top-wiz—"
"You've developed a twitch already, uncontrolled muscle spasm."
The fear began to slip back in. "I… what…"
Chase leaned forward slightly. "Your left arm. It twitches sometimes whe—"
A sudden, hard pounding on the thin construction plastic of the door cut him short. " Church !" came Becka Trinity's unusually loud voice from just beyond it. "It's show time!"
Chase looked back at Cara as she stood up, grabbing the simdeck case as she did. She was turned away from him. He stood, too, and walked toward the door.
Trinity was standing at the bottom of the stairs, grinning broadly beneath her cap. "Come on. You don't want to miss the works!"
"The works?"
"Fireworks, chummer. Somebody's running for the border, and the Azzies are out to scrag 'em before they do."
9
Cara slipped under Chase's arm before he realized it and bounced down next to Trinity. "Where?" Cara asked her.
The older woman eyed the girl a moment and then Chase. It suddenly occurred to him that Cara looked slightly disheveled and very sweaty. And he was sure that he looked only marginally better.
"They're still a bit off, but Katie's picked up some traffic on the Azzie security channels. She thinks it's a T-bird running north for the border."
"The Rapier?" asked Chase.
Trinity shrugged. "No tellin'. Have to wait and see."
Cara shielded her eyes from the sun. "How long till something happens?"
The old woman shrugged again. "An hour, a few minutes. T-birds are fast, honey."
Chase stepped down and closed the door behind him. "So, where are the best seats?"
Trinity smiled again. "Why, right out there," she said, pointing to a small bluff a few kilometers distant. "Grimm's Flat. Some of the camp are already out there."
They rode out in Mickey Dare's pickup truck, a dozen or so of them crammed into the bed. Chase sat next to Cara, pressed up against her side. She spoke to everyone but him.
As Trinity had said, some people were already up there when the truck reached the top of the bluff. The group was stretched out and comfortable in plastic furniture of a type normally found near a lot more water. A small van also sat on top of Grimm's Flat, but it was parked in a slight depression, manmade to Chase's eye, and covered in the same desert camouflage netting as the buildings in Dart Slot. The netting had been lifted up to clear a piece of equipment about the size of a lawnmower and the large, flat black panel that sat atop it, perpendicular and facing the south. Chase was surprised: he'd expected to see a lot of military surplus around Dart Slot, but a fairly new, portable phased-array radar was surprising.
A short, balding man in a bright red shirt slipped out from under the netting. As he straightened up, he adjusted a headset microphone he was wearing. As he blew once into it, the sound came amplified from a speaker hidden beneath the netting. He seemed satisfied.
"Good afternoon, folks. I'm gonna do the play-byplay this time 'cause Wanda's off in DFW. I'll try and do my best."
Some of the Dart Slot regulars nodded, while an even smaller number clapped in approval once or twice. Chase wasn't sure if it was for the speaker or Wanda's trip to Dallas-Fort Worth.
"What we have," he continued, "seems fairly standard. Katie picked up some Azzie air units entering the border buffer zone about twenty minutes ago. She tags them as Aguilar attack helicopters, and they've been loitering since they reached the area. She thinks there are some ground units playing hound for them, but hasn't seen or heard a sign of them."
Chase watched the crowd as the man spoke. They seemed to be listening, at least halfway, though most were watching south toward the border. Chase wasn't sure where it was, but was certain they knew down to the meter. Trinity handed him a beer she'd gotten from somewhere. He thanked her and looked around for Cara, who was standing a few steps away also looking south. She was still wearing only the shorts and tank top.
"You should
"You've developed a twitch already, uncontrolled muscle spasm."
The fear began to slip back in. "I… what…"
Chase leaned forward slightly. "Your left arm. It twitches sometimes whe—"
A sudden, hard pounding on the thin construction plastic of the door cut him short. " Church !" came Becka Trinity's unusually loud voice from just beyond it. "It's show time!"
Chase looked back at Cara as she stood up, grabbing the simdeck case as she did. She was turned away from him. He stood, too, and walked toward the door.
Trinity was standing at the bottom of the stairs, grinning broadly beneath her cap. "Come on. You don't want to miss the works!"
"The works?"
"Fireworks, chummer. Somebody's running for the border, and the Azzies are out to scrag 'em before they do."
9
Cara slipped under Chase's arm before he realized it and bounced down next to Trinity. "Where?" Cara asked her.
The older woman eyed the girl a moment and then Chase. It suddenly occurred to him that Cara looked slightly disheveled and very sweaty. And he was sure that he looked only marginally better.
"They're still a bit off, but Katie's picked up some traffic on the Azzie security channels. She thinks it's a T-bird running north for the border."
"The Rapier?" asked Chase.
Trinity shrugged. "No tellin'. Have to wait and see."
Cara shielded her eyes from the sun. "How long till something happens?"
The old woman shrugged again. "An hour, a few minutes. T-birds are fast, honey."
Chase stepped down and closed the door behind him. "So, where are the best seats?"
Trinity smiled again. "Why, right out there," she said, pointing to a small bluff a few kilometers distant. "Grimm's Flat. Some of the camp are already out there."
They rode out in Mickey Dare's pickup truck, a dozen or so of them crammed into the bed. Chase sat next to Cara, pressed up against her side. She spoke to everyone but him.
As Trinity had said, some people were already up there when the truck reached the top of the bluff. The group was stretched out and comfortable in plastic furniture of a type normally found near a lot more water. A small van also sat on top of Grimm's Flat, but it was parked in a slight depression, manmade to Chase's eye, and covered in the same desert camouflage netting as the buildings in Dart Slot. The netting had been lifted up to clear a piece of equipment about the size of a lawnmower and the large, flat black panel that sat atop it, perpendicular and facing the south. Chase was surprised: he'd expected to see a lot of military surplus around Dart Slot, but a fairly new, portable phased-array radar was surprising.
A short, balding man in a bright red shirt slipped out from under the netting. As he straightened up, he adjusted a headset microphone he was wearing. As he blew once into it, the sound came amplified from a speaker hidden beneath the netting. He seemed satisfied.
"Good afternoon, folks. I'm gonna do the play-byplay this time 'cause Wanda's off in DFW. I'll try and do my best."
Some of the Dart Slot regulars nodded, while an even smaller number clapped in approval once or twice. Chase wasn't sure if it was for the speaker or Wanda's trip to Dallas-Fort Worth.
"What we have," he continued, "seems fairly standard. Katie picked up some Azzie air units entering the border buffer zone about twenty minutes ago. She tags them as Aguilar attack helicopters, and they've been loitering since they reached the area. She thinks there are some ground units playing hound for them, but hasn't seen or heard a sign of them."
Chase watched the crowd as the man spoke. They seemed to be listening, at least halfway, though most were watching south toward the border. Chase wasn't sure where it was, but was certain they knew down to the meter. Trinity handed him a beer she'd gotten from somewhere. He thanked her and looked around for Cara, who was standing a few steps away also looking south. She was still wearing only the shorts and tank top.
"You should
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