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On reflex, he put a hand on his slung weapon
"Kno to use that thing, Hightower?" Saus said
Roddyuntil the repairs are done"
"Bollocks," Weck said "There’s nothing wrong with their ship So Coincidence?"
Angus spoke up "Impossible I’m the pilot, and that latch--"
"Sous snapped his mouth shut
Watching, Neil felt his o dry, and he sed
"Enforcer Nichols," Weck said over his shoulder
Another guard behind hi, have their ship searched, and find--"
Samantha kicked the commander square in the chest He tumbled into a nearby table
"Bloody hell," Neil whispered to hi up the weapon Roddy foolishly left on the counter She fired the toxic prongs into the guard called Nichols Within seconds, he was convulsing violently
"Sa on the third guard as he fumbled with his rifle Her fist flew into his jaith a deep thud
Roddy watched all this withoutthe wall toward the door He probably intended to leave and find Skyler, or run for their ship
The ed in the center of the tavern Guards dove on top of Sa theus, perhaps thinking he should finally perforus had moved already He crouched down over Weck, who lay limp on the floor, and wrestled the man’s rifle away
"He’s armed!" Roddy shouted
Guards leaned in frous tried the trigger, but the weapon didn’t cooperate He frantically fuuard frous found the button and pressed it He raised the gun and pulled the trigger But Commander Weck, who’d cous lost balance just as the gun chattered, spraying bullets wildly along the ceiling
Panic erupted
Most of the workers still in the bar dove under their tables A few ran for the door, escaping an instant before the guards there began to return fire
Roddy crouched behind his bar stool He watched as Angus jumped behind the only solid cover in the place, the bar itself The guards sprayed bullets in short bursts toward him In a panic Roddy threw his ar into the walls, the crash of the mirror behind the bar as it shattered
As his coan to crawl for the end of the bar He took frustratingly few glances at theall around hih This was no siht, and no siations and endless council s would result, and Neil couldn’t afford that kind of nonsense right now
Roddy stopped at the end of the bar Only a few seconds had passed since the coineer Takai, could be seen at the door now The little engineer threw a punch at the guard closest to hilanced off Neil watched, helpless, as the guard jabbed the butt of his gun into Takai’s face, sending hi Neil could hear gunfire, aze still on the action at the door Bullets tore through the guard who had hit Takai Red splotches appeared under the torn fabric across his chest
Angus released another burst toward the other side of the opening, but the guard there had already ducked away, the special bullets shattering as they hit the wall
"Salanced at her In the footage, Neil could see the tall woman on all fours, her face contorted in pain, blood on her shirt A coround in front of her
Beyond her, Neil saw Takai try to stand, one hand covering his bloodied face Angus shouted a warning
A burst of gunfire froh Takai’s shoulder and chest He fell, life gone frous shouted with prie He let loose a hail of bullets toward the door The guards there disappeared behind the wall again
The guard Roddy finally overcauessed--and started to round the bar He caus The pilot, in the grip of bloodlust, kicked Roddy back and turned his weapon on the guard
Neil alered back, the ca and then over to the side as the poor guard fell He landed on the floor, one li half the carees, showed the center of the tavern
Sah clenched teeth, she buried the blade in the already dead body of the guard under her
Angus carabbed her by the shoulder and tried to pull her toward the bar She brushed hiun fronored hi bullets
The barrel of a gun appeared around the wall of the entrance: a guard, firing blind
"Get down!" Angus yelled Then he stopped, almost frozen in place He looked around, confused, then down at hius dropped to his knees, then toppled to one side
Sahts were on the door She tried to fire again, but the rifle only clicked Visibly defeated, she tossed it aside as guards store on the screen vanished, replaced by an exclamation point and the words "stream not found"
"The fuck is this?" Alex said
Neil hoped his brief smile went unnoticed He knew immediately what had happened
Alex Warthen fiddled with the device, frustration growing by the second The guard who provided the gadget tried to help, but Alex waved him off "Go find another one," he barked
"I still don’t see what this has to do with led to hide the shock in his voice
"We’ve reason to believe a ave the device a sh clenched teeth
"Nonsense," Neil said "Who?"
"Kelly Adelaide"
"Haven’t seen her in months, since I fired her"
"Lie all you want," Alex said "We’ll see what the footage has to say, once we’ve gathered it all"