Annie's hands flew across the controls, calling up information.

"There's something on the Road ahead?" Jordan said simply.

Biting her lower lip, Annie nodded.

"Maybe just debris. Happens."

Jordan grunted and nodded.

"In which case, it's got maybe-what? Five minutes? Ten, tops, until the Road Bugs show up."

"We're closing fast," Annie said.

Fast enough?

She looked at the controls wondering if she should slow it down. The video display of whatever was up ahead was blurry ... pixilated.

What the hell was it?

"Might be a Road Ship. A one-man Speeder. The mass is big enough."

Annie studied the screen a moment longer. Then hit the comm button.

"If I could have your attention, please."

She paused, imagining the various reactions in the passengers' cabin. Did they know they might have just hit trouble?

"We've detected ... something on the Road ahead-" She didn't use the word "anomaly."

"Please make sure your harnesses are secure."

Now Jordan worked his console, trying to get a clearer image of whatever it was ahead of them. There were too many possibilities, but the first thought-as it was for any Road traveler-was: Runners? Maybe an ambush?

Mobius Control had said everything was quiet ahead.

But they'd been known to make mistakes.

"Just to be safe ... might want to train your main gun on the Road ahead."

"What do you think I'm doing?"

Annie took a breath to calm down as she glanced at Jordan's fingers, so quickly adjusting the weapon's sights. He centered the object in his crosshairs.

"Road Bugs would have gotten to it and cleaned it up by now, don't you think?" Annie asked.

"Depends. Might have just happened."

He turned and looked at her.

"Could be anything, Annie."

Then he flipped a switch and said, "Got the front turret gun on it, too. Whatever it is."

Before Annie could say a word, he unstrapped his harness and got out. He unlocked the cockpit door and hurried down the aisle.

He wanted to be hands-on, no matter what it was.

"What's up?" the dark, twitchy guy, Rodriguez, asked as Jordan walked by.

Jordan ignored him. And ignored the Chippie, who looked up at him.

Anxious?

Definitely, but maybe just anxious to record what was about to happen?

But he didn't-he couldn't ignore Ruth when he passed by her seat. Their eyes met.

He could see her fear, her concern.

Still-best he kept his mouth shut.

After all ... it could be nothing.

He moved out of the passenger compartment and opened the hatch door to climb into the main gun turret.

He settled into the seat and strapped in. Now he had direct control of the gun. The turret filled with the high-pitched whining sound of the charged pulse cannon, ready to fire.

He put on his headset.

Then-finally-Jordan smiled.

I may get to shoot something after all.

Through the patched-in comm system, he heard Annie saying something in the cockpit. Then a voice-a man's voice-broken by washes of static and shrill feedback. The Road always did weird things to communications.

"May-Day ... -Day ... This ... damage..."

Over the headset, Jordan heard Annie's voice.

"This is Captain Annie Scott of the SRV-66. Identify yourself."

"... chell ... flying solo ... systems overheated ... possible ... life support ... port going..."

"Say again!" Annie said.

The commlink was weak, if not broken, but Jordan could piece enough together, and he knew Annie could, too.

"... power cores ... induction coil's dumped ... before the ... show up ... me into rubbish..."

Whoever it was, he was minutes away from being "cleaned up" by the Road Bugs.

Having seen them in action, the only thing Jordan could compare it to was a frenzied shark attack.

Whoever it is better hope the SRV gets to him first.

Jordan took a breath, flexed his fingers, and waited.

"We're closing fast," he heard Annie say. "Are you capable of transfer?"

Jordan shook his head when he heard this.

No shooting today-unless the Road Bugs showed up first.

Just picking up someone stranded on the Road.

That was the code, whether he liked it or not.

Stay frosty, Jordan told himself.

8.

THE CODE OF THE ROAD.

This seemed strange. Why a breakdown? Annie thought. Things like that ... just didn't happen.

"Why did your coil dump?"

The commlink turned clearer now. The man's voice steady-in control.

Pretty good, considering he might be facing a horde of Road Bugs any minute now.

"Please ID yourself," Annie said, her voice firm.

"Solo civilian vehicle. RA number IMT-9. My name is Gage ... Gage Mitchell."

"Individual Mass Transit," Annie muttered as she punched the information into the ship's computer. Moments later, the display flashed a message that the registration checked out as valid.

So he's a civilian. Out on the Road. Alone. Doing ... what?

"We're decelerating. Prepare for docking." Annie kept her voice steady. She could see Jordan in the turret.

"Atmospherics are low. I'm not sure I can pressurize the connector," Gage said.

"Have you got an EVA suit?" Annie asked.

"I'm wearing it as we speak."

Good ... must be a resourceful and experienced traveler. Not some incompetent newbie.

"You're damned lucky we chanced by," Annie said.

"Yeah ... all I have is luck."

Rodriguez looked out the porthole.

He looked back at the others-all also glued to their windows.

We're definitely slowing down, he thought.

That's not supposed to happen.

He looked around.

"Why are we slowing down?"

"We're not," said the old man-the miner-across the aisle from him. "Looks to me like we're stopping."

"Why would we stop out here?"

Rodriguez realized that he must have sounded scared.

Nothing he could do about that. Because he was ...

"Probably-something on the Road ahead. Maybe some debris or a stranded vehicle."

"And...?"

"Code of the Road. We have to stop and offer any and all assistance in the event of a breakdown."

Sounds like he's quoting the damned manual, Rodriguez thought.

"Shouldn't be a big deal. Not to worry, amigo."

Annie was the first to see them.

A glance to the image of Jordan in the turret, suddenly looking up at his camera, to her.