Then he went to her and knelt as Tauhad, searching her face. “We will win this one for you,Ultima.”
She nodded jerkily at the comfortinglie. “Yes. We will.”
He smiled faintly. “You do not look asif you believe that, beloved.”
She thought she would cry. She manageda sickly smile. “I do. We can do it!”
He kissed her and pressed his foreheadto hers. “Just do not shoot me in the back with that thing,beloved,” he said with mild amusement.
It surprised a laugh out of her—tingedwith hysteria—but still a laugh. “I won’t, baby. I’ll be carefulnot to shoot me, either.”
He grinned at her. “I doubt it wouldbe pleasant, but it should not be dangerous to you. You are not amachine as the rest of are.”
That horrified her.
She hadn’t once considered thateverything that had been devised was calculated to destroy themachines. And Tau and Xi and Quan had taken over three of them,were bound to them now, because of her.
Her wits had just been too scatteredfor it to really register that they’d taken shelter in a Faradaycage.
When Quan came to her, the oncomingforce had moved close enough even she could make them out with thenaked eye. “Soon,” he murmured, leaning close to kiss her. Hecaptured her face between his palms when he broke the kiss. “I haveno belief that we will be overrun here, but if that should happen,you may have a chance to escape using one of the guy wires. Use theweapon to protect your hands and for defense when you reach theground if necessary. Go and do not look back. We will hold themuntil you can escape.”
Ultima stared at him in blankdisbelief. She almost thought she’d rather die on the platform thanrisk falling from one of the guy wires.
And she didn’t want to leavethem.
She saw from Quan’s expression,though, that he would not receive that well and decided to keep herown council in that regard.
He went and spoke to Tau when he lefther and she realized they had all conspired against her—to saveher—when Tau and then Xi turned to look at her.
They turned away then, focused on thedrones moving swiftly toward the tower.
“Mark—fifty,” Tau calledout and moved around the perimeter to check the progress of Eml’sarmy in every direction.
Minutes passed like hours.
“Mark—twenty five. Getready.”
“Ten! Now!”
All three of them turned to stare ather as Quan stepped to the control panel and flipped the switch.Instantly, Ultima felt a hum and a noticeable vibration thataccelerated rapidly to something that began to feel like anEarthquake.
Every hair on her body stood onend.
She met Tau’s gaze just as it reacheda crescendo.
And she knew in that moment that theyhad no idea whether the cage would protect them or not.
Horror washed over her when she feltand heard the sizzle of the discharge.
Invisible, the wave might be to thenaked eye, but the effects of it were staggering.
As it swept outward from the tower,the drones dropped—like a wave of falling dominos.
Thankfully, her guysdidn’t.
Shaky with relief, they grinned at herin triumph.
Their contribution worked.
