22.

The elevator sped toward the surface, bearing its cargo of five survivors. As the horrible pressure of the great deep lessened, Omi repackaged the cartridges littered around him, until his carbine clips brimmed with shells. Turbo wiped spittle from his chin and tried to make conversation with Ah Chen. She huddled beside Marten, who rested his head against the vibrating wall. Stick reclaimed his knife and wanted to hear again how Major Orlov had lost her head.

A tired smile touched Marten’s lips.

“That’s right,” Stick said. “A knife’s better than anything else. You feel them die. You don’t stand back and let technology do your dirty work. Not like gunmen do it.”

“Meaning what?” asked Omi from his side of the elevator.

“Meaning shooting out kneecaps,” said Stick.

“And your knife isn’t technological?” the muscled Korean asked.

“You know what I mean,” said Stick. “You gotta drive the blade into them. It’s your own strength that does it, not just pulling a trigger.”

“In case you’re interested,” said Omi, “I’ve never shot out anyone’s kneecap.”

“That’s right,” Turbo sneered. “He once had his buddies hold a guy down while he slipped on a leather glove. Then he beat the poor sap to death.”

“Well, at least that’s better than using bullets,” said Stick. “He’s doing it himself. That’s what counts.”

“I don’t see how that’s any better to the man getting beat,” said Turbo.

“Of course it is,” argued Stick. “It’s more personal. It’s between men.”

“Between a sadist and his victim, more like.”

“Maybe that too, but it’s personal.”

“So is rape,” said Ah Chen. “But I would rather be shot or run over by a car.”

Stick scowled until he brightened. “I’m only talking man to man. When you bring women in it’s an entirely different thing.”

Turbo threw up his hands and started pacing.

“You gotta admit it takes more balls to knife someone than shoot him,” Stick said.

“You’ve been in the slime pits too long,” Turbo muttered.

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it.” Stick turned to Omi. “Am I right?”

Omi shrugged.

“Come on,” Stick said. “You gotta admit beating a man with your fists is more manly than using a bat. I mean, you can break your hand doing it.”

“Then I’d rather use a bat,” Omi said dryly.

“Not me!” said Stick. He slapped his chest. “I’ll do it the old-fashioned way every time.”

“What are we going to do next?” Marten asked, trying to change the topic.

“Sneak out of Sydney,” Turbo said. “That’s my plan.”

“And how are you going to manage this feat?” Omi asked.

“Maybe she knows of some secret elevator to the surface,” Turbo said.

All four men glanced at Ah Chen. She shook her head and snuggled closer to Marten.

“You must know of a way out,” Turbo pleaded.

“Leave her alone,” Marten said. “She’s been through enough you don’t have to hound her.”

“Sorry,” muttered Turbo. He went back to pacing.

Omi glanced at the gauge. “Almost there,” he said.

Marten struggled to his feet and then he helped Ah Chen. She wore an oversized coat and still trembled from the abuse and the drugs they’d given her. Marten checked his carbine, then stood before the door, waiting.

Omi stepped near. “We can’t head to the lower levels with the mobs. Not if we plan to survive.”

“Maybe we can hide out the war in the slums,” said Marten.

Turbo snorted.

Marten glanced at him.

“You ain’t ever lived in the slums,” said Turbo.

“What are we going to do then?”

No one answered Marten.

“You’re a hero for saving the deep-core mine,” Ah Chen timidly said. “If we could reach Deep-Core Central, they would take care of you.”

Omi shook his head. “Forget about that. Marten broke a Directorate plan. There’s no hope for him with Social Unity.”

“I know one thing,” said Stick. “I’m sure not turning traitor.” The others gave him their attention. “You’re thinking about joining the Highborn,” he told Omi.

“Whichever gang is strongest,” said Omi.

“Don’t you have any loyalty?” asked Stick.

“Yes,” said Omi, “to my continued existence.”

The elevator slowed.

“Get ready,” said Marten, interrupting whatever Stick had planned to retort.

The others crowded around him, their weapons ready.

“We should have an emergency plan,” said Turbo. “Just stepping into danger every time and hoping for the best is…. It isn’t smart.”

The elevator pinged. The door swished open and a huge, nine-foot soldier in powered black armor turned to face them. Servos whined as the giant soldier aimed an auto-cannon that had an extremely pitted nozzle—his oversized weapon had obviously seen plenty of use. The combination plasteel/ceramic armor gave him a robotic, knightly look. Humming power packs supplied the energy and an exo-skeleton multiplied his strength so that if there had been enough room he could have leaped a hundred meters in a single bound. Shock absorbers and a Highborn physique allowed him to withstand the landing. A missile launcher was fixed to his slab of a back and the auto-cannon he aimed at their faces fired twenty-millimeter-sized shells.

“Drop your weapons!” boomed his helmet, the faceplate darkened so they couldn’t see his face.

Marten dropped his carbine, then so did the others. It was questionable whether their slugs would have even been able to penetrate the armor. Maybe they could have shot out his faceplate if they had hit several times in quick succession. But by then they’d have been obliterated. They raised their hands.

A second Highborn stepped into view. His servos were geared to their lowest setting. He too towered nine feet tall. This one didn’t aim an auto-cannon at them. Instead, with his powered gloves, he reached up, twisted the helmet to the left and lifted it off his head. He had china-plate-colored white skin, with harsh features angled in a most inhuman manner. His lips were razor thin and his hair was cut down almost to his scalp. It was more like a synthetic rug than anything else. He had fierce black eyes, and there was an intense, almost pathological energy to him, a hysteria to slay, rend and destroy that was only kept in check by an inhumanly vital will.

“You are not PHC,” he said in a deep voice.

“We killed them,” Marten said matter-of-factly.

The fierce eyes tightened, as if the Highborn could judge the truth of Marten’s statement by an act of will. Perhaps he could.

Marten said, “They were going to blow the deep-core mine and destroy everyone in Sydney.”

The Highborn raised his brows. His eyes were sunken deeper into his face than a normal man’s. It gave him a skull-like appearance. “It is a worthy way to die, taking down your enemies.”

Marten wondered if the man was crazy.

The nine-foot tall Highborn took a deep draught of air, and he lifted his auto-cannon. “By decree of the Imperial High Command—since you showed resistance to your unlawful government—I am forced to offer you the chance to volunteer for the Free Earth Corps.”

“And if we don’t volunteer?” asked Turbo.

A wicked grin exposed perfect teeth, and a loud clack from within the auto-cannon told of its readiness. The first Highborn, the one who hadn’t removed his helmet, lifted a humming sword three times the length of Stick’s vibroblade.

“Hey!” Turbo told Stick. “That should you make you happy: a personal sort of death.”

For a moment, no one said anything. Then Marten took a step toward the pitted nozzle of the auto-cannon. “I wish to volunteer,” he said.