Chapter 22p3 – Go, Gal, Go

The world shuddered into slow motion. Milly lifted her head, looked into Tic’s eyes, then slumped into a faint.

Tic was at her side almost before she’d hit the ground. Scooping her into his arms, he whirled back towards the ship, but found himself staring into the black masks of the Liberati.

“THANKS FOR THE SHIP, BOLTER,” leered Libden from their midst. “GOOD THING I DIDN’T BLOW IT UP, EH?”

The bodyguards tightened their fingers on their triggers.

Red lasers burst in from the side, striking two of the Liberati in the head. Those still standing spun to find the source of the attack: it hadn’t come from the direction of the Entulovians’ ship—which appeared to be in the process of departing—but from the area of the tunnel mouth. It had come from…

Dunter. Tic saw the collector, still dragging chains from his ankles, surge up from behind a low wall and loose another barrage with a furious battle cry: “Give me back my Astrobot!!”

Two of the Liberati threw their boss to the ground, shielding her with their bodies. The Adam Astrobot was knocked loose from her hands and she shrieked, rattling Tic’s skull, but he ignored the pain and broke for the Pelican, carrying Milly up the ramp. Laying her down and plunging into the cockpit, he cried, “Go, Gal, go!”

The viewscreen in the cockpit relayed video of what was taking place behind them. Dunter charged towards Libden, his onslaught melting through the Liberati, but one of the white-tuxedoed guards had hustled her free, heading for the Pelican. Dunter stooped, and Tic saw the Adam Astrobot in his hand. The collector gazed at it affectionately. It was the last thing he saw.

Jeffries stepped up and put a laser through Dunter’s neck.

About Tim Sevenhuysen

Tim Sevenhuysen writes sci-fi and other genre fiction. He is a microfiction expert, having written over 600 fifty-word stories. He is also a noncertifiable lunatic.

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