made no difference. Bill leaned his red laser tube against the metal wall. Gripping his white tube taser with his right hand, he slung the canteen strap over its front tip. Then he moved the end of the white taser tube out into the hallway.
“Zirzap!”
Green light vaporized the canteen. The tip of the white taser also vaporized. But again, the green light beam gave him an exact angle to backtrack on.
He dropped the dead white tube, went belly down on the metal floor, grabbed his red laser tube and aimed it forward. Keeping his body parallel to the inside wall, he lifted the red tube up, held it before his helmet and sighted along it.
“Stay where you are!” he called back to Jane.
Before she could answer he pushed against the inside wall with his feet and stuck his head and the laser out into the hallway.
Three things happened nearly instantly.
He saw the gray metal body of a mobile robot with its laser tube pointing their way. The tip of the black tube glowed redly thanks to the last shot.
Bill adjusted his laser tube’s angle and fired upward at the black tube.
“Zap!” sounded as the echo of his laser blast vaporizing the black tube came back to him from the robot.
He rolled to his right, aiming for the protection of the curving wall.
“Zirzap!”
A green laser beam hit the spot where his head had been.
“Fuck!” Jane gasped. “You got one laser but the second robot has us targeted!”
Bill knew that. He’d seen the second robot’s position just beyond the first robot. Both robots sat within a few feet of each other, blocking access to the oval door that led inward to the Command Bridge Chamber. He looked back over his shoulder to Jane. Whose black hair was sweat-pasted to her forehead despite the air cooling of her suit helmet. She met his gaze, her expression concerned.
“Bill?”
“Not to worry. Got a different plan for the second laser.” He looked up at the ceiling, then gave it the finger. “Diligent, I’m coming for you! Star Traveler, kill all gravity in this hallway!”
In seconds they felt weightless. Pressing a hand to the floor, Bill pushed lightly and let Newton’s Third Law move him up toward the ceiling of the hallway.
“Bill!” cried Jane from below. “Be careful! It will see you!”
“Sure it can,” he muttered, pointing his red laser tube ahead of him very, very slowly, so his body would not go into a counterspin. “But the cockroach can’t tell a robot how to aim its laser when that robot is floating in mid-air!”
With a soft kick of his right foot against the inner hallway wall, he propelled himself out into the middle of the hallway. In less than a second he would be in view of the two robots, one of which was still deadly.
Just as his rise up brought him into contact with the hallway ceiling twenty feet above the floor, Bill’s left eye saw past the hallway wall’s curve and caught sight of the two robots.
The closer one with the dead laser was tilted on its side and floating two feet above the floor.
The robot beyond it floated just above it. Its black laser tube was clear of any obstruction. The black tube shifted up toward him.
“Zap!”
The green beam of Bill’s laser met the laser tube just after it fired at him.
“Zirzap!”
Green laser light passed over his head and hit the hallway ceiling above him. The back of his neck felt pain. Which told him some of the laser beam had bounced off the ceiling and down through the clear suit fabric, hitting his bare skin.
“Shit!”
He winced, then kicked at the ceiling with his right boot.
“Star Traveler!” Jane yelled. “Restore gravity in this hallway to one-half of ship normal.”
Just as his fall downward sped up he felt the grip of Jane’s hands on his shoulders. They held him upright as his boots swung down and hit the metal floor. He automatically went to the crouch he’d learned in chute training.
“Your neck Bill! It’s really red!”
Feeling a bit of shock from the pain, he
“Zirzap!”
Green light vaporized the canteen. The tip of the white taser also vaporized. But again, the green light beam gave him an exact angle to backtrack on.
He dropped the dead white tube, went belly down on the metal floor, grabbed his red laser tube and aimed it forward. Keeping his body parallel to the inside wall, he lifted the red tube up, held it before his helmet and sighted along it.
“Stay where you are!” he called back to Jane.
Before she could answer he pushed against the inside wall with his feet and stuck his head and the laser out into the hallway.
Three things happened nearly instantly.
He saw the gray metal body of a mobile robot with its laser tube pointing their way. The tip of the black tube glowed redly thanks to the last shot.
Bill adjusted his laser tube’s angle and fired upward at the black tube.
“Zap!” sounded as the echo of his laser blast vaporizing the black tube came back to him from the robot.
He rolled to his right, aiming for the protection of the curving wall.
“Zirzap!”
A green laser beam hit the spot where his head had been.
“Fuck!” Jane gasped. “You got one laser but the second robot has us targeted!”
Bill knew that. He’d seen the second robot’s position just beyond the first robot. Both robots sat within a few feet of each other, blocking access to the oval door that led inward to the Command Bridge Chamber. He looked back over his shoulder to Jane. Whose black hair was sweat-pasted to her forehead despite the air cooling of her suit helmet. She met his gaze, her expression concerned.
“Bill?”
“Not to worry. Got a different plan for the second laser.” He looked up at the ceiling, then gave it the finger. “Diligent, I’m coming for you! Star Traveler, kill all gravity in this hallway!”
In seconds they felt weightless. Pressing a hand to the floor, Bill pushed lightly and let Newton’s Third Law move him up toward the ceiling of the hallway.
“Bill!” cried Jane from below. “Be careful! It will see you!”
“Sure it can,” he muttered, pointing his red laser tube ahead of him very, very slowly, so his body would not go into a counterspin. “But the cockroach can’t tell a robot how to aim its laser when that robot is floating in mid-air!”
With a soft kick of his right foot against the inner hallway wall, he propelled himself out into the middle of the hallway. In less than a second he would be in view of the two robots, one of which was still deadly.
Just as his rise up brought him into contact with the hallway ceiling twenty feet above the floor, Bill’s left eye saw past the hallway wall’s curve and caught sight of the two robots.
The closer one with the dead laser was tilted on its side and floating two feet above the floor.
The robot beyond it floated just above it. Its black laser tube was clear of any obstruction. The black tube shifted up toward him.
“Zap!”
The green beam of Bill’s laser met the laser tube just after it fired at him.
“Zirzap!”
Green laser light passed over his head and hit the hallway ceiling above him. The back of his neck felt pain. Which told him some of the laser beam had bounced off the ceiling and down through the clear suit fabric, hitting his bare skin.
“Shit!”
He winced, then kicked at the ceiling with his right boot.
“Star Traveler!” Jane yelled. “Restore gravity in this hallway to one-half of ship normal.”
Just as his fall downward sped up he felt the grip of Jane’s hands on his shoulders. They held him upright as his boots swung down and hit the metal floor. He automatically went to the crouch he’d learned in chute training.
“Your neck Bill! It’s really red!”
Feeling a bit of shock from the pain, he
Similar Books
