in pulling up on the other side and hurrying back down the slope to the bunker.
The captain was slumped against the wall but his eyes snapped open as he scrambled back into the narrow space. “Come on, Hugo. Your ride awaits.”
It took more effort than he cared to admit to help the captain back out of the bunker and up the slope to the waiting car. He outweighed Webb and, though he obviously tried hard to hide it, was struggling to hold himself upright. They paused at the tree line but it still looked as if none of the enemy had returned. Satisfied their luck was holding for now, Webb bundled Hugo into the passenger seat and limped back round to the driver's seat. He coaxed the engine back to life but didn't accelerate too hard until the AI vehicles had disappeared from the rear view. Then he ignored the protests of his ankle and floored it.
“Commander,” Hugo’s warning lost some of its power with the pain that cracked his voice.
“ The town's this way,” Webb said, flinging the car around a corner. “All I need is a system on the solarnet to get a secure connection to the Zero to arrange a new rendezvous. Think you can hang on?”
Hugo just grunted. “Who was that man with Gabor, Commander?”
Webb swallowed. “Herman Fitzroy.”
“ Aide to Lunar Governor Cho-Jin?” Hugo asked, eyes widening.
“ Officially.”
“ And unofficially?”
Webb flung them around another corner, gritted his teeth. “He's Lunar Independence League. High up, too.”
“ What?” Hugo “He's what ?”
“ You heard me right.”
“ That's impossible.”
“ Is it?”
Hugo shook his head. “The revolutionaries were defeated...LIL was disbanded...”
“ Not all that disbanded, apparently.”
“ How do you know this?” Hugo snapped.
“ Well,” Webb said, flinging them around another corner. “Fitzroy told me.”
“ He told you?”
Webb nodded, shooting him a narrow glance. “Sought me out. To recruit me.” Hugo was silent. When Webb spared him a glance he was sat stiffly, glowering at him. “Don't worry, Captain. I'm not the revolutionary type. Not enough principles.”
“ Why didn't you tell me before?”
“ The fact that I've been getting recruiting calls from underground insurgent movements is not something I thought would endear me to you on the first day.”
Hugo clenched his good fist and stared out the windscreen again. “Does this mean that Governor Cho-Jin -?”
“ I ain't touching that one with a ten-foot pole, Captain.”
“ The Lunar Strip won't survive another revolutionist governor...did you report this?”
“ Hell no,” Webb said, glancing again in the rear-view.
“ Not even to the colonel?”
Webb could feel the frustration coming off Hugo in waves. “I got the hell away from Fitzroy before he told me too much. But the Service won't move against the moon without proof and if LIL found I'd ratted them out, I may as well have drifted myself.”
“So the Lunar Governor's aide is LIL. And recruiting. And he's skulking around AI?”
“ You ain't in Kansas no more, Captain.”
“ And there's nothing we can do?”
“ Hell there's nothing,” Webb said. “We can get the fuck out of here is what we can do.”
There was silence for a moment, with only the sound of the car engine, Hugo's ragged breathing and his own blood pounding in his head.
Darkness drew in quickly and he turned on the car's lights, taking the bends fast enough for his stomach to protest. Hugo lapsed into silence punctuated only with hitches of pain and his laboured breathing.
Soon the road straightened out, the trees gave way to buildings and the road was lit by street lights. He forced himself to slow down, aware of the street cameras. It was apparently the local rush hour and the queues made him swear. He peered out the windows looking for quieter side-streets that wouldn’t take them too far off course.
It felt like a long time before he spotted something suitable and pulled the car round with a
The captain was slumped against the wall but his eyes snapped open as he scrambled back into the narrow space. “Come on, Hugo. Your ride awaits.”
It took more effort than he cared to admit to help the captain back out of the bunker and up the slope to the waiting car. He outweighed Webb and, though he obviously tried hard to hide it, was struggling to hold himself upright. They paused at the tree line but it still looked as if none of the enemy had returned. Satisfied their luck was holding for now, Webb bundled Hugo into the passenger seat and limped back round to the driver's seat. He coaxed the engine back to life but didn't accelerate too hard until the AI vehicles had disappeared from the rear view. Then he ignored the protests of his ankle and floored it.
“Commander,” Hugo’s warning lost some of its power with the pain that cracked his voice.
“ The town's this way,” Webb said, flinging the car around a corner. “All I need is a system on the solarnet to get a secure connection to the Zero to arrange a new rendezvous. Think you can hang on?”
Hugo just grunted. “Who was that man with Gabor, Commander?”
Webb swallowed. “Herman Fitzroy.”
“ Aide to Lunar Governor Cho-Jin?” Hugo asked, eyes widening.
“ Officially.”
“ And unofficially?”
Webb flung them around another corner, gritted his teeth. “He's Lunar Independence League. High up, too.”
“ What?” Hugo “He's what ?”
“ You heard me right.”
“ That's impossible.”
“ Is it?”
Hugo shook his head. “The revolutionaries were defeated...LIL was disbanded...”
“ Not all that disbanded, apparently.”
“ How do you know this?” Hugo snapped.
“ Well,” Webb said, flinging them around another corner. “Fitzroy told me.”
“ He told you?”
Webb nodded, shooting him a narrow glance. “Sought me out. To recruit me.” Hugo was silent. When Webb spared him a glance he was sat stiffly, glowering at him. “Don't worry, Captain. I'm not the revolutionary type. Not enough principles.”
“ Why didn't you tell me before?”
“ The fact that I've been getting recruiting calls from underground insurgent movements is not something I thought would endear me to you on the first day.”
Hugo clenched his good fist and stared out the windscreen again. “Does this mean that Governor Cho-Jin -?”
“ I ain't touching that one with a ten-foot pole, Captain.”
“ The Lunar Strip won't survive another revolutionist governor...did you report this?”
“ Hell no,” Webb said, glancing again in the rear-view.
“ Not even to the colonel?”
Webb could feel the frustration coming off Hugo in waves. “I got the hell away from Fitzroy before he told me too much. But the Service won't move against the moon without proof and if LIL found I'd ratted them out, I may as well have drifted myself.”
“So the Lunar Governor's aide is LIL. And recruiting. And he's skulking around AI?”
“ You ain't in Kansas no more, Captain.”
“ And there's nothing we can do?”
“ Hell there's nothing,” Webb said. “We can get the fuck out of here is what we can do.”
There was silence for a moment, with only the sound of the car engine, Hugo's ragged breathing and his own blood pounding in his head.
Darkness drew in quickly and he turned on the car's lights, taking the bends fast enough for his stomach to protest. Hugo lapsed into silence punctuated only with hitches of pain and his laboured breathing.
Soon the road straightened out, the trees gave way to buildings and the road was lit by street lights. He forced himself to slow down, aware of the street cameras. It was apparently the local rush hour and the queues made him swear. He peered out the windows looking for quieter side-streets that wouldn’t take them too far off course.
It felt like a long time before he spotted something suitable and pulled the car round with a
Similar Books
