Sloan looked at Bubba Boom.
“Hank has at least two hundred maintenance people, plus four dozen Travas and five hundred Outsiders. Watch out for the armed Outsiders. They have this weapon that looks like a black metal tube, but it spits out round disks with razor sharp edges. It’ll slice through skin and bone,” Bubba Boom said.
“What do we do if we encounter armed Insiders working for the Outsiders?” Riley asked.
“Incapacitate, but don’t harm,” I said, handing him the communication sent from Sloan.
“How?” Riley asked. “We only have two stunners and a handful of knives.”
“We need more weapons,” Sloan said.
I spotted Ivie and Kadar hovering by the door and gestured for them to join us.
Kadar carried a laundry sack. He handed it to me. “Five stun bombs. Yank the pin out and roll it toward your target. You’ll have about four seconds before it goes off. It should affect anyone within a six meter radius from the bomb.”
“They’ll help, but still not enough,” Sloan said.
“We’ll make more as long as we can,” Ivie said.
“Thanks,” I said. In the meantime, we still needed weapons. I asked Bubba Boom if the ISF’s weapons were still locked in the safe.
“Hank removed a bunch for his people and the Outsiders, but the last time I saw there were a few left. But he changed the code for the lock.”
I glanced at Logan. He huddled on the floor next to Domotor. Kneeling next to him, I hugged him close for a moment. Then I explained my need.
“Can you help?” I asked him.
He wiped his eyes. “On one condition.”
I waited.
“That I get to kill-zap Fosord.”
“I thought that wasn’t your thing,” I said.
“It is now.”
“No. We’re not killers. Anne-Jade wouldn’t approve and you know it. You can stun him, how’s that?”
“Can I at least kick him a couple times?” Logan sounded like a petulant child.
“Yes.”
“All right. I’m in.” He went in search of a few supplies, calling to Emek and Rat to fetch items.
The captain’s voice startled me. He called through the receiver. Sloan cupped his ear.
“…have us pinned down,” Captain Trava said. “We disconnected the gas, but we won’t last long.”
“Hold on. We’re on our way,” Sloan said.
“Go up the Quad I stairs. Don’t worry about securing the stairwell. Take two bombs, both stunners and go help the captain,” I said, digging into the laundry bag. The bombs had been built inside clear glass balls. A metal pin had been stuck through a small hole.
I gave two to Sloan and one to Riley. They both looked surprised.
“If we don’t have the air plant, we’re done,” I explained. “I’ll take Logan, two bombs and we’ll retrieve the weapons from the safe.”
“How are you going to bring all of them down here?” Riley asked.
