The wire, however, was a few meters above and about ten meters to the side. The Bozog headed toward it. The tendril from its sac reached out, gently took in the slack from the direction of the bridge. When it was satisfied that there was no more, it pulled—once, twice, three times. Again, once, twice, three times.
And then it scurried up the wall toward the bridge.
If Renard had gotten the message, the Bozog had just a count of thirty.
Renard had sat waiting, seemingly forever, the tension so thick he almost passed out from it. When the wire had finally stopped unreeling after an eternity, he’d relaxed, calmed himself, prepared. Several jerky motions almost caused him to begin, but the thirty count was more than just a safety margin for the Bozog. When the second signal didn’t come, he cursed silently to himself and settled back again. With nothing to do but wait, he imagined the horrors and depravities being perpetrated as he sat waiting in the corridor, but there was nothing he could do. Additionally, he often thought he heard noises, and the pistol rose, but nothing ever approached him.
Suddenly he was conscious of a change, something happening. It took a moment, then he realized that the uncoiled wire was being pulled taut. He held his breath and took gentle hold of the strand at his end. There were still quite a few meters on the coil.
There it came. One… two… three… One… two… three.
He counted slowly to thirty, silently praying that he would not be the link in the chain to fail.
All my life I’ve been waiting for this moment, he thought while counting. This is what I was born to do, this one thing. In a few seconds, I will justify my existence…
Twelve… Eleven… Ten…
“You are certain no Yugash was inside her?”
“Absolutely, Ben,” the computer assured him. “Nor is there a Yugash in this room or on the bridge or platforms.”
Yulin cursed himself for his lack of foresight. He should have questioned her under the hypno before transforming her. What the hell had she been trying to do? “Analysis of Mavra Chang’s actions in coming here?”
“To place into operation a plan to stop you,” Obie responded coyly.
“What plan?” he thundered. “What are they trying to do?”
“They are trying to destroy me,” replied the computer.
Yulin was on his feet in sudden alarm. “The others! A decoy! Damn it! I should have guessed!”
“Bad mistake, Ben. You forgot to question Mavra Chang. Usually you only get one mistake in your line of work.”
“Stop being so damned cheerful!” the minotaur stormed. “How do I stop them?”
“Well, your only chance is to—Intruder! Intruder on bridge platform!” Obie suddenly warned.
“Numbers one and three, with pistols, up here on the double!” he screamed; they scrambled to comply.
“Defense mode off, Obie. Door open!” He turned to the girls. “Shoot to kill anything you seel”
They went out the door.
As they did so, Renard dashed out with all his speed to the foot of the bridge and touched the electrified railing, feeling the voltage go into him. He was already heavily charged.
Here goes! He gave the wire all he had.
Far below, a tremendous explosion blew smoke and debris in both directions along the shaft with a deafening, echoing roar. Unprepared for a reaction of such magnitude, Renard fell backward when the concussion struck him.
A tremor shook the control room hard enough to topple equipment. The lights flickered on, off, on… then off. The door popped open, as it was designed to do in any power failure, and the dim auxiliary lighting cast a feeble glow here and there throughout the Underside.
Yulin’s night vision allowed him to see the control panel, now dark. He flipped the transmitter switch so hard that it broke.
“Obie! Obie!” he screamed. “Answer me! Damn it, answer me!”
But there was no reply. From the distance he heard what seemed to be secondary explosions. Frantically, he looked around, his dreams collapsing about him in the dark.
The two girls on the bridge suddenly stopped running and looked around, puzzled, blank expressions on their faces.
The moment power was lost it was as if a veil had lifted from the women below. They’d barely had time to scream in terror when suddenly they were changed, became disoriented. But not for long.
“Vistaru!” Wooley screamed. “Get a pistol! We’ve got the bastard now!”
“Behind you!” came another woman’s voice, and two figures headed for the stairs, joined by two others.
Vistaru looked back nervously. “Who the hell are you?” she challenged.
“Nikki Zinder!” the other yelled. “Stand clear! Ben Yulin’s mine!” she snarled so viciously that the other two let her pass.
Yulin heard them coming, and instantly realized what had happened.
Physical changes were accomplished by biological redesign; they were permanent unless changed by Obie, the Well, or a similar agency. But mental—attitudinal—controls and changes were impositions by the computer, held in place by the computer’s, continued operation.
Yulin no longer had slaves, he had old enemies.
He threw his chair down the stairs with great force, and the women jumped out of the way to avoid it. Yulin took advantage of their momentary confusion to run out the door.
The two women on the bridge had not previously had strong personalities, having been but animalistic savages, yet they retained the language and skills Obie had programmed into them in the same way that Mavra had retained the plans for New Pompeii. But for a few fleeting memories, the two felt as if they had just been born. They were totally confused.
Realizing their probable state, Yulin raced in their direction. One seemed to be puzzled by her energy pistol and he lunged toward her. Almost upon them, Yulin encountered the Agitar form of Renard running toward him. The minotaur was going to be beaten to the girl and the gun.
He stopped, frantic now, and looked back. Four of his former love-slaves were heading toward him, all armed, all grimly determined. From the opposite direction, Renard rushed past the women, pistol drawn.
Yulin opted for Renard. With a snarl he turned and ran into him; both went sprawling.
Yulin rolled, jumped to his feet, and grabbed Renard’s pistol. Smiling now, he passed the two women, grabbing another pistol, and backed along the side of the bridge.
The lights in the main shaft were flickering, and there were more rumblings and bangings from below.
“Standoff!” Yulin yelled at them over the din. “Let’s everybody stay calm!”
“Give it up, Yulin!” Nikki Zinder screamed, almost drowned out by the din from the shaft. The scene was eerily unreal in the dun and flickering light.
The minotaur laughed. “Just stay away” He continued to back along the shaft, and they continued to match him, coming warily forward.
Renard ran into the control room.
“We’ve got to get him,” Wooley called from in back. “If he gets to the ship we’re trapped—and he can build another Obie.”
But they were bunched a little too close. A single shot from him could take them, but not, perhaps, before one of them also fried him.
As Yulin said, it was a draw, and he was backing along the side of the bridge.
He risked a quick glance back. Almost across now. Once in the corridor, he could outrun them to the car. Just a little farther…
Suddenly an orange tentacle lashed over the side of the bridge behind him, wrapped itself around his neck, and pulled him with a jerk up and over, then let go. Yulin felt himself lifted, turned over, then dropped down into the shaft.