The Valiant - Michael Jan Friedman [16]
Tarasco nodded, despite the punishment he had taken. Fine, Marc. He managed to get to his feet, though it cost him a good deal of pain. I need your help, both of you.
What is it, sir? asked Siregar, an attractive Asian woman.
We need to get Agnarsson to the weapons room, the captain told them. And I mean now .
Their expressions told Tarasco that they didnt follow his thinking. But then, Pelletier had been the only security officer to whom the captain had revealed his intentions regarding the engineer.
Strictly speaking, he didnt owe either Offenburger or Siregar an explanationbut he gave them one anyway. Agnarssons become too dangerous. We have to get rid of him while we still can.
The security officers didnt seem pleased by the prospect of killing a fellow human beinga man with whom they had eaten and shared stories and braved the dangers of the void. However, they had seen the engineers power, not to mention the bodies of their friends on the floor. They would do whatever Tarasco asked of them.
Kneeling at Agnarssons side, the captain felt the mans neck for a pulse. It was faint, but the engineer was clearly still alive. And that wasnt the only thing Tarasco noticed.
Agnarssons eyes, or what the captain could see of them through the engineers half-closed lids, werent glowing anymore. They had returned to normal again.
As before, Tarasco was tempted to believe that the crisis was overthat their laser barrage had somehow reversed whatever had gotten hold of the engineer, stripping him of his incredible powers. Then he considered the bodies of those Agnarsson had murdered with a gesture and knew he couldnt take any chances.
Pick him up, the captain told Offenburger and Siregar. Ill keep my laser trained on him in case he wakes.
Tucking their weapons into their belts, the officers did as they were asked. Offenburger inserted his hands under the engineers arms and Siregar grabbed his legs. Then they began moving in the direction of the Valiants weapons room.
There were hatches that were closer to their location. Unfortunately, Tarasco mused, shoving Agnarsson out into space might not be enough. If the engineer was able to survive in the vacuumand he might beit was also possible that he could work his way back inside.
The weapons room was a deck above them, which meant they had to use a lift to get to it. It seemed to take forever for the compartment to reach them, and even longer for it to take them to their destination.
After that, they had to negotiate a long, curving corridor. It wasnt long before Offenburger and Siregar began showing the strain of their efforts. Agnarsson was no lightweight, after all. But eventually, Tarasco was able to guide them through the weapons room doors.
The place was dominated by a pair of missile launchers dark, bulky titanium devices with long, cylindrical slots meant to shoot atomic projectiles through the void. They were empty at the moment, their payloads safely stowed in a series of obverse bulkhead compartments.
But at least one of them wouldnt be empty for long.
The captain pointed to it with his free hand. Put him in, he told the security officers.
Siregar looked down at Agnarsson and winced at the idea. Offenburger hesitated as well.
Sir, the security officer began in a plaintive voice, there must be a better way to
Do it, snapped Tarasco, his stomach clenching.
Offenburger bit back the rest of his protest. With obvious reluctance, he and Siregar placed the unconscious engineer in the open launch slot. Then they started to slide the missile door into place.
That was when Agnarsson woke up.
With a cry of rage, he sat up and slammed the missile door open again, filling the room with metallic echoes. Then he vaulted out of the slot and rounded on Offenburger and Siregar.
The captain wasnt about to let them get hurtnot when he had promised to protect them. Pressing the trigger on his laser pistol, he sent a blue beam slamming into the engineers back.
It barely slowed Agnarrson down. He released a bolt of raw pink lightning at Offenburger, sending the blond