'Those your people?" Tanner asked.

"No. You took mine yesterday."

"Too bad," said Tanner, and he pushed the accelerator to the floor and hoped for a storm.

They squealed around a curve and climbed anotherhul. His pursuers drew nearer. He switched back fromtelescope to normal screening, but even then he couldsee the size of the crowd that approached."It must be the Kings," she said. "They're the biggestclub around."

"Too bad," said Tanner.

"For them or for us?"

"Both."

She smiled.

"I'd like to see how you work this thing."

"It looks like you're going to get a chance. They'regaining on us like mad."

The rain lessened, but the fogs grew heavier. Tannercould see their lights, though, over a quarter mile to hisrear, and be did not turn his own on. He estimated ahundred to a hundred fifty pursuers that cold, darkmorning, and he asked, "How near are we to Boston?"

"Maybe ninety miles," she told him.

'Too bad they're chasing us instead of coming towardus," he said, as he primed his flames and set an adjustment which brought cross-hairs into focus on his rearview screen.

"What's that?" she asked.

'That's a cross. I'm going to crucify them, lady," andshe smiled at this and squeezed his arm.

"Can I help? I hate those bloody mothers.'*

"In a little while," said Tanner. "In a little while, I'msure," and he reached into the rear seat and fetched outthe six hand grenades and hung them on his wide, blackbelt. He passed the rifle to the girl. "Hang onto this,"he said, and stuck the .45 behind his belt.

"Do you know how to use that thing?"

"Yes," she replied immediately.

-Good."

He kept watching the lights that danced on the screen.

"Why the hell doesn't this storm break?" he said, asthe lights came closer and be could make out shapes withinthe fog.

When they were within a hundred feet he fired the firstgrenade. It arched through the gray air, and five secondslater there was a bright flash to his rear, burning withina thunderclap.

The lights immediately behind him remained, andhe touched the fifty-calibers, moving the cross-hairs fromside to side. The guns shattered their loud syllables, andhe launched another grenade. With the second flash, hebegan to climb another hill."Did you stop them?"

"For a time, maybe. I still see some lights, but fartherback."

After five minutes, they had reached the top, a placewhere the fogs were cleared and the dark sky was visible above them. Then they started downward once more,and a wall of stone and shale and dirt rose to their right.Tanner considered it as they descended.

When the road leveled and he decided they hadreached the bottom, he turned on his brightest lights andlooked for a place where the road's shoulders werewide.

To his rear, there were suddenly rows of descendinglights.

He found the place where the road was sufficientlywide, and he skidded through a U-turn until he was facing the shaggy cliff, now to his left, and his pursuerswere coming dead on.

He elevated his rockets, fired one, elevated them fivedegrees more, fired two, elevated them another five degrees, fired three. Then he lowered them fifteen and firedanother.

There was brightness within the fog, and he heard thestones rattling on the road and felt the vibration as therockslide began. He swung toward his right as he backedthe vehicle and fired two ahead. There was dust, mixedwith the fog now, and the vibration continued.

He turned and headed forward once more.

"I hope that'll hold 'em," he said, and he lit two cigarettes and passed one to the girl.

After five minutes they were on higher ground againand the winds came and whipped at the fog, and far tothe rear there were still some lights.

As they topped a high rise, his radiation gauge beganto register an above-normal reading. He sought in all directions and saw the crater far off ahead. 'That's it," heheard her say. "You've got to leave the road there. Bearto the right and go around that way when you get there."

"I'll do that thing."

He heard gunshots from behind him, for the first timethat day, and though he adjusted the cross-hairs he didnot fire his own weapons. The distance was still too great.

"You must have cut them in half," she said, staringinto the screen. "More than that. They're a tough bunch,though."

"I gather," and he plowed the field of mists andchecked his supply of grenades for the launcher and sawthat he was running low.

He swung off the road to his right when he beganbumping along over fractured concrete. The radiationlevel was quite high by then. The crater was slightly morethan a thousand yards to his left.

The lights to his rear fanned out, grew brighter. Hedrew a bead on the brightest and fired. It went out.

"There's another down," he remarked, as they racedacross the hard-baked plain.

The rains came more heavily, and he sighted in onanother light and fired it. It, too, went out, though heheard the sounds of their weapons about him once again.

He switched to his right-hand guns and saw the crosshairs leap into life on that screen. As three vehiclesmoved in to flank him from that direction, he opened upand cut them down. There was more firing at his back,and he ignored it as he negotiated the way,

"I count twenty-seven lights," Cornelia said.

Tanner wove his way across a field of boulders. He litanother cigarette.

Five minutes later, they were running on both sides ofhim. He had held back again for that moment, to conserve ammunition and to be sure of his targets. He firedthen, though, at every light within range, and he flooredthe accelerator and swerved around rocks.

"Five of them are down," she said, but he was listeningto the gunfire.

He launched a grenade to the rear, and when he triedto launch a second there^came only a clicking sound fromthe control. He launched one to either side and thenpaused for a second.

"If they get close enough, I'll show them some fire," hesaid, and they continued on around the crater.

He fired only at individual targets then, when he wascertain they were within range. He took two more beforehe struck the broken roadbed.

"Keep running parallel to it," she told him. "There's atrail here. You can't drive on that stuff till another mile or so."

Shots richocheted from off his armored sides, and hecontinued to return the fire. He raced along an alleywayof twisted trees, like those he had seen near other craters, and the mists hung like pennons about their branches.He heard the rattle of the increasing rains.

When he bit the roadway once again, he regarded thelights to his rear and asked, "How many do you countnow?"

"It looks like around twenty. How are we doing?"

"I'm just worried about the tires. They can take a lot,but they can be shot out. The only other thing thatbothers me is that a stray shot might clip one of the 'eyes.'Outside of that we're bullet-proof enough. Even if theymanage to stop us, they'll have to pry us out."

The hikes drew near once again, and he saw the brightflashes and heard the reports of the riders' guns.

"Hold tight." he said, and be hit the brakes and theyskidded on the wet pavement.

The lights grew suddenly bright, and he unleashed hisrear flame. As some bikes skirted him, he cut in the sideflames and held them that way.

Then he took his foot off the brake and floored the accelerator without waiting to assess the damage he haddone.

They sped ahead, and Tanner, heard Cornelia's laughter.

"God! You're taking them. Hell! You're taking thewhole damn club!"

"It ain't that much fun," he said. Then, "See anylights?"

She watched for a time, said, "No," then said,"Three," then, "Seven," and finally, "Thirteen."