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During a quick briefing in Thune's parliament office before the militia left for Gladsheim, Mack had expressed that he would rather help with the evacuation "behind the scenes" He never actually refused to manifest in Gladsheim's terminal, but Avery now noticed Mack did sound a little stiff--his good humor more forced than it had been at the solstice celebration

Part of this ic events But whatever the reason, the AI's personality quirks weren't Avery's concern Lt Coreat dealshe'd taken the AI's reticence in stride

Avery paced out of the terees until he reached the gate Byrne was already standing beside Ponder, but the Captain waited for Avery to draw close before he announced in a harsh whisper: "Soh the vineyards"

"How many vehicles?" Avery asked

Ponder looked to Mack The AItheir conversation, because after tipping his hat to a stocky gray-haired worandchildren, the AI flashed a wide-stretched hand: five

Avery had seen the vineyards from the roof Their evenly spaced rows of trellised vines stretched out frorapes were for everyday consu the product of the region's senteel population ever bothered to make the all- day drive to Gladsheim across the Ida

Avery knew the people in the convoy had headed into the vineyards to stay off the roads

This late in the summer the soil in the vineyards was dried out and hard packed, so they should have been able to ht But he also knew Ponder wouldn't have called him down unless there was a proble two dropships," Ponder said "Saardens"

"Balls!" Byrne spat

"Take a 'Hog, see what you can do" The Captain winced as he craned his neck to glance at the shuffling crowd "But you gotta be quick One n of Jenkins' folks?" Avery asked

Again Ponder looked to Mack The AI wasn't just greeting people to be friendly From cameras in his holo-projectors and others around the terainst Harvest's census database Mack shook his head: no

"Let's hope they're in that convoy," Ponder said as the echo of another plasma strike rolled across the depot, otta move out Even if they're not"

Less than aanother of thethe main street Avery was behind the wheel Byrne un (LAAG), a triple-barreled, rotaryturret in the vehicle's cargo-bed The LAAG was the most powerful weapon in the militia's arsenal and would have been more than sufficient for any internal security operations But Avery had no idea hoould stack up against the alien dropships' turrets

He hung a sharp right onto a northbound avenue, following a waypoint Mack had beamed to a map in the vehicle's dashboard display A few more blocks and they were in the warehouse district, their view lis Avery e of town and brought the Warthog to a squealing stop

One of the dropships hung low above the vineyards, its turret firing away from Avery into the rows Closer in, a dusty hauler and sedan sat burning on a strip of red dirt between the vineyards and the town Both vehicles' doors were open, evidence that their occupants had at least tried to run But they hadn'tcorpses lay flopped in the dirt where the turret had cut thee froliine, and Avery kneas the gold-armored alien even before it stepped clearly into view, ha across its back The creature held a suitcase in one of its paws and a body in the other Avery watched the creature duround, bend down, and tear the suitcase open with its claws Not yet alerted to the h the jumbled clothes

"We're too late," Byrne hissed

"No" Avery saw the body old-arht him around the neck "Got a survivor"

Byrne braced hiainst the LAAG "Make that son-of-a-bitch stand up"

Avery punched the Warthog's horn He didn't let up until the corav units When the alien rose to face the sound, Byrne let him have it

Blue sparks burst froy shields as the LAAG'S twelve-point-seven ered backward, and, for a ht Byrne's sustained fire would cut it down But just as its knees looked set to buckle, the alien rolled sideways behind the sedan Just then the dropship swung round, insects buzzing from its bays Avery held steady and let Byrne rake the scattering swar on!" Avery shouted, yanking the shift lever on the Warthog's steering colu the accelerator But before the vehicle had old-ar its hahty roar The weapon crushed the front of the Warthog's hood and sheared off its toinch The Warthog's engine was unscathed, but the force of the alien's strike popped the vehicle's rear wheels clean off the pave to level the LAAG as the Warthog bounced back onto its tires

But Avery had already changed gears, and now the vehicle surged forward, hitting the gold- arh the swarlass and dying in an explosion of lasses As Avery tossed his glasses aside, another bug toppled over the first, clawed li, and slammed into the tapered, armored plates that bracketed the LAAG's barrel

"Bugger off!" Byrne yelled at the insect as it tu to cut the Staff Sergeant's arrier than he already was He swung the turret around and hit the insect with an extended burst But they were through the swars slowed in an effort to circle back, Byrne gladly distributed his fury

The Warthog came to another abrupt halt--an impact that was so violent it snapped Avery's chin to his chest and loosed the insect from the shattered windshield But the crash was intentional; Avery had driven the Warthog right into the sedan, pinning the gold-armored alien in between The creature roared with pain It had dropped its haauntleted pahich it proceeded to clang against the Warthog's crumpled hood like clappers in a pair of church bells

"What are you waiting for?" Byrne shouted as Avery unholstered his M6 and leveled the pistol at the alien's face "Kill the bastard!"

But Avery didn't pull the trigger Instead he glared up at the dropship's cabin: You shoot me? I shoot you-know-da around to face the Warthog Bright blue plased barrel But whatever creature sat inside the cabin heeded Avery's warning, and the weapon did not fire

"Byrne Grab the survivor"

"Are you crazy?"

The arainst the Warthog's exposed engine block and tried to push the vehicle back Avery gave the Warthog so its rear tires in the vineyard dirt and applying additional pressure "Do it!" Avery shouted

The alien stopped pushing and howled in agony

Byrne leapt down from the LAAG and walked slowly to the wounded civilian, the dropship's turret pivoting between him and Avery Byrne helped the thin-hairedhis arer seat

"You're gonna be alright," Avery said as Byrne buckled the man's shoulder belt He was barely dressed--wore only a pair of striped boxer shorts and a white tank top that was melted to his chest His face and arree burns When the man tried to speak, Avery shook his head "Just relax"