she stamped her foot floorways; the board below him
lifted as if motor driven, striking him with terrific force between
the legs. He dropped like an ox in the butchery, his eyes vanishing
beneath their lids, the cassette box and his Shrogin tumbling as he
collapsed. I leapt for the gun; Jake leapt over me, onto Skuratov,
wrapping paws round his head as if to test for ripeness, readying to
do the twist. Gathering full, if aging, strength I shoved Jake off,
interposing myself between them, unthinking of consequence in
thwarting Jake's rage. Clutching me underarm he dug iron fingers
into my muscles, set to rip them free of the bones.
"Let me take him!" he shouted.
"No," I said, hoping to repress. "If you do his lights'll fade-"
"Desired!"
"Tracker's lights!" I shouted back. "If they see his lights go dead
they'll move and quick. Sustain viability and-"
"He tried to ex me, Luther," Jake said, returning my feet to
earth, flashing the mudstains on his jacket. Still, his hair was in
place, his features showed clear even of shaving scars. "My suit!"
"Reason's needed to kill-"
"No kill but reasoned kill," he said, lowtoned, heart's truth
spoken. Somehow I continued blocking his lunge. "With him
there's reason twenty times full."
"No!!" I screamed, mindlost myself; it startled all, and Jake loosened from his coil. "Under circumstance he's our exitcard. If
his signal steadies true his friends won't come out to play. Keep him
whole and we'll pass as wished until we breathe free air."
"Once we bordercross," Jake said, "let him drop and fly."
"He's prime target, Jake, Dream Team. We've never had a quick
one before. We'll take him all the way. Bind him tight. Once home
we give him to Alice. She has her own techniques. Feeling's
appreciated, Jake, but logic it out."
Skuratov lay wailing on the floor, rubbing his injuries as if for
joy. Oktobriana stood unbudged, hands yet fastened. She eyed Jake
updown, her lips parted, her face flushed with new-transfused
blood.
"Understood," he whispered, recovering. "If I'd snapped him I'd
be better now. Excuse."
"I began to worry you'd been blasted after all," I said. "How'd
you foresee?"
He unpocketed a tool recognizable from mine patrol; when
blasts were expected, one used the giz by tuning the proper frequency, detonating from beyond harm's path.
"His look and stance alerted me from moment one," said Jake,
"no matter your fancies of trust. This is my business, Luther,
remember. That tunnel of love last night awared me full. Then
when he stripped the car in town's safeness but not among these
ruins I knew all was up. So when I took the bags out I stood back,
ran my spark's channels till the proper tone blew it. The whoosh
sent me mudways-"
"Why the delay coming in?" I asked. "Were you knocked loose
for a mo-"
"I had to straighten," he said, adjusting his necktie's knot as if for
the hangman. "Essential."
"How's the car?"
"Trunklid sailed off like a great blue bird," he said. "Driveable
otherwise." Jake's anger kept underlid only until time boiled it over
again. Following the automotive condition report, he spun round
unexpectedly, booting Skuratov in the back full-force; not to crack
the spine, simply to raise the pain anew
"Nobody takes me out," Jake shouted at Skuratov, fetuscurled
floorways, issuing the soft cries of one aborted too late. "Hear?"
"He heard. Strip him clean before we buzz. Roll over, Mal."
"Why take off my clothes?" he asked, scraping words past teeth.
"Time and place for all," said Jake, speaking low, as if in a
library. "Let's see how prison love is liked-"
"Jake! Keep clothed, Mal. Property's desired. Let's have."
"Please," Oktobriana said, wriggling, jerking her arms.
"Remove these from me. I will not run."
"I've only the pair," Jake said. "Better him than her."
"Agreed. Cuff him," I said. "Roll this way, Mal."
When Jake uncuffed Oktobriana we both spotted the fire red
welts ringing her wrists. Hers shortly
lifted as if motor driven, striking him with terrific force between
the legs. He dropped like an ox in the butchery, his eyes vanishing
beneath their lids, the cassette box and his Shrogin tumbling as he
collapsed. I leapt for the gun; Jake leapt over me, onto Skuratov,
wrapping paws round his head as if to test for ripeness, readying to
do the twist. Gathering full, if aging, strength I shoved Jake off,
interposing myself between them, unthinking of consequence in
thwarting Jake's rage. Clutching me underarm he dug iron fingers
into my muscles, set to rip them free of the bones.
"Let me take him!" he shouted.
"No," I said, hoping to repress. "If you do his lights'll fade-"
"Desired!"
"Tracker's lights!" I shouted back. "If they see his lights go dead
they'll move and quick. Sustain viability and-"
"He tried to ex me, Luther," Jake said, returning my feet to
earth, flashing the mudstains on his jacket. Still, his hair was in
place, his features showed clear even of shaving scars. "My suit!"
"Reason's needed to kill-"
"No kill but reasoned kill," he said, lowtoned, heart's truth
spoken. Somehow I continued blocking his lunge. "With him
there's reason twenty times full."
"No!!" I screamed, mindlost myself; it startled all, and Jake loosened from his coil. "Under circumstance he's our exitcard. If
his signal steadies true his friends won't come out to play. Keep him
whole and we'll pass as wished until we breathe free air."
"Once we bordercross," Jake said, "let him drop and fly."
"He's prime target, Jake, Dream Team. We've never had a quick
one before. We'll take him all the way. Bind him tight. Once home
we give him to Alice. She has her own techniques. Feeling's
appreciated, Jake, but logic it out."
Skuratov lay wailing on the floor, rubbing his injuries as if for
joy. Oktobriana stood unbudged, hands yet fastened. She eyed Jake
updown, her lips parted, her face flushed with new-transfused
blood.
"Understood," he whispered, recovering. "If I'd snapped him I'd
be better now. Excuse."
"I began to worry you'd been blasted after all," I said. "How'd
you foresee?"
He unpocketed a tool recognizable from mine patrol; when
blasts were expected, one used the giz by tuning the proper frequency, detonating from beyond harm's path.
"His look and stance alerted me from moment one," said Jake,
"no matter your fancies of trust. This is my business, Luther,
remember. That tunnel of love last night awared me full. Then
when he stripped the car in town's safeness but not among these
ruins I knew all was up. So when I took the bags out I stood back,
ran my spark's channels till the proper tone blew it. The whoosh
sent me mudways-"
"Why the delay coming in?" I asked. "Were you knocked loose
for a mo-"
"I had to straighten," he said, adjusting his necktie's knot as if for
the hangman. "Essential."
"How's the car?"
"Trunklid sailed off like a great blue bird," he said. "Driveable
otherwise." Jake's anger kept underlid only until time boiled it over
again. Following the automotive condition report, he spun round
unexpectedly, booting Skuratov in the back full-force; not to crack
the spine, simply to raise the pain anew
"Nobody takes me out," Jake shouted at Skuratov, fetuscurled
floorways, issuing the soft cries of one aborted too late. "Hear?"
"He heard. Strip him clean before we buzz. Roll over, Mal."
"Why take off my clothes?" he asked, scraping words past teeth.
"Time and place for all," said Jake, speaking low, as if in a
library. "Let's see how prison love is liked-"
"Jake! Keep clothed, Mal. Property's desired. Let's have."
"Please," Oktobriana said, wriggling, jerking her arms.
"Remove these from me. I will not run."
"I've only the pair," Jake said. "Better him than her."
"Agreed. Cuff him," I said. "Roll this way, Mal."
When Jake uncuffed Oktobriana we both spotted the fire red
welts ringing her wrists. Hers shortly
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