Antagonist - Childe Cycle 11 by Gordon R. Dickson, David W Wixon Page A

an arm to help Toni keep her seat on his left side. Across the vehicle, Dahno had been thrown back against the wall, entangled with soldiers who were thrown at the wall in the same moment.
    The gyros whined, righting the carrier enough that the fans could level it out, and the vehicle began to move forward down the length of the gulley. But almost immediately a series of bolts slammed into its front, opening the driver's compartment and shredding its interior, and its crew, back to the firewall that protected the passenger compartment. All power went off, and the vehicle settled to the dirt floor of the gulley even as it nosed into the bank on their right side.
    Dahno pushed a body away and lunged for the hatch's manual controls, but Bleys grabbed his shoulder, trying to hold him back.
    "I don't think it's a good idea to go out there," Bleys said.
    "We have to," his brother shouted. "We're sitting ducks in here!"
    "At least in here we have some armor," Bleys said. He was trying to keep his voice low so as to defuse the emotions they were all feeling now.
    "That won't last long," Dahno said, more quietly. "There's only one exit left here, and if it's not already covered it soon will be. Outside, we might be able to make it to some cover."
    Before Bleys could respond there was a sudden burst of firing from above them. "That's coming from where we fell over the side," Toni said.
    "Yes," Bleys said. "And it doesn't seem to be directed at us."
    "It's the other armored car," one of the young soldiers said. He was looking out now through one of the weapons apertures from which their vehicle, although now disabled, could normally be defended. With the power off, the video screens were no longer working, but there was light both from the emergency lighting system and a narrow opening where a seam in the distorted roof had pulled apart.
    As the soldier ceased speaking they could hear a rapid series of ticking noises, like an irregular drumroll on the side of their vehicle. The soldier ducked down, turning to look for instructions, or perhaps reassurance; the corporal in charge of their detail had struck his head in the fall, and was just starting to regain consciousness.
    "Cone rifle fire," Bleys said; and Dahno sat back down.
    "It can't possibly penetrate our armor," Bleys said reassuringly; and at that moment they heard a renewed series of bolts from the power cannon of the armored car. The cone rifles went silent.
    In a moment there came a loud rapping on the hatch of their vehicle. Bleys reached for the manual override.
    "It'd better be our guys," Dahno muttered.
    Bleys chose not to respond as the hatch unsealed, then popped forward in its track and slid to the side.
    "Are you all right, sir?" It was the young lieutenant who had been refusing to speak with them, now looking in at them from the brightly sunlit gulley floor.
    "Yes, Lieutenant, I think so," Bleys replied. "What's the situation, please?"
    "We've been attacked," the young man replied. Then he blushed.
    "Of course you knew that ... I'm sorry." He seemed, Bleys thought, to have loosened up with the action.
    "Don't be," Toni said. "We're very glad you got to us before those people managed to open us up."
    "Is anyone hurt in your carrier?" the young officer asked.
    "I don't know about the people up front," Bleys said, "but your soldiers were tossed around, and the corporal's just coming to—"
    "I'm fine, sir," the corporal said from somewhere behind Bleys.
    "I'll take a report in a minute," the lieutenant said; and turned his gaze back to Bleys.
    "I think this vehicle isn't going to be moving for a long time," Bleys said. "We need to transfer to another vehicle and get away from here, unless you're confident you've driven off whoever attacked us."
    "That's not going to be easy," the young officer said. He seemed to have recovered his composure. "Our communications are jammed, and the only vehicle we have left is my armored car, which can't hold all of us."
    "Where are the