"You don't understand," Clovis whispered frantically. "This is an emergency. The message has to go out now."

"That will be expensive, Mr. Holstein. How will you pay for the priority transmission?"

"How am I going to . . ." Clovis growled with exasperation, then blurted, "Charge it to the Third Dieron Regulars."

"Very well. Initiating a call back on your line to get verification. Just a moment!"

"No!" Clovis heard a series of melodic notes, then a harsh ring from the room above him. A voice echoed in stereo from the earpiece and above him. "Moshi, moshi?"

Clovis ripped the optical collar from the phone line, then scurried on through the hot tunnel. Here's one time my size is an advantage.Above him, in the world of men, an alarm sounded and the pounding of heavy footsteps drummed over the floor.

Almost instantly, Clovis realized two things. They will catch me. I've got to head away from the children.Karla's smiling face came unbidden into his mind and softened his second realization. When they catch me, they’ll kill me. May my death keep you safe, Karla Bremen . . .

A shaft of light stabbed down into the tunnel as someone ripped away one of the access panels to the crawlspace. Clovis filled his hand with the Foxfire and shielded his eyes against the light with his left hand. Two booted feet dropped down into the tunnel, then the legs attached to them bent as the Combine soldier sank to his knees.

Clovis pointed the gun at the man's stomach and pulled the trigger. Using the soldier's screaming as cover, Clovis cut into a cross passage. He traveled east along it, then headed back north at the next opportunity. He slid quickly through the tunnels and before he knew it, reached the outer wall and passed through it.

The dwarf cracked the external accessway's wooden doors and smiled. Hot damn! Time didn't make any difference down in that hole, but here. . .Outside night had fallen, and for the first time, Clovis dared hope he might make good his escape.

Cautiously, he pushed the door open enough for him to slip out. He pressed it down noiselessly, then hunkered down in the building's shadow. He scoured the surrounding landscape for any sign of movement, but saw nothing. I wish they'd shut that damned alarm off. I'd prefer to trust my ears to my eyes in this darkness.

Clovis set off toward the hills ringing New Freedom's north side. He moved a short distance, then dropped into a crouch and waited. When confident he had not been seen or heard, he moved again a short distance. His back pressed to the rough bark on an evergreen tree, Clovis allowed himself a smile. Keep this up, and I'll hit the first hillside in no time.

Swirling out of the blackness, an ISF commando dropped from above him. The warrior slapped the Foxfire from Clovis's hand, then drew his katanain a single deft motion. He pressed the sword's point against Clovis's throat. "Congratulations. By getting this far, you have eluded many who are your betters. I knew I would find you out here."

ISF. They're as bad as Loki. They killed so many people at our Styx base.Clovis glanced over toward the Foxfire.

The commando's low, mocking laugh stopped him. "You are mine now, little man. I'll take you back to our headquarters and we'll see what sort of treasures you hide in that dull package." He slid the sword back into its scabbard, but his harsh cackle sliced at Clovis's spirit.

Clovis shivered as his self-image collapsed in on itself. I am done. They will break me and I will give up all I know. I have failed everyone . . .The commando's ridicule cored through the last of the dwarf's self-respect. I fooled myself into believing I was a man, but I should have known better. Blood will out. . .Clovis nodded in submission to his captor.

Suddenly, the Combine guard's laughter died. Lit by the scarlet beam of a 'Mech's medium laser, he burst into flame.

14

Lyons

Isle of Skye, Lyran Commonwealth

15 May 3029

Dan Allard growled a harsh message into his radio as he watched the ISF commando become a torch. "Better move in, Colonel. I just tipped our hand." Dan dropped his Wolfhoundto one knee and used the 'Mech's steel left hand to scoop up Clovis. "I've got Clovis, but I've attracted some notice."

The flickering muzzle flashes from the heavy machine gun emplacement on the hangar's roof pinpointed the most obvious of the enemy oppositions. Dan's auxiliary monitor noted the impacts of heavy slugs against the Wolfhound'shand, but he knew nothing would get through to hurt Clovis. As long as I don't clench my fist, friend, you’re safe as a babe in his mother's arms.

Dan swung the Wolfhound'sright arm around and extended it toward the gunners. The arm had no hand, and from the speed of their reaction, the Combine soldiers did not take long to realize why that was. Dan guided the large laser's targeting crosshairs onto their position, then sent a bloody stream of coherent light pulsing into the machine gun nest.

Kilojoules of energy fused sandbags into glass with a gentle caress and liquefied the machine gun in an instant. The heat touched off a series of explosions as machine gun ammo cooked off. The gunners, who had jumped clear of their position, avoided the laser's fury, but could not escape the chaotic hail of bullets shooting from the gun emplacement.

A new element joined the wailing alarm that Clovis had caused to be sounded. A sharp keening that built to an ear-shattering crescendo, then dropped to an inaudible level, wove through the sirens. Dan narrowed his eyes and reopened his radio channel. " 'Mech-raid siren just clicked on, Morgan. They know I'm here and they're scrambling." Dan looked up at the darkened airstrip beyond the 'Mech bay. "Looks like they're getting air cover up."

Two Sholagarlight fighters moved down the runway. The disc-winged aircraft began to pick up speed when something burned its way onto Dan's holographic display from above. White lines stabbed down into the lead Sholagar'sright wing and sliced through it like a tablesaw. Half the wing dropped off to slide along the runway on a bed of red and orange sparks.

The damaged aerofighter, still getting full thrust from the engine mounted in its left wing, spun around and into the flight path of the second fighter. Without sufficient speed, the second pilot could not take off. He did get the nose of his ship up as he tried to pull away from his crippled wingman, but the tail of his Sholagarslammed into the deck and disintegrated. The second fighter came down on top of the first, and both exploded with the brilliance of a supernova.

Dan heard the voice of Major Seamus Fitzpatrick, commander of the regiment's air battalion, crackle through the static generated by the explosion. "Good shooting, Lieutenant Kirk. We'll keep them grounded, Colonel."

Morgan Kell's reply came back edged with anger and vibrating with emotion. "Seamus, nothing leaves here. Dan, is Clovis on line?"

Dan frowned, reacting to the sound of Morgan's voice. "No. I've not gotten him inside yet."

"Good." Morgan hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Final orders, people. O'Cieran and his ground troops confirmed what we all feared. That dug-up spot we passed isa mass grave. No compromise—no 'Mech from this company leaves New Freedom operational."

Dan let Morgan's orders echo through his mind as he raised the Wolfhound'sleft hand to its left shoulder. He punched a couple of buttons on the command console near his right hand, and a hatch on the Wolfhound'sneck opened. Dan glanced over at it as Clovis stepped through and pulled the hatch shut behind him.