Robin also learned that Al Capone left his palace early each morning to look over pet projects, accompanied by Eichmann and a few other trusted lieutenants. Such a routine begged closer examination, so Robin visited the city library one morning (several dozen authors were re-creating famous works from memory, and interested readers could inspect new drafts of Moby d.i.c.k, War and Peace, Ubik, and Little House on the Prairie). Since the library faced out on the central plaza, he had a clear view as Capone-a small, round-faced man with powerful arms and shoulders-crossed the square. The gangster smoked constantly, his words interspersed with short, sharp hand motions. It took maybe three minutes for265.Capone and his men to cross from the palace to Eichmann's office building.

Robin stared up at the rooftops surrounding the square and thought about ambushes. Yes, he thought, the more he studied the matter, the higher he believed their chance of success.

On his fifth night in New Chicago, Emile drew him aside again. "I have it arranged for you to leave tomorrow," he said. "We need more flint. You will be going to a high-quality outcropping you spotted some weeks ago in your wanderings, and two of our apprentices will accompany you to carry it back."

"What about guards?"

"Seven men will accompany you for the first day. When you reach the edge of Capone's territory, six of them will turn back. Capone has an entire city to watch over, and cannot spare guards for such minor missions as this." Emile winked. "Besides, in my confidential reports to Eichmann, I have told him how happy you are here, and how hard you are working. They like loyalty in men such as us, eh?" He gave a hearty laugh.

Dawn the next morning found Robin and two seventeen-year-old apprentice gunsmiths standing at the main gates. As Emile had promised, everything was arranged: the guards were waiting, and they even returned Robin's bow.

"You'll be standing double duty," said the guard who was to accompany them the whole time, a grizzled, tough-looking mercenary named O'Brien. "Keep the kiddies m line, keep yourself in line, and we won't have no trouble."

"Sounds good to me," Robin said.266.Their fourth night out, Robin put an arrow in O'Brien's back as the man lay sleeping. Fast, quick, and painless by this world's standards: Robin felt not a moment's remorse. It wasn't like death here was permanent, he thought. O'Brien would awaken the following day, naked and confused, next to a grail hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

The two apprentices stared at Robin, clearly terrified. They tensed to run.

"Relax," Robin told them. "I'm not going to kill you. I'm on a secret mission and had to get rid of our guard. You can either stick with me for the next few weeks... and you'll be richly rewarded when we're through... or you can return to New Chicago. If you go back, though, be warned that Emile will have naught to do with you. He knows about what's going on, and even arranged this whole trip. You'll be stuck in p.i.s.stown or sent to a labour camp for the rest of your lives."

"We will go with you," they both said at once.

Robin nodded; he'd expected that answer. "Search O'Brien's body and split whatever valuables he has. The sword and shield are mine. Then hide the body where it won't be found."

Both boys hurried to obey. Robin sat back and watched. He didn't know if they'd stick with him, hightail it back for New Chicago at their first chance, or just flee to another settlement somewhere down-River. It didn't really matter, he thought; he'd be back aboard the Belle Dame the next day. Even if the boys tried to warn Capone, he'd beat them to New Chicago on the riverboat.267.The Belle Dame was anch.o.r.ed in the middle of the River exactly as they had agreed it would be. Little John and the others were practising on deck. Arrows were nocked, fired, nocked, and fired again at the straw targets. Verne's men had improved vastly in the ten days he'd been away, Robin noticed.

The apprentices merely gaped. Robin clapped them on their backs. "What do you think now?" he asked.

"But this is Monsieur Verne's boat!" Jacques, the younger of the two, finally said.

"And there is Monsieur Verne!" cried Pierre. He gazed at Robbin in awe. "You are a spy for Monsieur Verne!"

"That's right." Robin cupped hands to his mouth and hallooed to the Belle Dame. Everyone on the deck dropped what they were doing and crowded to the rails, waving excitedly.

A boat was rapidly dispatched, and in twenty minutes Robin and the boys had been transported safely aboard.

Jules Verne was the first to shake Robin's hand. "Congratulations!" he boomed. He looked completely well, his cheeks ruddy, his long brown hair whipping wildly in the breeze. "I knew you would return safely!"

"And I have good news," Robin said. "It will be easier than we thought to capture the city."

"Do not keep us in suspense! What have you discovered?"

Robin climbed two of the steps toward the second deck and turned. His men and the Belle Dame's crew all stared at him avidly. Taking a deep breath, he began to tell, in simple language, exactly what had transpired, and exactly how he planned to take the city back. Claude de Ves gave a running translation for the members of Verne's crew who didn't speak English well enough to follow.

There were startled gasps when he told of the flintlocks and the ally he had found in Emile van Deskol. "And268.so," Robin said, "I think we stand more than a chance of taking New Chicago from Capone. I know we can do it. It will be hard, it will be brutal, and some of us will undoubtedly die. But in this world where death is but an inconvenience, we have nothing to fear. Come, let's drink to our success!"

To the cheers of the men, he led the way into the salon, where enough liquor had been stored for everyone aboard to share a toast. When it was done, Jules Verne led everyone in three cheers for Robin.

And Robin himself, riding high on the crest of their emotion, felt as though he were flying, as though he would never come down.

"I will need a few things," Robin said.

It was the next afternoon; he and Jules Verne were in the riverboat's salon. The Belle Dame was headed up-River for New Chicago at full speed.

"If it's within my power, you know I will get them for you," Verne said.

"First," Robin said, "I need something like a portable periscope, to watch Capone and his men from cover."

"We have mirrors on board," Verne said. "It is simple enough to mount two of them in a box, arranged so you can look over walls or around corners."

"Second, I need a thin sheet of metal, perhaps an inch wide and eight inches long-but it must be strong at the same time."

"We have extra bra.s.s railings aboard. One can be cut to that size."

"And I need something flammable-an oil-soaked rag would be ideal-and matches to ignite it quickly."

"Will flint and steel suffice?"269."If that's all you have, it must."

"It is; we have found no sulphur deposits yet. What else?"

"Nothing but luck."

"That, my friend," Jules Verne said, "must rest with Providence."

When they neared New Chicago, the crew doused all lights and ran the riverboat in darkness. Robin moved forward, studying the sh.o.r.eline. Here and there fires from human settlements glimmered faintly through the trees. Overhead, alien constellations shone palely down, providing a wan sort of light that made the River's waves shimmer ever so faintly silver.

Several crewmen sat silently in the prow, dangling their feet overboard, calling instructions back to the pilothouse. The pilot avoided sandbanks as best he could. Twice Robin heard the Belle Dame's keel sc.r.a.pe sand.

At last they rounded a bend in the River and New Chicago, some three or four miles distant as yet, came into view. Its thousands of lights and campfires gave the sky a glow visible for leagues in every direction.

"I think we should land here," Robin said. "We're about an hour's walk away. We can be there well before dawn."

"Good," said Verne. He hefted his longbow. "This time I am ready for Capone."

"No," Robin said. "I want you to stay aboard. You're too valuable to risk in the fighting."

"I did not journey all this way-" Verne began.

Mutch said, "Think of your wounds, sir. They're not fully healed. If you rip out the st.i.tches..."270.Claude de Ves whispered something in French in Verne's ear. Jules Verne frowned, but finally nodded and turned to Robin.

"You all seem united against me in this matter," he said. "So be it. Take all the men you require; I will remain aboard the Belle Dame until success is a.s.sured."

"What if you're attacked?" Robin asked. "Surely you need some crew to protect the riverboat."

"The Belle Dame carries a few surprises for anyone foolish enough to attack her," Verne said with a wink. "As for my crew, I need five strong men, no more."

"Very well," Robin said, "though I would gladly leave twice that number."

Verne rose with sudden determination. "Let us see to the boats," he said. "The sooner New Chicago is freed, the happier I will be."

On deck, Verne gave the orders and the riverboat put in as close to sh.o.r.e as it could. The crew broke out four boats this time. Robin and his men went ash.o.r.e first, then Verne's men followed. The Belle Dame pulled back and began to drift down-River with the current, away from New Chicago. Verne would hide around the River's bend until dawn.

Robin found himself in command of no fewer than fifty-two archers. A skeleton crew of eight-including Jacques, Pierre, and Verne-had remained aboard the Belle Dame.

As the men gathered together for the march to New Chicago, Robin quietly asked Claude de Ves what he'd said to Verne in the salon.

"Eh?" De Ves chuckled. "Merely that he is too valuable to chance in such an attack as this. We will need his mind to restore the city and the technocracy to its271.former glory. How can he do that if he is dead-from old wounds, or from new ones?"

"Very logical."

"Indeed, it is logic to which Monsieur Verne listens best."

Robin divided the party into three groups, one led by Claude de Ves, one by Little John, and one by himself. "We stand less chance of being spotted if we move quickly and in small groups," he told them. "Little John, follow me in five minutes. Claude, follow five minutes after Little John."

They nodded their understanding. De Ves translated for the Frenchmen.

"Remember," Robin told his group, "we will be the first ones to run into any trouble. Should guards challenge us, shoot first and ask questions later. We have plenty of arrows; don't be afraid to waste them."

He looked his men over one last time, making eye contact with each and every one. They all hefted their bows, shifting impatiently, like hounds eager for the hunt. At last Robin nodded, convinced they were ready. With a sharp whistle, he turned and padded softly into the darkness. They followed right on his heels.

The journey took one of the longest hours of Robin's life.

Every noise in the night, every creaking branch, every rustle of leaves grated on his nerves. He would pause, motioning his men to silence, and listen. Usually it was the wind, or a pa.s.sing animal. Twice patrols of Capone's men pa.s.sed within yards of where they crouched; Capone's men talked loudly to one another, their swords and shields making occasional metallic clangs. They were272.arrogant in their strength, convinced they were invulnerable here, Robin thought. He let them pa.s.s unharmed to maintain the night's facade of normality.

They circled the stinking mire of p.i.s.stown, keeping upwind as much as possible. The northern side of the stockade faced out on a sea of tree stumps sprinkled with little copses of saplings; the forest had been cleared for hundreds of yards around New Chicago for its wood. Like phantoms they drifted from hiding place to hiding place until they were twenty yards from the stockade walls.

While the others waited under cover, Robin and Will Scarlet jogged over to the side gate Robin had scouted during his time in the city. Robin pressed his ear to the wood and heard deep snoring from the other side. The lone guard had fallen asleep at his post.

He mimed it to Will, who had taken out the long, thin strip of bra.s.s Verne's men had prepared. Nodding, Will inserted the strip between the door and frame, working it carefully upward. It caught on the bar. Will shifted left, then right, then up again, and the bar lifted out of place.

Using his fingertips, Robin pushed the door back. Will reached inside, caught the bar, and lowered it silently. They both slipped inside.

Next to the gate they found a guard sprawled in a high-backed wooden chair, his mouth open. He was snoring softly. Robin nocked an arrow and leaned forward until its tip p.r.i.c.ked the man's throat. He came awake with a frightened mew.

"One more sound and you're dead," Robin said. "Will, tie him up."

Will Scarlet did as instructed. In minutes the guard was firmly bound and gagged with strips cut from his273.own clothing. He could do nothing but stare at them with wide eyes.

Turning, Robin pushed the gate completely open and motioned toward the saplings. In groups of three and four, the rest of his band crossed into the stockade.

As they entered, Robin reminded everyone where to go and what to do. "Watch for a flaming arrow," he said. "That will be our sign that the attack has begun."

His men dispersed, melting into the dark streets and alleyways like a fine mist.

Dawn brought a cool grey sky, with a brisk wind that held the promise of rain. Robin, Little John, and five others sprawled on the roof of a building that overlooked the central plaza. Their bows were strung; arrows lay close at hand.

"He'll come from the central doorway," Robin was saying. He pa.s.sed the little periscope Verne had made to each man in turn; they looked over the roofs peak with it, down into the plaza. "He'll have at least four others with him, possibly more. The best time to strike is when they're in the centre of the plaza. I'll give the signal. Agreed?"

"I'm not sure a.s.sa.s.sination is the answer," Little John said.

Robin turned to look at his friend. "Abe, he's a criminal and a murderer."

Lincoln bit his lip.

"If I thought we could safely take him prisoner," Robin went on, "I'd try it. You know I don't want Capone free to raise another criminal empire somewhere else along the River. But I also have to balance our possible losses against his. This is the best way."274.Little John shook his head sadly. "Perhaps you are right. Even so, I find the idea of a.s.sa.s.sinating him distasteful."

"It's not murder," Mutch pointed out. "He won't die."

"But he'll feel it nevertheless."

"True," Robin said. He retrieved the periscope from Mutch and took up watch. A second later, the palace's main doors opened.

Robin let his voice drop to a whisper. "Get ready. They're coming out!" He selected his arrow and prepared to stand and fire. Around him, his men did the same.

"On the count of three," he said. "Everyone aim for Capone. He's the short, round-faced man in the centre. One...two. ..three!"

And on three, all seven rose and fired.

Either the whistle of arrows in flight or the sudden movement on the rooftop gave Capone the warning he needed. The gangster jerked one of his men around, and that man rather than Capone took two arrows in the chest and one in the leg. It was Eichmann, Robin saw. The German staggered, a startled look on his face, then collapsed.

"Guards!" Capone was shouting. He grabbed another man as a shield. "Bring out da guards! Archers on da roofs! Guards!"

Robin fired a second time, just missing Capone's head by a hand's breadth. The gangster continued his retreat, still bellowing for help.

Meantime, Robin's men had killed the rest of Capone's lieutenants. Their bodies lay in the plaza, surrounded by growing pools of blood, arrows protruding at odd angles from their bodies.275.Robin calmly nocked a third arrow, took careful aim, and let it fly. This time he hit the lieutenant Capone was using as a shield, killing him instantly. The gangster continued to drag the corpse in front of him, though, and made it up the palace steps and through the doors unscathed.

"Get down!" Robin said. His men crouched out of sight once more. "d.a.m.n, d.a.m.n, d.a.m.n," he said, pounding his leg with his fist. "I should have had him!"

"It wasn't meant to be," Little John said.

Robin grimaced. "We'll take him later, if we can," he said. "It's time to start the second phase of our attack. Mutch?"

Mutch produced flint and steel. Robin pulled an arrow with an oil-soaked rag bound tightly around its shaft. Mutch struck sparks until the rag caught fire, then Robin rose and fired. It arched across the sky, bright as a flare, a clear signal for everyone else involved in the plan.

"Let's hope the others succeed in their tasks better than we did," he said grimly. "I'll lead the guards away. Little John, you stay here and keep watch, in case Capone comes back out. The rest of you, scatter and keep an eye out for danger. If you can, rally the people to our cause."

With a cry of, "G.o.d save the king!" Robin rose and ran across the top of the roof. With an Indian war-whoop, he leaped to the next building's roof. Shouts came from below as the guards spotted him and gave chase.

Robin grinned and sprinted toward the next building, ten feet away and six feet lower. He'd lead them a merry chase, all right. He reached the edge, leaped, and hung over thirty feet of emptiness. Then, with a grunt, he hit276.the other building's roof and scrambled for purchase. His feet slipped on the wood shingles and he fell forward, grasping for a handhold. He slid six feet before he found one.

Pulling himself up, he glanced over the edge. Twenty or thirty guards were watching for him, swords drawn. A cry went up, and Robin began to run again.

He led them from rooftop to rooftop. Over the next ten minutes, he found the number of guards had grown alarmingly-there were at least a hundred men following him below, waiting for him to slip or get himself trapped.

At last he reached the end of his chase, as he found himself on the roof of a meeting hall. He stood on the top of the roof, looking around in seeming confusion, as if he didn't know where to go from there. Then he climbed down to an open window in the second story and climbed inside.

The guards rushed the building en ma.s.se. As they entered, Robin dashed across the balcony that overlooked the ground floor, drawing their attention.

Then in the centre of the balcony, Robin held up his hands and shouted for their silence. A bit to his surprise, the guards paused and stared at him.