CONVINCED

1563 4D

Ezzar stood with Rennie at the intersection of the narrow side way with the ascending street, watching Corsang Run dance and swing past them. The distribution of medical supplies done, they had reclaimed their weapons. Rennie rubbed the sides of his head, trying to fend off the battering music. Ezzar looked out. “This is going to take some getting used to,” she said, aiming her words up at his ear in the din. “Are you all right?”

“I wish I’d never seen innerspace,” Rennie said to her, bending close, “and right now I’d like to be out at Engrammatic with Jeddin again. I’ve never seen people packed in like this. It drives me crazy, like everything’s trying to swallow me. Like Onnashak did. Can’t we get out of here? Maybe find Andrew.” Rennie looked afraid, grim.

“Maybe Allashani‘s people can tell us a good way out of this place. Andrew‘s gone.” Ezzar said. Andrew‘s sudden disappearance into the crowd had hurt her — after he had asked them to come, he had left them to fend for themselves. She turned away from the thundering street and went back down the dark side way to the van, and at the stonewall inner end of the side way found the woman who had stood guard in Allashani‘s room, now joking in a brassy contralto with two men.

“We’ve done what we can,” Ezzar said to her. “What’s the best way out of the City from here? We came in on the power route, down around 670, from Drevill.”

The woman’s grin vanished. She paused, letting the drumbeats throb, then said with a frown, “Good luck trying. The militia usually closes all the exits during the Run. And after that we hit our targets, and then there won’t be any way out of here at all. Just find a hiding place for a while, sit tight, and wait till the fighting’s over. Besides, the militia and the corpos are out hunting, right now. Once you get outside Sobi, you’ll get hauled down.”

Ezzar glanced up at Rennie. He scowled and shrugged. For him, moving always beat sitting. “We’re fighters,” she said. “Where would you need us?”

The woman looked at Rennie, and said to Ezzar, “Yeah? You, maybe, but him? There’s only two andros I know out of a million who’d fight with us. They’re all a bunch of sheep. At least he carries big guns for you.” The men grinned.

Rennie grinned back, his crooked teeth bright in the dim light. “What would convince you?” he asked.

His tone chilled Ezzar. He didn’t sound like this when he was in better control of himself. “He’s killed people,” she said.

The woman folded her arms. “Sure, and I eat andros for breakfast.” The men laughed.

Ezzar glanced at Rennie. His face had darkened just enough for her to read his rage. “Don’t,” she started to say.

Too late. The space around her blinked: the other woman hung, pinned to the corridor end wall, Rennie‘s boot in her stomach; the two men dangled by their throats, one hanging from each of Rennie‘s hands, their backs against the side walls. Balanced perfectly on one foot, leaning slightly toward the woman, he smiled at them as they choked and struggled for a few seconds; then he dropped them free and stood back. “Convinced?” he asked. The veins in his head throbbed dark-blue.

One by one they climbed to their feet, gasping, rubbing throats and stomach. Rennie let his hands hang at his sides, watching them. Ezzar waited tensely. One of the men moved furtively; she faced him and he froze.

“You’re no andro,” the woman coughed. “But I don’t care. You’ve made your point. We need speed like that over on the Power Complex, on the rail terminus side. With ArCorp‘s bugboys coming, that’s where it’s going to be roughest.” She massaged her ribs, the print of Rennie‘s boot showing dusty against her brown coverall.

A muscular man in brown, his deep-olive tan face angular and lean, came out of a side corridor and scanned Ezzar and Rennie with piercing gray eyes. The woman spoke. “Go down to 641 with Ellichik here and follow him across to the Complex. Tell them Tenn Carmo sent you to help out.” She paused and glared at Rennie. “And don’t try with them what you did to us. They’ll kill you.”