"You haven't tried."

  Blade heard the thin man snort.

  "Look at this sucker. It's at least eight feet high. How the hell do you expect me to reach the top?"

  "Find a way."

  Mumbling under his breath, Ramis started walking around the slab, his continual monologue enabling the Warrior to keep track of the chronic complainer's position. After completing a circuit, Ramis called out angrily. "I'm telling you, Ajax, it's impossible. The sides are sheer. There's no place for a handhold. A person would have to be a friggin' giant to climb up there."

  "Come here, Ramis," Ajax said sternly.

  Blade waited until the thin man's footfalls had faded before he risked another peek at the band. Ramis now stood to the right of the leader, and the other nine were observing the exchange between the pair.

  "I'm sick and tired of your whining," Ajax said. "All you do is gripe, gripe, gripe."

  "I'm not that bad," Ramis replied. His slim right hand hung at his side, next to a pistol in a black holster.

  "Oh, you're not, huh?" The bald man looked at Claire. "I need your opinion. Is this chump a royal pain in the ass, or what?"

  "He's the biggest pain in the ass I know," the blonde asserted.

  Ramis glared at her. "You'll get yours one day, bitch."

  A protracted sigh issued from Ajax. He slowly stood. "I wish you hadn't gone and insulted my squeeze."

  The thin man backed up a step. "I didn't mean nothing by it, man. Honest. It just sort of slipped out."

  Ajax gazed skyward, then stretched. When he gazed at Ramis again, a sadistic smirk twisted his lips. "You bore me, old buddy. I'm tired of listening to you flap your gums." He paused. "And you know what happens when a member of this gang bores me."

  Ramis glanced at his companions. "What did I do?"

  No one said a word.

  "This ain't fair. Come on, Ajax. Quit the clowning."

  "Who's clowning?" the bald man asked.

  Blade could tell that Ramis was scared and trying very hard not to show it. The rest of the band sat as still as the boulders ringing the pool.

  "Any time you're ready," Ajax stated.

  "I'm not going to draw on you."

  "You don't have a choice."

  The thin man licked his lips and retreated another stride. "I can't beat you and you know it. I'd be committing suicide if I tried."

  Ajax shrugged. "You're going to die one way or the other."

  "Why not just let me walk out of here? I promise I'll never come back."

  "No can do, Ramis. You know the rules as well as I do. When someone joins the Razors, they're in for life. There's only one way out."

  Again Ramis looked to his fellows for support, but none was forthcoming. He wiped his palms on his pants. "Please, Ajax. Don't do this. We go back a long ways."

  "Four years."

  "Then how can you just up and kill me?"

  Ajax grinned. "You know how I can."

  The Warrior saw Ramis's visage harden, and the very next instant the thin man clawed for his gun. In comparison to the leader, though, he was pathetically slow. His pistol was still clearing leather when Ajax's revolver boomed once. The slug caught Ramis in the forehead and spun him around. He sank to the ground without a sound, the pistol falling from his limp fingers.

  Ajax twirled his revolver, a Colt Trooper with an eight-inch barrel, into his holster. "How about that," he said in surprise. "The wimp actually tried to draw on me! I didn't figure he had the nerve."

  "Should we bury the body?" Claire inquired.

  "No. We'll take it with us."

  "We're going to lug Ramis all the way to Mesaville?"

  "What's the big deal?" Ajax rejoined, sitting down. "We'll be there in four or five hours."

  "I still don't see why we should carry that worthless sack of crud along."

  "You wanted a bath, didn't you?"

  Claire's brows knit. "I sure do. But what does my bath have to do with anything?"

  "Think, baby, think," Ajax chided her. "Death Master needs food for his pets, right? And he pays up to two bucks in silver for any corpses that are in edible condition. Our good pal Ramis should bring us enough change for a real blowout."

  Everyone laughed heartily at the idea.

  Blade lowered his head. Their callous disregard for human life appalled him. After so many missions into the Outlands, he still hadn't grown accustomed to the prevailing attitude that life was cheap, of less value than gold, silver, drugs, or guns. Indiscriminate slayings were commonplace, yet no one tried to change the deadly status quo.

  As the Warrior had seen firsthand, where there was no law the strong and the wicked tended to rule with an iron fist. The unofficial motto of the Outlands might aptly be described as, "Anything goes." Civilization's collapse had left a breeding ground for wickedness, had created a social vacuum filled by those who practiced that most ancient of biological imperatives—the survival of the fittest.

  "Will we stay here much longer?" a man asked.

  "Yeah," added another. "I can't wait to reach Mesaville and party."

  "If we're lucky, Death Master will be conducting the Games," Claire said hopefully. "Now there's a man who knows how to put on entertainment."

  "That he does," Ajax agreed, "but I wouldn't go so far as to call him a man."

  "Just don't let him hear you say that," said a gang member.

  Ajax addressed them in a commanding tone. "Okay. Since everyone is so eager to get there, we'll take off. Just be sure your canteens are filled."

  Blade observed a flurry of activity as the band members prepared to depart. Ramis was stripped of all his worldly possessions, including his clothes, which were then distributed by Ajax. In five minutes the members of the Razors were ready to go, and the bald man led them to the east. Only when they were out of sight did Blade rise. "We're going to trail them," he announced.

  "They'll spot us," Athena said.

  "Not if we're careful." Blade moved to the edge and jumped, the soles of his feet stinging when his combat boots came down hard on the dry earth. He glanced up. "Come on."

  Captain Havoc promptly leaped from the rock, but Athena displayed hesitation.

  "Something wrong?" the Warrior asked.

  "I'm out of practice. I don't want to break a leg."

  Blade held out his arms. "I'll catch you."

  "I'm too heavy."

  "Don't worry. Just step out and I'll do the rest."

  Athena frowned, but complied. She gave a little hop and dropped straight down.

  The Warrior hardly had to shift position. He braced himself and caught her easily, his huge arms and shoulders absorbing the shock. "See? That wasn't so difficult." He gently deposited her in front of him.

  "Want me to take point?" Havoc asked.

  "No. We'll stick together. First let's fill our own canteens, then we'll go after them," Blade said.

  They hastened to the pool.

  "I thought you wanted Havoc to test it first," Athena commented.

  "We can't afford the delay," the Warrior responded. "Besides, evidently those raiders have been using their spring for years. Everyone who travels to Mesaville must drink here. It must be safe."

  "You hope."

  Blade finished refilling his canteen first. He moved a few yards from the pool and stared eastward. The band was drawing near to the end of the boulder field. He spied two men bearing the lifeless form of their former comrade.

  Havoc and Athena joined the giant.

  "Ready when you are, sir," the officer said.

  "Then let's go." Blade led off, unslinging the M-16. He checked to make sure that the selector lever was on semiautomatic and cradled the rifle in his arms. The simple act of walking caused more sweat to flow from his pores.

  "Did you hear what they were saying about someone called Death Master?" Athena asked.

  "It sounds as if he's the one who runs Mesaville," Blade said.

  "Who in their right mind would want to be called Death Master?" Athena wondered.

  "We'll find out soon enough."

  "And what was that business about the Games? And feeding that poor man to Death Master's pets?"

  "I don't know."

  "If Grizzly is there, I hope he's all right."

  Blade gazed at her. "Do I detect a note of affection in your voice?"

  "Why not? I still like him."

  "But you don't love him?"

  "No, certainly not. We've been all through this already. Are you hard of hearing?"

  "No, skeptical."

  "Of what? Me?"

  "Do you want the truth or an evasive answer?"

  "The truth."

  Blade twisted and looked her in the eyes. "I believe you love Grizzly. You always have."

  Astonishment brought her up short. She snickered and resumed walking. "You're crazy. If I love him, why did I put him through such torment?"

  "You were scared and confused. You allowed General Gallagher to convince you his plan was in your best interest, even when deep in your heart you knew he was full of crap."

  "Got it all figured out, huh?" Athena queried irritably.

  "You tell me."

  "I think you're the one who is full of crap."

  "If you say so," Blade said, as he concentrated on keeping the Razors in view. The band had emerged from the boulders and was trekking into the desert, strung out in single file. At the rear was the pair bearing Ramis. He squinted at the afternoon sun and estimated they would reach Mesaville shortly before dark.

  Threading among the monoliths, Blade came to the last boulder and halted. The raiders were 100 yards out. "We'll wait until they're almost out of sight," he said and crouched in the shade.

  Athena stepped off to one side and turned her back to him.

  Havoc knelt and gazed at the retreating figures. "You never did get around to answering me earlier, sir," he remarked.

  "About Gallagher?" Blade replied.

  "Yes, sir. Why were you so polite to him after we returned to L.A. from San Francisco? After all he's put you through, after he's tried repeatedly to ruin the Force, you acted as if nothing had happened. If it had been me, I would have kicked him into the middle of next week and hang the consequences."

  "The general will get his soon enough."

  "But why didn't you confront him when he welcomed us back?"

  Blade leaned against a boulder. "Didn't it strike you as strange that Gallagher was waiting for us at the Facility when we got back?"

  "Yes, sir. He had to know you'd found Athena despite all his efforts to prevent you from succeeding. And he must have been informed that I went AWOL to warn you about the trap he'd set. I never expected him to greet you with open arms."

  "Doesn't it make you wonder?"

  "Sir?"

  "Gallagher never does anything without a reason. I knew he was up to something the minute I climbed from the VTOL and saw him standing with the rest of the Force, his arm on Raphaela's shoulders, grinning like the Cheshire cat."

  "I wanted to punch him in the face."

  Blade grinned. "No doubt. But he knew I wouldn't cause a scene while the others were there. This has to be settled between just the two of us, man to man."

  "So you think he planned the reception?"

  "I know he did. Lobo told me the general showed up shortly before we arrived and had them all hustle from the barracks to greet us."

  "But why?"

  "Because Gallagher wanted to keep me at bay long enough to reveal the information he'd learned concerning Grizzly's whereabouts."

  Captain Havoc's forehead creased. "I still don't understand."

  "He wanted me out of the way for a while, and he guessed correctly that I'd leave L.A. to investigate the news about Grizzly."

  "Why does he want you out of the way?"

  "I wish I knew."

  The officer pondered for a bit. "You've taken a great risk in coming here. You've given Gallagher time to devise a counter-strategy. Given his track record, he's bound to arrange a nasty surprise for you."

  "No doubt, but it couldn't be helped. Grizzly must learn the truth."

  Havoc nodded, then scrutinized the Warrior's countenance. "There's one more thing I'd like to clear up."

  "Go ahead."

  "What's the real reason you brought me along?"

  Blade glanced at the career soldier. "What do you think?"

  "I think you brought me along to keep an eye on me. Now that you know I was helping Gallagher, you no longer trust me completely. And until you make up your mind, you don't want me fraternizing with the rest of the team," Havoc said. "Am I right?"

  "You've guessed part of it."

  A cloud seemed to descend over the officer's features. "I figured as much. Thanks for being honest."

  "I'll decide your fate after we return to California."

  "Yes, sir," Havoc said glumly.

  Blade stood and stepped into the burning sunlight. The Razors were far enough ahead to justify heading out. "Let's go," he said, and began to trail the raiders.

  Captain Havoc waited for Athena to cover a few yards before he fell into place at the rear.

  The Warrior looked back once, noting his companion's somber expressions, and wished he hadn't needed to bring them along. In their present frames of mind, their battle effectiveness would be minimal. Both were too preoccupied to be of much use when the chips were down. He could only hope they ran into as little opposition as possible.

  For 15 minutes the trio hiked across the parched wasteland. The breeze tapered off, leaving a deathly stillness in the air. Not so much as an insect stirred.

  Blade cradled the M-16 in his arms and hiked onward determinedly. The 15 minutes became an hour, then two. His skull felt as if it had been set ablaze. Several times he treated himself to a sip from his canteen.

  Three hours after leaving the spring, the unexpected happened.

  Blade was mopping his forehead when he heard screams and gunfire arise from the vicinity of the band. He stopped and shielded his eyes with his right hand. The raiders were vaguely visible near the horizon, and there was evidence of a commotion in the form of a rising cloud of dust.

  "What's happening?" Athena asked.

  "Maybe they're attacking another party," Havoc suggested.

  Blade hesitated, debating whether to risk exposure by moving closer, and at that moment he heard the peculiar sound overhead, a distinct flap-flap-flap. He tilted his neck and gazed upward. An involuntary gasp escaped his lips at the sight of the monstrosity swooping down toward them. "Look out!" he cried and brought up the M-16.

  Too late.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The creature was unlike any the Warrior had ever seen, and in his extensive travels he'd encountered hideous beasts of all shapes and sizes. This one possessed a pair of mighty wings, but it wasn't a bird. It had long teeth, bulging eyes, ears, and a tapered tail, but it wasn't a mammal. Incredibly, the thing most resembled an animal Blade had only seen in pictures; a deep sea manta.

  Ten feet across from one tip of its triangular wing to the other, the abomination was thin, almost flat. Its hairless, leathery skin was as smooth as polished glass. A pair of short antennae dangled from under its slit of a mouth. And as it dived at the three humans it vented a snake-like hiss.

  Blade had no time to fire. One of the creature's wings slammed into him, bowling him over. He glimpsed its mouth snapping at his face and jerked his head out of the way; when the thing was past him, he leaped up to see it gracefully gliding higher, gaining altitude for another try.

  Captain Havoc and Athena opened fire.

  The Warrior could see the rounds striking home without apparent effect. He sighted on the squat head and sent a half-dozen 5.56-mm manglers into the mutation.

  Banking sharply to the north, the flying manta shuddered, its tail whipping from side to side.

  "What is it?" Athena asked in horror.

  "Another radiation spawned deviate," Havoc said, stating the obvious.

  Blade kept his eyes on the thing, observing it swing in a wide loop and angle down toward them again. "Concentrate on its head!" he bellowed and did exactly that.

  The three M-16's chattered in a metallic chorus of raucous discord.

  On high, the manta shook violently once more. The hail of lead peppered its rudimentary face and eyes, holes blossoming over every square inch. It tried to gain altitude, then abruptly sagged, its wings drooping, and plummeted earthward from a height of 200 feet, going into a dizzying spiral.

  "Cover it just in case," Blade instructed. The thing crashed not ten feet away from him, its body crumbling with a sickening crunch, the impact reducing it to a crushed mass of pink flesh and brown skin. No bones were in evidence. Greenish-blue blood oozed onto the earth.

  The Warrior walked over, regarding the creature warily. He saw one of its dark eyes jutting upward, wide open and already glazing, and he nudged the carcass with his left foot.

  "Is it dead?" Athena asked hopefully.

  "Yep."

  "It's like something from another planet," Havoc said.

  "What mutation isn't?" Athena said.

  The Warrior pivoted and saw a veritable cloud of the terrors swirling in the air above the Razors. He checked the rest of the sky to make sure there were no more near him, then knelt. "Get down," he advised.

  "Do you think more of those things will come after us?" Athena asked, kneeling.

  "Let's hope not. The nearest good cover is way back at that boulder field."

  "The firing has stopped," Havoc noted. "All the Razors must be dead."

  "Surely not all of them," Athena said in disbelief.

  The three of them watched for over an hour as mantas landed and others flapped heavily into the air. At first more landed than took off, but in time the ratio reversed and the mutations departed in groups of four or five at a time. They all flew off to the southeast.

  Not until he hadn't seen any hint of movement for ten minutes did Blade stand and hasten to investigate. He'd counted 74 of the monsters, and he shuddered to think what would have happened if the flock had found the three of them instead of the raiders.

  The bodies became clearly visible from dozens of yards away, lying scattered about in attitudes of violent death. To their credit, the Razors had taken several of the mutations with them; there were nine of the creatures lying on the battlefield.

 

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