Viella suddenly realized that the stranger was no longer standing beside her. She looked for him and saw that he had crouched behind one of the counters. In the darkness she could see a strange glow coming from his face, and then she realized it was his eyes. His muscles bulged through the body suit.
She saw him turn in his hunched-over position and stalk around the corner. He was moving down the side aisle toward the patrollers.
A shudder traversed her body so vigorously she had to put a hand on the counter to steady herself. She realized in her anguish that there was no hope for either of them. She admired his strength and bravado. He seemed to have great courage when it was time to face danger, but the task before him was impossible, and she knew it.
She squatted down until her head was out of sight of the men. She hoped they hadn't seen her. She peered around the corner. What could she do to help the stranger? There wasn't anything nearby she could use for a weapon. She wasn't strong enough for a man to woman combat. And her training in martial arts had only begun a short while before in the secret halls of the underground. In essence there was nothing she could do but watch. Or maybe I can distract them, she thought. She looked over the counter at them.
Just then one of the patrollers stepped forward and pulled an instrument from his belt.
A flesh detector, thought Viella.
The patroller had his head bent, concentrating as little lights flashed on the face of the instrument. For a patroller he was of average height, but his shoulders were massive and his chest bulged beneath his uniform. Around his waste was strapped a thick, black belt. Various instruments protruded from attached casings. On his feet, instead of the usual footpads of the body suit, he wore large leather boots
Probably very good at all forms of combat. Hurd picked only the best for his police force.
He continued to study the instrument, and she knew it wouldn't be long before he located the two of them. Then there would be much time to think about her mistakes on the way to the pits.
The patroller looked up and pointed in her direction. He had located the perpetrator. He looked again at the instrument to double check. Abruptly his expression changed quickly from one of authority to one of surprise. He looked to the left and grabbed for his weapon, but before he had a chance to draw and fire a man came flying out of the dark, landing on top of him and the other patroller. The three of them crashed to the floor with arms and legs flailing in all directions. One of the patrollers received a blow directly to the face from the stranger’s fist. The patroller’s nose made a crunching noise from the blow and his front teeth were pushed back rendering him unconscious before he was able to rise from the floor.
The stranger jumped up and lifted the other patroller into the air, and hurled him forty feet across the room. When he landed, fortunately for him, it was in a pile of sample fabrics. The wind was knocked out of him, and he lay gasping audibly for breath.
Viella rushed toward the stranger. She was stunned by his speed and strength, and how did he catapult himself through the air like that. But this wasn't the time to stop and think about it, or to try to figure it out.
Her flesh pattern would now be on record with the central computer. There was only one thing left to do and that was to escape from the city. The stranger would have to go with her. She bent over and picked up the fallen phasor and the flesh detector, which was lying a few feet away, then she ran to the shelves where the gloves were stocked and grabbed a pair for the stranger, then she ran to the back of the store where she had seen the coats. If they were to escape into the plains, the stranger would have to have some protection against the cold, night air. Unfortunately these weren’t the coats used to survive extended lengths of time in the harsh plains of Ar, however they would have to do. She took the stranger by the hand and led him outside toward the patrollers' flyer, which was hovering in front of the store. She opened the door for the stranger, and after he had gotten in she rushed around to the driver's side, opened the door, and jumped in.
The hum of the engine increased as she stepped on the accelerator. It started forward, and she flew the craft down Fifth Street and rounded the corner at the intersection of Gem. She headed for the edge of the dome all the while keeping an eye out for other patrol craft. Several times she heard chatter over the radio, and once she was sure the dispatchers were calling her craft. She knew she had to hurry. She pushed down on the pedal increasing the speed. Finally they came to the end of the street. She stopped the flier, and opened the door. She ran around to the other side and helped the strange man out. She led him to the bushes where a hidden tunnel would take them safely out of the city.
As she was searching for the hatch she heard the hum of another patrol craft. She had the stranger crouch down, then she continued her search. She found the handle buried in the grass and pulled with a hefty heave lifting metal and grass to get the small hatch open. Just then she saw lights as the craft came around the corner. She parted the branches of the bush very slightly and watched as the craft came to a halt next to the other one. The door opened on the driver’s side, and a patroller got out of the craft. He turned and looked right at Viella. It was as if he knew she was there, or maybe he heard a noise. She wanted to let go of the branches, but she was afraid that the movement would give her away, so she continued to stare at him expecting him to draw his phasor and start shooting. But instead, he turned and went to the vacated patrol craft and looked inside.
She didn’t wait to see what else he would do. She let go of the branches and stooped beside the stranger. She took his hand and pointed, indicating for him to go down the metal ladder and into the tunnel. It was with a sense of relief that he understood what she wanted him to do, and he started down. She went in after, closing the hatch quietly behind her.