"You know what to do," said Sanchez to Machiko.

"You bet."

The two mercenaries leaped from the car and began to fire at the gaggle of security forces.

A couple of them went down immediately.

The rest returned fire, but it was clear that they were not highly trained.

They should have had some sort of cover-instead they were out in the open, behaving like total idiots.

Machiko wasn't really surprised at this. It was Attila who had pointed out that there hadn't been any military operations on Blior in decades, and many soldiers simply were not trained in the basics. It certainly wasn't just a matter of standing in the open, firing at the attacker.

Machiko didn't complain, though.

Certainly, she was also surprised at the Predators.

They behaved like a crack unit, working together seamlessly. Like a bunch of well-trained Trojans. These guys had a military background, no question. It wasn't just Hunting. Was it in their traditions, their training-or their genes?

Her job, however, was not to dawdle about and gawk.

As driver of the car, she had specific goals.

She watched as the intense fire of the attackers cut a swath through the defenders. The security forces wisely beat a retreat, leaving an opening just the right size for her.

She checked her safety harness, then grabbed Attila and stuffed him tightly between her legs.

"I suppose I should get a thrill out of this," said his m.u.f.fled voice frombetween her thighs.

"Just get set for a different kind of thrill," she said.

She gunned the accelerator.

The skimmer skipped ahead with the last reserves of its power. Machiko kept low, and it was a good thing. Bullets splattered through the side windows, raining her with gla.s.s.

She kept on, though, aiming for her objective.

When she and Attila had run their reconnaissance, the first thing they'd done was to scope out the exterior of the building. From her memory of that survey, Machiko had calculated which of the doors into the main hall would be the weakest.

It was toward that door that she streaked now.

She guided the car as best she could, angling it just so-and then braced for the crash.

It came, just as expected, but with a fury and violence that could never be prepared for.

Upon impact the crashfoam grew, and just in time.

The winds.h.i.+eld shattered, and the front of the skimmer crumpled.

So did the door ahead of her.

This portion of the factory had not been built to withstand a.s.sault and was not reinforced. The fourwheeler smashed through. One door was torn off its hinges. The other smashed down onto the ground beyond.

Braking was not necessary.

The skimmer smashed into a cement stanchion-and-girder arrangement a few yards in, bringing it to a halt.

"d.a.m.ned good job if I say so myself," said Machiko.

She grabbed Attila's head by its hair in one hand, and with her gun in the other, kicked open the door and hopped out.

Next stop: those tanks, and their h.e.l.lish contents.

Livermore Evanston watched on his screen as Machiko Noguchi's car smashed through the door into the main portion of the biolab factory.

Livermore Evanston was not eating.

"More troops," he said. "Get me some more troops into this breach," he shouted.

"I'm working on it," said Zorski. Her voice seemed to have lost its composure.

Breaking into the factory was not difficult, and was expected.

However, the suddenness of the breakthrough was not expected. There had been no time to maneuver more troops around.

Noguchi and this strange army were acting like kamikazes, not soldiers.

They seemed to have absolutely no regard for their own lives, which was not something that Evanston had antic.i.p.ated. It broke all the rules he knew of common sense, all he'd studied about war in school.

Livermore Evanston swiveled in his chair.

He examined his options.

"Surround the building with any available troops, Zorski. But don't go inside. I've got other options available."

Eyes canting up to take in the action as the hordes of invisible Predators swarmed through the opening that the skimmer had just bashed into the factory, Evanston bided his time above the proper controls. He could see the disturbances their devices made in the air, some imprints in the ground vaguely determining their numbers.

He bided his time until the alien warriors would be unable to escape.

And if, for some reason, they could Well, the rest of his soldiers would be waiting out there for them.

No.

Things were not that bad at all!

Machiko watched as the horde moved in, cleanly and efficiently, weapons c.o.c.ked and ready for action.

Bakuub stepped up to her.

"That's the entrance, down at the other end of the building," she said, pointing.

Bakuub got the gist of the message and gestured accordingly toward his companions.

They started advancing upon their objective.

"This is most satisfying," said Attila amid the sound and fury coming from outside.

"I don't know," said Machiko. "It's almost too easy."

"Nothing is easy in war. You take your victories where you find them."

"Did you warn them about possible traps?"

"They already antic.i.p.ate such According to Bakuub their motto is something like 'Take things as they come.' "

"Yes," said Machiko. "I know that all too well. Well, come on. We might as well get into the action."

She stuffed the head into the strap pocket that she'd prepared especially for him, c.o.c.ked her gun, and then began to advance warily.

Attila's head swung on her side like some bizarre baby. A voice called out from behind her. "Machiko."

She turned around.

It was Sanchez.

"Sanchez. What's the situation outside?"

"Glad you're okay."

"Oh, I used to wreck my cars all the time. I'm real good at it. Too bad I don't have insurance now, though."

"I don't think anyone's going to sue. Daniels is out there guarding the back, and a good thing. I'm going to have to join him soon. All the Hunters seem to feel the party's in here."

"Yeah. They tend to be like that."

"No complaint. They seem to know their stuff. Better than the security forces. They've made like pea soup and split."

"Now you get talkative!"

"It's the excitement."

"Okay, they're probably just regrouping. I want you and Daniels to get in here and guard our backs. What about MacCraken and Marino?"

"On the lam after the fireworks."

"Fine. No reason to stick their heads in where they might get them blown off. They've done their jobs, even though a little late." She patted him on the b.u.t.t. "Go on out there, hero. It's good to fight with you."

"Thanks." He skipped on out, calling for Daniels.

"How touching," said Attila.

"Give me a different time, a different place, peace, and a bed, and you'll see some touchy-feely "

"Please, don't subject me."

"Then be nice." She turned around to see what kind of progress the Predators were making.

They had slowed a good deal, cautiously making their way toward the entrance of the sealed-off lab that Machiko had pointed out.

Suddenly a booming voice blasted from ceiling speakers.

"Welcome, marauders," proclaimed the amplified tones of Livermore Evanston.

"Welcome, Machiko Noguchi. Welcome to a lovely trap!"

Chapter 27.

The yautja stopped. Raised their weapons as though to blast at the voice.

They restrained themselves, however.

And then continued on their way. "I would sincerely advise against that action!" suggested the voice imperiously.

The Predators ignored him, heading for the door.

"Noguchi! Warn them. They must stop, or they will be sorry!"

"I don't think that these folks have that particular word in their vocabulary, Evanston."

"You know, darling, you never even gave us the time to talk. I could have explained a great deal, and we could have had an even more mutually beneficial alliance."

"Gee, you know, that might have been a real possibility-if you hadn't blown up my partner and tried to kill me!"

"That wasn't me. That was my security system, which you should have known would be in place and programmed to take defensive measures." Evanston's voice reeked with self-righteousness.

"I don't think, you lying monster, we would have had much to talk about, anyway."

"You may have made too many a.s.sumptions about my program, Machiko. It is for the best interests of humanity! You want to stop us from achieving our destiny?"

"If it's doing something stupid and dangerous and plain insane like what you're doing in there-then yes!"

"You are a traitor!"