Cobra Alliance-Cobra War Book 1 by Timothy Zahn Page B

Merrick sat up, glanced a target lock onto the nearer rear wheel, and fired his fingertip laser. There was a muffled pop as the tire blew.
    And suddenly the car was all over the road, its tires screeching as the driver fought to bring it back under control. Merrick swung himself around and rose up into a low crouch, watching the car swerving back and forth. As soon as it came to a halt, he would slip away, cut across the landscape, and catch up with his mother and the Sammons.
    He was still watching when the driver abruptly lost his battle with momentum. The car shot across the center line, angled across the shoulder, and slammed down into the drainage channel on the far side.
    "Damn!" Merrick bit out as he leaped up and sprinted toward the car. The idea had been to quietly and peaceably stop the vehicle, not wreck it and injure or kill everyone inside. He reached the car and bent down to look inside.
    The driver was draped over the steering wheel, his head and arms limp, his face turned away. Swearing again, Merrick hurried around to the driver's side and pulled at the door. It resisted, probably knocked out of shape by the crash. He tried again, this time putting his servos into the effort, and with a horrible grinding noise the door came open.
    The driver didn't move. Gingerly, Merrick reached in and touched his fingertips to the other's neck. To his relief, he found a slow but steady pulse. At least the man wasn't dead. Merrick focused on the other's face, notching up his light-amps.
    And a sudden chill ran down his back. This wasn't just some random member of some random gang.
    It was Carsh Zoshak.
    There was the sound of tires on pavement, and he looked up to see the Sammon truck back up to a jerky halt in front of the wrecked car. "What happened?" Jin called as she jumped out of the truck.
    "He lost control when I popped his tire," Merrick said grimly. "And it's not a thief. It's Carsh Zoshak."
    "What?" Daulo demanded as he got out of his side of the truck and hurried to join them. "But—"
    "I guess he wasn't senior enough to call in a SkyJo," Merrick said. "Mom, can you help me get him out of the car?"
    "You think that's wise?" Jin asked as she leaned into the car and checked Zoshak's pulse for herself.
    "Well, we can't exactly leave him here," Merrick said tersely. "I don't see any blood, but there could be a concussion or internal injuries."
    Daulo came up beside them, his expression tense. "God in heaven," he breathed, looking at the unconscious Shahni agent. "What did you do ?"
    "I just popped one of his rear tires, that's all," Merrick told him. "It should have brought him to a stop and kept him there. Instead, he lost control."
    Daulo snarled a word Merrick's Qasaman classes had somehow never covered. "What do we do?"
    "We get him to a hospital," Jin said. "Merrick, I'll take his head. You lean him out and get his torso and legs. Daulo, is there a medical kit in the truck?"
    "Yes, but only a simple one."
    "We'll take whatever you've got," Jin said as she and Merrick eased the unconscious man out of the car. "I'll ride in back and see what I can do for him."
    Merrick grimaced. "No, I'll do it," he said. "My training is more up-to-date than yours."
    "You sure?" Jin asked, peering closely at him. "I thought you hated the sight of blood."
    "So what?" Merrick growled. "Besides, I'm the one who wrecked him."
    His mother hesitated, then nodded. "All right. Daulo, can you get the back of the cargo area open?"
    The cargo area had a very low ceiling, and getting Zoshak inside without jostling him proved to be a delicate operation. But between them, Merrick and Jin managed it. Merrick climbed in beside the wounded man, accepted the first-aid kit Fadil handed him, and settled himself into a cross-legged position as Daulo closed the rear door.
    Zoshak's teeth were chattering quietly as Merrick pried open the kit and took a quick inventory. Bandages, cleaning cloths, painkillers, a few patches of unknown purpose, and a