"Unbelievable."

"First time for everything."

On the screen, she could see that while Jordan was holding a number of speeders at bay, more were creeping up along both sides of the vehicle. The speeders were bristling with spiderlike arms-more drills.

So that's how the Runners take down their prey.

With less mass, the speeders moved faster than the SRV on the Road. They steadily closed the gap, and the helpless waiting game continued.

If one or more attached to her, could she pull off another barrel roll?

Unbelievable or not, she would have to try.

A light tap on her shoulder made her jump. Then a voice. And a single word.

"Captain?"

A quick look.

Ruth Corso.

"Back to your seat, Ms. Corso. We're still-"

"He spoke." Annie shook her head. Confused.

"Ivan ... he spoke."

With a neuro-collar on? Not possible.

"He said, 'I can shoot.'"

Annie grit her teeth and nodded.

Thinking: What he's really saying is "Set me free."

To help or ... what?

She looked at Jordan on the screen, overwhelmed by speeders slipping past him like a stream of running rats.

The shields all over the ship were decreasing, nearly drained.

Ivan can shoot, but can I trust him?

He's the reason we're being attacked.

She had to make a decision. Fast. And she was good at that.

She took a key from her side pocket.

"It releases the collar. He's going to be weak, sluggish at first, but tell him to get the hell up here, pronto!"

Gripping the key, Ruth returned to the one-time leader of the Runners, amazed to think he might be their only hope ... or quite possibly their destruction.

Rodriguez winced and squinted into the mirror as he checked his wounds. The left side of his face was flecked with the electric burns that oozed blood and pus.

"Looks pretty bad to me."

Sinjira swatted the mirror away and leaned forward, smiling as she daubed antiseptic on his wounds.

"You'll live. I've seen worse, umm after a bad night in SoHo."

Rodriguez looked as though he didn't believe her.

She raised a hand to his face. Touched his cheek. Not a bad-looking guy. Though she liked more man in her men.

Lots more.

"Just flecks. Superficial stuff."

"And what was wrong with the SRV? What was with that turn?"

"Beats me, Doc. Just be glad we were both strapped in. Too bad I didn't get it on a chip, though. That was ... unique."

"I like my stomach under my ribs, thank you," Rodriguez said.

Sinjira dabbed a few more spots with ointment that immediately stopped any oozing from the burns.

"And I think ... I need a new chip."

She reached into her side pocket pouch to grab a chip because she was sure this show wasn't over yet ... especially when Ruth Corso came down from the cockpit and unlocked Ivan Delgato from his neck collar.

"Really? You're freeing him?"

"Captain's orders."

The collar snapped free. Ruth helped Ivan stand up. He looked shaky, to say the least.

Ivan blinked, turned his neck left and right as if making sure it still worked. Then he raised his arms and stretched, but he looked as weak as a baby.

Sinjira heard Ruth say: "Captain wants you. Up front."

Ivan took a step forward and nearly collapsed into another seat. Then, stiffening his legs, he moved as fast as he could, weaving like a drunk as the SRV rocked left and right. He almost fell again as he started up the short flight of stairs.

Sinjira looked at Rodriguez "Gotta say we are having ourselves quite the Road trip...."

Annie glanced up as Ivan entered the cockpit.

"Against my better judgment, Delgato, I'm giving you the gunner's seat. Your head clear enough?"

Ivan nodded, but he was clearly pained. Disoriented.

"Start firing as soon as you can focus."

She tended to the controls but kept glancing back at him, not moving, just standing there.

"You hear what I said? Sit your ass down and start-"

Finally, he moved.

Reaching smoothly down to his right leg, he quickly produced a small handgun. It wasn't much bigger than a deck of cards.

"What the hell?"

Annie started to ease forward to un-holster her own sidearm.

Ivan shook his head. "I wouldn't if I were you. This is small, but it packs a good punch."

"Jordan will-"

"Will do what he has to. I know. But for now, open a secure link to the battle cruiser commander."

Annie didn't move. She listened to the quiet thumping in her ears.

"Did I forget to say now?"

Ivan kept the small gun pointed directly at the captain's head. Leaning forward, he removed her sidearm and tucked it into the waistband of his pants.

Finally, defeated, Annie heaved a sigh and then threw a switch. The ship's channel lit up the screen, and the speakers chirped.

"Battle cruiser Commander ... this is Captain Scott of the SRV-66."

The screen at the top of the cockpit flickered to life, and the battle cruiser commander's holographic image appeared.

"I'll take it from here," Ivan said to Annie. And then: "Commander, this is Ivan Delgato. I've taken charge of this SRV."

On the projection, the commander's eyes widened. He looked confused.

"Delgato? You don't look like-"

"A bit of reconstructive surgery, courtesy of the World Council."

The battle cruiser commander still didn't look convinced.

"I am Ivan Delgato ... and I have this SRV and its captain under my control."

"How am I supposed to-?"

"Order your speeders to stand down. Now!" He glanced at Annie as he drew the word out. "Get them back into your bay. Tell me, is my brother aboard?"

The commander turned away, barked an order, then turned to face the screen.

"Kyros gave us orders to bring you to him. Alive if possible."

"Oh, I'm very much alive. What's the next way station off-ramp?"

"Bottes Six. Not far."

"Follow us there." To Annie: "Program for an unscheduled stop at Bottes Six." To the commander again: "You can take possession of this ship and its passengers and contents if you'd like."

"And what do you want us to do with them?"

Ivan leaned back and laughed, then glared at Annie to make sure he had her undivided attention. The gun barrel was mere inches from her forehead.

"With this vehicle? Its passengers and crew? Do whatever you want. Blow 'em all to hell for all I care. Makes no difference to me."

After a short pause: "Yes, sir. We're setting in a course to track you to Bottes Six."

"Good. We'll talk more once we're on the tarmac."

Then to Annie: "Cut the link."

Annie hit a switch.

"Now what?" she said, not a trace of nervousness in her voice.

The woman's tough, Ivan thought.

"You're actually going to hand us over to those killers?"

On the screen, Ivan saw Jordan watching as the speeders peeled away. Then he moved down to his screen that showed the cockpit and Annie.

But not the gun.

"Tell your gunner to come up here asap. And be careful. I'd hate to have to pull this trigger. At close range like this? It'd make quite a mess."

Annie took a quick breath. Leaning forward, she keyed the commlink.

"Jordan, get your ass up here now."