dragging himself on his stomach.
Rand jumped down impossibly lightly, with no seeming effort, all governors off. Without missing a beat, she picked up a sword and drove it through the calf of his good leg and deep into the ground below, pinning him. The man didn't scream.
Through clenched teeth, she demanded, “Who are you?”
The voice emitted from the riot helmet was sinister. It was designed to cause fear, and compliance, in mobs. “I am Death.”
AI~Poole chimed in, “Rand, that device still has an open channel. I may be able to access their network, but you will have to hurry before they suspect what we are doing.”
Her head snapped around and there was the device. Deactivating the helmet PA mic, she said, “Poole, come.”
“Prepping a Faraday and a Virtual Emulator. ETA twenty-two seconds.”
Rand knelt and picked up the book. It was an old-school plate interface. She held it up and looked into the display. There was a man there, a look of horror on his face. A small window in the corner of the screen showed what that man saw—a hooded figure with no face. There was an absence of light where the face should be.
She activated the helmet mic. She began to laugh, specifically so he could hear the laughter and would be afraid as he closed the book.
Poole came pounding up behind Rand and lowered itself to her level. She opened an access panel in its nose, to accept the plate she removed from the book. When she turned back to Tannhauser, he was standing over Vi's unconscious body, holding a sword.
Rand walked up and stopped two meters in front of him, lowered her hood and took off her helmet. It was then she noticed the bolt sticking out of her tactical vest. She pulled it out and dropped it.
Without a word, she brushed aside the sword and went to Vi. The gash in her nose was the worst of it. Her left eye had no white at all left. It was red and awful-looking. Tannhauser didn't interfere.
From the kit in her thigh pocket, she brought out a small spray can and misted the wound on Vi’s nose. Painkillers, a strong antibiotic and medical adhesives closed the wound; nanites would repair it, like new, in less than a day. Rand repeated the procedure on Vi’s cheek and some cuts inside her mouth.
“Will she live? Please, tell me she will live.”
Rand looked up at him now, because of the pleading tone of his voice. Suddenly, she realized how much he cared for her. He didn't care about anything else, but her. It was as if Poole was invisible, instead of looming over them like the monster it was.
She put her hand on his shoulder. “She will be fine, Tan.” She knew now the shortened version of his name was the personal form. “Please get some water and clean her up. When she wakes, I want you here. I don't want her to be afraid.”
Then, she glanced at the man she had pinned to the ground. Her face hardened. He remained silent even though he tried to work the sword out of the ground. His fingers now had deep cuts in them. There was a knife in his other hand.
As Rand stood, she activated her riot gloves. Sparking arcs of electricity danced on her fingers. She knew she looked menacing as she strolled to him.
He threw the knife.
She batted it aside, easily. She was silently glad he threw it. She was afraid he would have killed himself, before she had her answers.
She placed her hand at the base of his spine and gave him three seconds of unbelievable pain. She did it there because she knew his bowels and bladder would release. It humiliated a man like this.
“Let me tell you what I plan to do. I'm going to cut off your arms and legs and sew you up. And then, I’m going to do this until you pass out.” She gave him a five-second shock to his spine, a little higher up this time. She knew he would remain conscious but paralyzed.
“A strong man like you could last for days, before breaking. Or, you can answer my questions now, and I will give you an honorable death.”
There was a long pause with no
Rand jumped down impossibly lightly, with no seeming effort, all governors off. Without missing a beat, she picked up a sword and drove it through the calf of his good leg and deep into the ground below, pinning him. The man didn't scream.
Through clenched teeth, she demanded, “Who are you?”
The voice emitted from the riot helmet was sinister. It was designed to cause fear, and compliance, in mobs. “I am Death.”
AI~Poole chimed in, “Rand, that device still has an open channel. I may be able to access their network, but you will have to hurry before they suspect what we are doing.”
Her head snapped around and there was the device. Deactivating the helmet PA mic, she said, “Poole, come.”
“Prepping a Faraday and a Virtual Emulator. ETA twenty-two seconds.”
Rand knelt and picked up the book. It was an old-school plate interface. She held it up and looked into the display. There was a man there, a look of horror on his face. A small window in the corner of the screen showed what that man saw—a hooded figure with no face. There was an absence of light where the face should be.
She activated the helmet mic. She began to laugh, specifically so he could hear the laughter and would be afraid as he closed the book.
Poole came pounding up behind Rand and lowered itself to her level. She opened an access panel in its nose, to accept the plate she removed from the book. When she turned back to Tannhauser, he was standing over Vi's unconscious body, holding a sword.
Rand walked up and stopped two meters in front of him, lowered her hood and took off her helmet. It was then she noticed the bolt sticking out of her tactical vest. She pulled it out and dropped it.
Without a word, she brushed aside the sword and went to Vi. The gash in her nose was the worst of it. Her left eye had no white at all left. It was red and awful-looking. Tannhauser didn't interfere.
From the kit in her thigh pocket, she brought out a small spray can and misted the wound on Vi’s nose. Painkillers, a strong antibiotic and medical adhesives closed the wound; nanites would repair it, like new, in less than a day. Rand repeated the procedure on Vi’s cheek and some cuts inside her mouth.
“Will she live? Please, tell me she will live.”
Rand looked up at him now, because of the pleading tone of his voice. Suddenly, she realized how much he cared for her. He didn't care about anything else, but her. It was as if Poole was invisible, instead of looming over them like the monster it was.
She put her hand on his shoulder. “She will be fine, Tan.” She knew now the shortened version of his name was the personal form. “Please get some water and clean her up. When she wakes, I want you here. I don't want her to be afraid.”
Then, she glanced at the man she had pinned to the ground. Her face hardened. He remained silent even though he tried to work the sword out of the ground. His fingers now had deep cuts in them. There was a knife in his other hand.
As Rand stood, she activated her riot gloves. Sparking arcs of electricity danced on her fingers. She knew she looked menacing as she strolled to him.
He threw the knife.
She batted it aside, easily. She was silently glad he threw it. She was afraid he would have killed himself, before she had her answers.
She placed her hand at the base of his spine and gave him three seconds of unbelievable pain. She did it there because she knew his bowels and bladder would release. It humiliated a man like this.
“Let me tell you what I plan to do. I'm going to cut off your arms and legs and sew you up. And then, I’m going to do this until you pass out.” She gave him a five-second shock to his spine, a little higher up this time. She knew he would remain conscious but paralyzed.
“A strong man like you could last for days, before breaking. Or, you can answer my questions now, and I will give you an honorable death.”
There was a long pause with no
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