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Chapter 9

"There are only two of us, Sheriff David" she reminded me coldly, yet I could sense the distress in her voice. "I've got a busted arm and you are low on power, aren't you? We couldn't fight more than half a dozen of the Redbacks, let alone everything down there right now"

"Yes, that is true, Mayor Sami" I conceded. "But there are Skitterbugs waiting for our signal, ready to fight and rescue Eleanor. That has to count for something" I watched Sami's eyes, seeing them linger over her adopted daughter, still holding onto a recovering Vinny and Earl in the chamber below.

"The MacPhee girl, she's leading the other band of Skitterbugs, isn't she" Sami asked. "She's the one that has been stirring them up, waiting for a chance to take over the Burrow. I bet Sung-Tae thinks he's going to be the one in charge, but the Skitterbugs will take over all of them. They'll all become slaves to the black oil"

"I think so" I agreed uneasily. "That's why they wanted Eleanor. She is the only one that could stop Rachel and her faction by talking to the Skitterbugs directly"

"Maybe we can get reinforcements from Deep Below?" Sami suggested desperately. "If we head back now, we might be able to bring enough fighters to stop this madness"

"There isn't time, Sami" I answered. I pointed to the chamber below where Rachel had walked forwards to point at Eleanor.

"Give me the child, Bo Sung-Tae" she demanded in a voice that hissed like static from a broken radio. "That was the price we agreed"

"After we take the Burrow, not before" Sung-Tae countered with a sly smile. "That was also what we agreed"

"No" spat Rachel. "I need to remove her threat now. She must be fed to the machines so her blood makes us stronger!"

"After!" Sung-Tae roared angrily. "You can do whatever you want with her, only after and not before!" The Redback leader had lifted one hand into the air and I saw what looked like flames dance across his open palm, throwing a bright red glare over his face. Rachel glowered at him, refusing to yield her ground, the red glow illuminating her young face too.

The pair of them looked like demons from Hell, squabbling over the souls of the damned.

"We need to eat, Bo Sung-Tae" Rachel insisted. "I used all of my strength to capture the Tunneller. You promised to let me eat my fill!"

"I did promise that, didn't I?" Sung-Tae laughed suddenly and the fire vanished from his hand. "But I can't let you have the girl just yet" He looked speculatively at his crew, who all took an instinctive step backwards, even Oscar, and he laughed again.

"Have the boy" he said magnanimously and pointed at Earl. "I have no use for him, so eat him up instead"

"Bastard!" roared Vinny and tried to launch himself at Sung-Tae, who avoided his clumsy lunge with a sidestep and lashed him with the Shock Rod. Whether by intent or not, he did not trigger a discharge and cracked the solid weapon across Vinny's back. The Scavenger grunted in pain and fell to his knees once again.

"Oscar, grab the lad and take him to the Tunneller" Sung-Tae ordered. With a curt command to one of the other gangers, Oscar grabbed a resisting Earl and started dragging him towards the gaping maw of the huge machine.

"We are out of time, Sami!" I called urgently. "We have to act now!"

"Aye" she agreed and stood up, letting her gun dangle from its carry strap as she strode to the edge of the walkway, her right hand held out with palm forwards. She was going to give the signal that our allies had been waiting for.

"Hey, assholes!" she yelled in her deepest, most fearsome Mayor voice. "Look at me you pricks!" I narrowed my vision down to mere slits and switched to purely radar navigation as I surged towards the walkway, my feet slamming down hard on the mesh surface as I jumped the railing.