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The Bay doors clanged shut with mournful finality. The 'Mech's left hand descended, crushing a soldier cowering in the shadows under the raised repair deck. The man had forgotten that 'Mechs can see by heat, Grayson thought.
Somewhere, someone was screaming in an agony of burned flesh.
The situation was hopeless. He considered calling his unit leaders to get a clearer picture, but rejected the idea. The enemy would certainly be listening in on tacradio frequencies, and the information would help the bandits more than it would Grayson.
The Shadow Hawkstood sca
Grayson eyed the interlocking tooth pattern of the sealed door behind him. If he could get the door open, the survivors of the attack team might have a chance, could scatter into the darkness down the slope of the mountain. But the only way to open those doors was to throw a switch in the Bay Control booth. His eyes travelled past the now motionless 'Mech to the lighted booth, fifteen meters above the deck.
What he needed was a diversion.
Lying near him was a body with one arm outflung, an almost undamaged hand clenched around the strap of a canvas satchel. Grayson knew that it was one of Larressen's people, someone from the demo team sent to destroy the Shadow Hawk.
The satchel contained explosives — five packets of high-velocity plastique, each weighing two kilos — clipped to magnetic backing, and already primed with a timer-activated detonator. Properly placed over selected circuits and servoactuators, those packets could destroy a 'Mech. There was no way to place them now, but they might provide, the distraction he needed.
Grayson set his teeth, wiped sweat from his face, then lunged into the open. Though he kept his eyes off the metal mountain above him, he could hear the click of relays, could feel the slow turn of the head, the ponderous movement of the right arm as the laser was brought up to bear. He reached across the man's body for the satchel, and tugged it toward him. The corpse's hand remained stubbornly attached, and Grayson found himself in a deadly tug-of-war with the unrecognizable form of one of his own men. Worse, he could feel the laser almost in line.
Giving a last, despairing tug, he felt the strap pull free from the clenched, dead fingers, as he tumbled over backward with the satchel clutched to his chest. The 'Mech's laser fired, washing white heat and sharp odor across Grayson as he rolled across the ferrocrete to cover. The crate where he had been hiding burst into flames. In its light Grayson was up and ru
The 'Mech shifted, tracking him. He dodged right, then left, his hand reaching into the satchel and pulling out one of the two-kilo packets. Slinging the satchel, he used his free hand to set the timer for five seconds and flung it — not at the monster, but onto the ferrocrete between himself and the BattleMech's foot
Then he was ru
As another explosion sounded from below, the ladder pitched wildly. He turned, his gloved hands gripping the steps alongside his head. Below, a solitary figure waved, then hurled another packet that exploded at the Shadow Hawksfeet.
"Go on, Lieutenant!" The figure shouted, as the explosion's roar subsided. "We'll keep him busy!"
Grayson recognized Larressen's voice. Lurching to the top of the ladder, he shouldered aside the half-open door. Waiting there was a bearded man in green fatigues, a TK assault rifle in his hands.
Grayson's own machine pistol was gone, lost somewhere on the floor of the Bay.
There was another explosion below, and the Shadow Hawktwisted, scraping against the metal ladder with a high-pitched screech of metal. The bearded soldier's eyes left Grayson's for a half-instant, giving him the chance to swing the canvas bag into the man's face. He threw his body after it, grappling for the man's gun, thrusting him back. In the struggle, the two knocked over a chair and smashed into the monitor console. When Grayson brought his knee up sharply, the soldier grunted and loosened his grip. Grayson smashed the butt of the TK across the side of the man's skull.
Then he stabbed at the flat white button that would open the Bay doors. He stood there, holding the circuit open as the interlocking teeth of the doors pulled apart, spilling light into the outer darkness. Then he grabbed the soldier's TK and the canvas satchel and ran through the door of the booth.
The 'Mech was there, its head just two meters below Grayson's feet, the laser on its arm swinging up to demolish the control booth. There was nothing Grayson could do but jump. He landed on the Hawk'sshoulder with a clattering scramble, and clung to the stub of a field guide ante
He fumbled with the satchel. The ‘Mech turned again, crashing into the control booth ladder and through to the stone wall beyond. The concussion jarred Grayson severely, tearing at his hand. He managed to keep his grip, but the TK went spi
Grayson found hand holds — tack-welded grips along the Shadow Hawk'sback used for service access — and climbed down the monster's flank toward the ground. When the 'Mech crashed into the wall again, Grayson was shaken loose. He fell the last five meters and landed with a crash among the crumbled ruins of the control booth ladder.
Grayson's right leg felt like it had taken a blow from a sledge hammer, and his head was throbbing. He blinked open his eyes, saw the 'Mech staggering above him wreathed in smoke... falling... Then, rough hands dug under his armpits and hauled him from the wreckage of the ladder. The 'Mech's fall was a storm of crash upon crash, and black smoke poured from an ugly scar across its head.
For one wild moment, Grayson exulted. I killed it! Exultation faded fast as the 'Mech rolled, pulled its arms under its body, and hauled itself partly upright The pilot was obviously stu