“Into your cars, guys. Follow them!” roared Entoryua.
Although the fog cleared somewhat, the policemen still had to grope and fumble for their cars.
Then, the earth shook. Gusts blew through the fog.
“What now? Everybody, shake a leg. I’ve got a feeling it’s about to get a lot more complicated around here.”
Before the policemen could depart, a chorus of rhythmic footsteps rang in their ears.
“Stop. All of you!” boomed a powerful voice. “We will shoot anyone who moves.”
“We’re police!” answered Entoryua. “In the middle of a pursuit!”
“Police or not, we will shoot you.”
A horde of men clad in the greenish-brown uniforms of the United Mankind surged into the fog, looking through the police cars.
“We were told you’re working with one of ours?”
Kite saluted. “Military Police Captain Kite. May I ask who you are?”
“Lieutenant Sleet. Did the Abh come this way?”
“She got away,” Kite admitted.
“Got away? From this many police?”
“They were useless — lapdogs to the slave democrats.”
Realizing his automatic translator was still on, Kite switched it off. Although the Clasbul police couldn’t understand the rest of the conversation, Entoryua had a bad feeling about it.
“Inspector,” Kite said with a fake smile, “I’m afraid we’re going to have to pursue the Abh.”
Entoryua grunted and started to get into his car.
“No, Inspector. You won’t be coming. We’re commandeering your vehicles.”
“What?”
“We’re taking the cars, and we’ll also need to borrow your drivers.”
“Under whose authority?”
“Mine,” replied Sleet, shoving the barrel of his gun into Entoryua’s cheek. “Please excuse us; we’re really in a hurry.”
“Yes. Maybe we should bring the inspector with us, to be our guide. One more thing.” Kite smirked, clearly enjoying this role reversal. “I’d like my weapon back.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“How did you know we’d come out through the park?” wondered Jinto.
“It was a fifty-fifty chance,” mused Minh. “If you’d come through the main branch, that would have been much more difficult, because there’s a lot of exits there. When people started evacuating from the amusement park, we knew what was up.”
“You guys couldn’t have come for us before I got shot?” teased Jinto.
“You weren’t the only ones in danger,” snapped Undertaker.
“I have a question for the Abh girl,” Marca declared, out of the blue.
Lafiel turned around from watching the Wadroth Sathoth.
“What is it?” she asked.
“As we went into the cave, I couldn’t help but notice your ears. At the time, we weren’t really in a place where I could ask this, or anything — “
“What’s the question?” demanded Lafiel.
“Are people outside the Fasanzoerl allowed to have Nui Abliarsar?”
“No,” answered Lafiel plainly.
“Might I ask you name then, Feia?”
“Abliar Nei-Dubresk Borl Paryun Lafiel.”
Taking a moment to digest this stunning nugget of information, the Anti-Empire Clasbul Front sat in aberrant silence.
“Now that the cat’s out of the bag,” said Jinto, “I may as well tell you who I am, too.”
“Nah,” Bill said dismissively. “We don’t really care.”
“I knew there was something fishy about you,” said Minh. “I looked into it; Loebe Sufagnaum has two Jarlum, but the oldest one is only eight.”
“What I don’t understand,” Undertaker began, “is what a Frybar Lartnei is doing here in the first place!”
“Hear that, Jinto?” Lafiel ribbed. “Even Sos know the difference between Ruene and Lartnei.”
“Give me a break already!” said Jinto.
“That doesn’t answer my question,” said Undertaker.
“We were on a Resii,” Jinto offered the explanation. “And it got attacked. Since I wasn’t a Lodairl — “
“Sash?” guessed Bill.
“No. I was just catching a ride.”
“Catching a ride?” Marca repeated. “How does one ‘catch a ride’ on a Resii? I didn’t know that was possible.”
“It’s possible if you have a Sune,” boasted Jinto casually. “So when the attack came, I had to evacuate the battlefield. But I’m not capable of flying a Pelia, so they assigned Lafiel to do it, because she was the only Bene Lodair on board.”
“Wait a minute, are you telling me you’re Sif, too?” clarified Marca.
Jinto nodded.
“Wow. You’d never guess it, to look at you.”
“So I hear.”
“Okay, okay, let’s see if I’ve got this straight. We’ve got one Fasanzoerl and one Sif for hostages. And you said your name was Nei-Dubresk, right? Any relation to the Spunej?”
“She’s my grandmother. And Jinto is Jarluk Dreur,” explained Lafiel. “But we have no intention of becoming your hostages.”
“Ha ha. Maybe we can ask for independence after all.”
“Because you people have done us more than one favor,” Lafiel said, “I will be honest with you. The Frybar does not, under any circumstances, negotiate for hostages. If you threaten the Empire, you’ll be lucky if they kill you.”
“I’d believe that,” lamented Undertaker.
The window lit up. In the distance, the peak of a mountain glowed like a beacon. Lightning rained from the sky to the mountain peak.
“It’s an Abh attack,” murmured Minh, as if the others didn’t know that.
“Probably Dembuus,” Lafiel guessed.
“Those are like bugs, right?” Suddenly, Minh seemed very interested.
“Yes. They’re microscopic machines with the ability to replicate themselves. They’re a real nuisance to exterminate.”
“Cool. Do the Abh attack cities?”
“Not unless we’re commencing a full-scale land attack. Before that, we would destroy all the transportation and communications systems. We don’t usually go straight for a metropolis.”
“Why, where are we going?” asked Jinto, suddenly worried that the Labule might inadvertently destroy them.
“Undertaker’s house.”
“I still say it’s a bad idea,” griped Undertaker.
“Then how about your office?”
“I’m not the only person with a house or office, you know.”
“Do you have a better idea?”
“What about Minh’s villa?”
“Are you kidding?”
“They probably wouldn’t think to look there, since we just came from there.”
Marca laughed. “Okay, it’s settled. We’ll go to Undertaker’s.”
“First thing’s first,” said Bill, glancing in the rearview mirror, “we’ve got to lose these coppers on our tail.”