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The eight Llaro domates, replenished in the recent fissioning, marched toward the captive breedex, ringed the enemy hive mind, and began devouring it. The air itself seemed to thrum with unimaginable screams.

And music began to play over the old EDF loudspeakers.

The startling melody made all of the Klikiss reel in their tracks. Orli stopped, apparently as startled as the insect creatures. Tears sprang to her eyes. 'That means Davlin made it!'

The effect was dramatic and instantaneous. Even the Klikiss on the battlefield wavered, though many were too far away to hear the notes. But what one Klikiss heard, the breedex heard, and disorientation spread among the rest of the subhive.

'That's a hell of a diversion,' Tasia said. 'And you can hum along with it, too.' She began to run toward the outskirts where the Klikiss had left their alien ground vehicles.

Nikko didn't think he'd ever been so utterly exhausted in his life. The ground vehicle, basically a framework with rolling mesh wheels and an engine, would let them cover ground much faster than they could travel on foot.

Robb and Tasia bolted directly past six warriors who stood clicking in confusion and waving their claws in the air. Some of the insect creatures blundered into each other, as if drowning in the melody, while others searched for the source of the broadcast. 'They don't see us. Take advantage of it!'

Nikko followed the others toward the vehicles. The Klikiss had no security systems and would not have made starting or piloting the contraption difficult. The bugs did, however, have multiple limbs, and he wasn't sure if one human with a single pair of hands could manipulate the controls.

Klikiss warriors lurched in front of them, caught up in the eerie melodies. Suddenly the music cut off. The loudspeakers inside the old city went dead.

'That means they killed Davlin!' Orli cried.

'Well, we know they killed the broadcast.' Tasia made a dash toward the nearest vehicle. 'Now we're in hard vacuum without a helmet.'

Like laser targeting systems, the Klikiss warriors swivelled their heads toward the escapees. The breedex looked directly through their eyes, seeing them. Seeing Margaret.

The old woman stepped forward defiantly, holding up the music box in her hand. A rush of unnatural clicking sounds came from Margaret's throat as she tried to communicate. Then she wound up the metal device, and the familiar melody began tinkling out. 'Run, all of you! Get to one of the vehicles.'

'Margaret, come with us,' DD wailed. Orli tugged on the little compy's arm.

'You heard the lady!' Tasia shouted. 'Run! I sure hope someone knows how to drive this Klikiss buggy.'

Margaret thrust the music box forward, letting the tune play for the monstrous creatures, for the breedex. The nearest warrior reached out a segmented forelimb and delicately, implacably, plucked the music box from Margaret's hand. Two scouts came at her from either side and grasped her. She tried to struggle, but they picked her up. Without harming her, they carried her off as Klikiss warriors closed in on the rest of the escapees.

'Margaret!' Orli shouted. Nikko pulled her onward, stumbling toward the wheeled contraptions.

Three Klikiss warriors marched toward the alien vehicles as well, accompanied by a taller creature--one of the strange human-influenced hybrids. This one was the size of a domate. Its exoskeleton was pale, and its elongated body had powerful arms and ripping pincers.

Nikko hesitated, but Robb gave him a push from behind. 'Quick, while they're still disoriented.'

Tasia jumped into the open-framed vehicle, studied the controls and experimentally pulled levers to test their functions.

Nothing seemed to work. 'This could be the shortest escape ever.'

The three Klikiss warriors and the pale halfbreed turned to focus on the intruders. Robb threw himself into the carriage beside Tasia, and he too began slapping at controls, trying to get the machine to move.

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