick Sir Robert up and carry him.
For a moment Jo
The heavy impact of the body hit Jo
Jo
The pain of the wound was savage. Jo
He gritted his teeth and rallied his strength. They had said it was a slow poison. He still might have time to save Sir Robert and the console.
He grabbed the hilt of the knife and tried to yank it out of Snith's heart. It was stuck. He looked at Terl.
The Psychlo, still raving, was clawing at the access plate. Tearing his claw points he was actually cutting into the hard metal to make a circle and remove the core.
It was quieter outside. Dwight's voice came out of the mine radio at his belt, “Ten seconds to withdraw!”
Jo
Jo
He got a hand under Sir Robert's armpit and dragged him through the slush. He got to the console. He knew it had a bomb in it he would have to disarm fast.
But he tucked Sir Robert in close to the console so the dome coming down would not amputate his arms or legs.
He glanced at the console. The switch was in the up position. It would have to be in the down position when next this was fired. He wished he had time to tell somebody.
He fumbled for his remote control box. There was broken glass in his pouch. His arm felt like it was on fire. That broken glass was the serum ampule! He had no serum.
The remote shook. No, it was his hand shaking. He threw the switch and swung the crane. No. He had to turn off the armor curtain first. He was getting flashes of blackness. His heart was beating faster and faster.
The armor curtain! He crawled to the bus bar and got it off. Back at the console he looked up at the dome. He operated the remote, positioning the dome exactly above them so it would come down correctly. He threw the switch to lower it. It was coming down too slowly. The cables must be stiff.
He could not help that.
He got a hatchet out of his belt for the cables. He would have to be ready to hack them off the instant the humming stopped.
Jo
He looked toward Terl over on the platform. The monster seemed to have succeeded in opening the access plate. He was handling the bomb with great care, extracting the heavy metal core.
Suddenly Jo
Abruptly Jo
He was rushing forward with a Thompson submachine gun in his hands. He had gone through where the armor curtain had been at the far end of the platform. He was trying to get so close to Jo
The dome was not yet down.
Terl had the core in his paw now. He was going to throw it at Jo
It was quieter. There was only smoke and falling snow and the creak of the cables lowering the dome. Jo
"Terl! He's going to shoot!” he shouted. Terl spun around and saw Brown Limper. He saw him raising the Thompson to aim it. One shot at this moment would shatter the firing.
Terl threw. He threw with all his strength.
The core hit Brown Limper in the side. It ripped through and hit his spine. The Thompson clattered to the ground.