He backed out, stuffed his find into a pocket of the disposable suit, and got his mask on before Abbot called, "This was set to blow half an hour ago! Get me a number eight hex key wrench-on the bench where I was working."

t.i.tus dashed across the room. Abbot's tools were always laid out a certain way. He found the wrench and pa.s.sed it in to Abbot, sweating despite the chill. What would taking the transmitter piece matter if the bomb went off?

Abbot backed carefully out of the hole. He held a flat brown box which he set on a corner of the pedestal. A numeric display on top had frozen. Abbot pried the top off. Inside, it was crude, but t.i.tus knew it was potent from the way Abbot worked over the sloppily soldered connections. He looked up at t.i.tus and grinned. "I'm glad I dined while you were showing off your computer! At least my hands are steady."

t.i.tus didn't dare breathe, and he couldn't watch. He studied a wrinkle in the airlock wall and saw the emergency evacuation signs were lit, though the siren hadn't gone off. Without warning, the door burst open. Sirens were hooting out there in the corridor. The insistent flashing of the corridor evacuation lights outlined a slim, black form that leaped into the room, an automatic dartgun in one hand, and a long knife in the other. Ebony slashed through the plastic wall, leveled the dartgun and cut loose at the sleeper's bubble.

t.i.tus dived across the room in a low tackle, under the line of darts, and hit her knees. She fell forward over his back, and the gun went flying in an arc, b.u.t.t first, right at Abbot. Darts sprayed in a wild pattern before the firing stud popped up. t.i.tus twisted and grappled for the knife.

Meanwhile, Abbot braced and let the dartgun slam into his shoulder, concentrating wholly on the bomb.

t.i.tus got a purchase and used his strength to wrench the life from Ebony's hands, only now thinking to Influence her. But before he could exert control, she curled, planted a foot t.i.tus's crotch, and with a yell shoved him into the air, catching her knife out of his stunned grip.

Abbot jerked, startled, then swore, surged to his feet, and hurled the bomb at the far wall. He hit the floor in a flat dive just ; t.i.tus landed jackknifed over the sleeper's bubble shield, the hard casing in his pocket ramming into his pelvis and abdomen stunning pain.

Then a hot wall of pure sound slammed into t.i.tus. When it was over, there was a hole in the wall behind the workbench, showing the plumbing of the adjacent women's rest room spewing fountains of water into the air. Under Lunar gravity, it was gorgeous. Shards of instrumentation caromed off the ceiling and rained slowly down.

The tone of the sirens outside changed, and those in the room cut loose with a barrage of sound more alarming than the explosion. But the decompression alarms remained silent. Abbot had put the bomb where it would do the least damage.

t.i.tus dragged himself upright, to find Ebony charging at him-no, he realized, at the sleeper.

Still on the floor, Abbot focused Influence and spoke one word. "Halt!"

The command paralyzed t.i.tus and froze Ebony in mid-stride. Her lips distorted into a snarl, and her muscles bulged as they fought one another. She even managed to inch forward despite the compulsion. Her hatred beat at t.i.tus.

She's committed herself to a suicide mission. t.i.tus knew now that he hadn't the power to stop her as Abbot had. Abbot rose with a leisurely grace and plucked the knife from Ebony's fingers. Then he dispelled his Influence. Movement returned to both t.i.tus and Ebony, but Abbot pushed Ebony down and instructed, with less power, "Ebony, sit here until I tell you to move."

Abbot turned to t.i.tus. "Sloppy of me. I apologize."

t.i.tus swallowed hard. Abbot had not used anything like that kind of power in the G.o.ddard Station men's room, but it was always his to command. An object lesson. "Think nothing of it," he croaked. "You saved my life."

"As I had expected you to save mine, child."

"Sloppy of me."

"You did your best. For that I thank you, though it was no more than your filial duty. But still, I claim her."

t.i.tus slid off the bubble. "No! You can't kill her!"

Abbot's stare withered t.i.tus's guts.

"I mean, we have to turn her over to the humans. If you claim her here, what will we do with the body? You know they'll find out she died of exsanguination."

"Cut with her own knife."

"And without bleeding all over the floor?"

He considered. "You have a point, but I'm not hungry. I could share her with you, and still leave enough mess."

"We don't have time. Damage Control will be in here soon, and then Brink's will get hold of Ebony. Ten minutes later the reporters will be onto it. Neither you nor I want this Project canceled. Therefore, Carol has to report this so it won't look like a terrorist scotched Carol's plan to cover up a cloning!"

"Perhaps I've underestimated you."

"Never mind," said t.i.tus, fighting alarmingly mixed emotions at that praise. "Let's get to Carol. Now!"

Abbot insisted on replacing the access panels before they left to prevent water damage to the cryogenic mechanism.

The trip through the corridors was uneventful. Damage Control converged on the area, but civilians had already been evacuated. It was no problem to cloak themselves and Ebony, who hung limply between them, then just filter through the ranks of those intent on the disaster. Ten minutes later, they arrived at Carol Colby's apartment.

She opened the door at their first signal, and her jaw fell. She was wearing only the tee shirt she'd been given at G.o.ddard. Barefoot, without makeup, hair in disarray, she did not look like a formidable administrator.

Behind her, t.i.tus saw that her apartment, while larger and more luxuriously furnished, was about the same as his. Her carpet was red, the drapes a pattern with the same red in them. The furniture was softly upholstered in what seemed real leather, probably cloned at Luna Station. Planters divided the large room into areas.

Looking up and down the hall, Colby yanked them into the , closed the door and leaned against it, lips pale. "The bomb went off!"

t.i.tus hardly heard Abbot's reply. At the entry to an office : to the right of the central room stood Inea.

She had one hand on the controls of the vidcom, which displayed a news broadcast from Earth featuring the interview with Carol they'd all witnessed in t.i.tus's lab earlier.

t.i.tus locked eyes with Inea. Her face told him how ghastly he appeared. He still wore the isolation suit, sans mask. But it was soiled, torn, and disintegrating where water had splashed. His face felt flash-burned and sooty. His vision danced with spots from the explosion, and his ears roared.

"Inea, what are you doing here?"

"My civic duty. What are you doing here?"

t.i.tus pointed at Ebony. "This is the ninja. She set the bomb. When it failed to go off, she tried a direct attack."

Colby stared at Ebony, astonished, then nodded. "She's the right size, and certainly has the strength." She urged them to put Ebony down on the bed, then filled Inea in on the crisis in the Biomed dome, finishing to Abbot, "Did we lose the specimen?"

"When we left, the cryogenic unit was intact."

"Then its biological isolation wasn't breached, and all we have to do is move it to a clean room and begin work. Good. Abbot, you've performed another heroic service and will be amply rewarded."

Before Abbot could make any modest disclaimer, Inea burst out, "Amply rewarded! Carol-after what I just told you? And you said you'd have to-"

"Yes," said Colby, suddenly doubtful and confused.

t.i.tus moved to Inea's side, stopping when she retreated faintly. "Carol is very tired. And her judgment where Abbot is concerned." He shrugged, catching Inea's eye.

She absorbed that, watching Abbot. t.i.tus felt her anger rise, knew Abbot would sense it if he weren't too occupied with controlling Ebony as well as Colby. Neither of the humans noticed how the ninja slumped docilely on the bed.

Colby's confusion cleared. "Don't worry, Inea. Abbot has just redeemed-"

"Carol!" Inea charged across the carpet to confront the director. "Call Mirelle in here. She'll tell you Abbot was with her-having s.e.x-when he was supposed to be at the demonstration. That's insubordination. And if that's not enough, get Brink's to cross-check the signature on that order to Mihelich to start the cloning project. If the reporters get hold of that and don't find out Abbot forged your name, the whole project will be dead. You told me so yourself not half an hour ago. You said you'd fire him."

While Carol again paused doubtfully, Inea whirled and speared t.i.tus with a triumphant glance. She had single-handedly vanquished the opposition t.i.tus couldn't handle.

Oh, G.o.d! t.i.tus felt weak all over, and he realized his own fatigue was catching up to him. He'd never lived like this before. His nerves weren't hardened to shock after crisis after trauma without letup for whole days at a time.

While t.i.tus leaned against the vidcom unit, Abbot chuckled. Adroitly, he manipulated Colby to take his laugh as a valid refutation of all the charges. "You signed the order, Carol. Surely you remember that."

But still Colby seemed confused. Her mind was strong and she had her ethics. Abbot would need more than gentle suggestion, or she'd begin to add up the inconsistencies in her behavior where Abbot was concerned, and that would be the beginning of the end of the luren on Earth.

The vidcom chimed.

Relieved, Colby hastened to answer. A small square cleared in the upper right-hand corner of the news broadcast. It showed a woman in a Damage Control uniform with Brink's officer's patches. "Dr. Colby, the Biomed dome is secure. No pressure leaks. However, four rooms will be out of service for a month." She went on to describe the condition of the cryogenic chamber, finishing, "But there's no sign of either Dr. Shiddehara or Dr. Nandoha. I've begun-"

"They're both here with me. They've brought me the ninja, the terrorist who sabotaged the centrifuge. She also may be responsible for the bombing. Send four very strong armed men UP here immediately. I want her questioned, under drugs if necessary, before my press conference tomorrow. We must establish who she works for and why she did this."

"Right away!" The vidcom window disappeared, restoring the news broadcast to a feature on the history of the Project.

"That takes care of that," said Colby in her usual command voice. "By the time Nagel sends me a policy decision on handling Gold's revelation, I'll know enough about Ebony to divert the reporters with facts. Now, as soon as they take her away, we should all get some sleep. Things will be more manageable in the morning. They always are." She ran a hand through her hair, increasing the mess.

Inea rounded on Colby. "I don't believe this. It's as if you didn't hear a word I said."

"Good description," put in t.i.tus.

She shifted to him. "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"You know that very well." He couldn't oppose Abbot in such a way as to reveal luren secrets. The guilt that knifed through him almost doubled him over. He dropped into a chair opposite the screen.

Colby said, "Think, Cellura. Abbot has cleared himself of any wrongdoing by his extreme heroism. He's an engineer, not a bomb expert. But he saved the specimen and caught the ninja." She looked at Ebony. "No mean feat, considering."

Ebony responded by straightening her back, but kept her head bowed, staring unfocused at the luxurious red carpet.

Abbot glanced at t.i.tus. Call off your woman.

Wearily, t.i.tus said, "You've got to concede Carol's point, Inea. The press will dance for joy at the chance to create a new folk hero. When Carol reveals how Abbot missed the demonstration to track down the a.s.sa.s.sin who tried to get me-and when she says that Abbot fielded that bomb with his bare hands to save my life-why, it'll make history."

Finally, Inea shrugged, defeated. "Is that the way you're going to handle it, Carol?"

"It sounds good," she responded vaguely.

"I don't think so," countered Abbot. "Why don't we just leave my name out of it. It's enough to say that members of the Project team subdued the terrorist. The image of a harmonious team is even better than a single hero."

"See? Now does that sound like a man who would defy his superiors and disrupt this project? No, it-" The door signal chimed and Colby broke off and started for the door.

As she pa.s.sed Ebony, the black woman exploded into motion with a savage snarl of triumph.

Chapter fourteen.

From Ebony's extended fingers flew a metallic gleam-a shuriken, a ninja's throwing star. The door opened.

t.i.tus launched himself at Colby with a yell. As he slammed into her, Suzy Langton, seeing t.i.tus attacking Colby, dove at t.i.tus. The three of them collided and piled into Abbot, Langton on top.

Langton hissed and swore as the star grazed her face, leaving a line of blood as she dashed the sharp pointed weapon aside and brought the muzzle of her dartgun to bear on t.i.tus's face-lethal if she shot him in the eye.

"Don't move or I'll-" was all she got out before another body hit her and knocked her aside. Out of the corner of his eye, t.i.tus saw it was Inea. Her weight couldn't have added more than thirty pounds to the pileup, but Abbot, on the bottom, grunted and heaved to no effect. The bodies had the same ma.s.s as on Earth, and were just as hard to start moving-or to stop.

Ebony walked up and over the tangled bodies, planted a foot on t.i.tus's neck and uttered a nerve shattering yell as she launched herself at the Brink's man-Langton's single partnera" who stood framed in the doorway, dartgun drawn but pointed at the ceiling.

t.i.tus heard a grunt and a sickening crack, and suddenly the air was full of anesthetic darts.

"What happened?" demanded Colby from under t.i.tus.

Simultaneously, Langton jammed her foot into t.i.tus's solar plexus and shoved off. t.i.tus scrambled up and went after Langton shouting, "No! Suzy, she's insane!"

But Langton closed on Ebony with total confidence, as if she'd won matches against the weight lifter before.

The Brink's man lay against the doorjamb, head twisted unnaturally. His gun lay on the floor outside the door.

Ebony feinted with one foot, the beginnings of a kick which drew a reflex response from Langton. Then all at once, she was on the Brink's man's gun and spinning toward Langton. t.i.tus redirected himself with one foot and flew at Ebony.

Three darts grazed his scalp and thumped into the door jamb. The anesthetic numbed his skin. He slammed into Ebony, the two of them skidding out into the nearly deserted, night-darkened corridor.

Lanton demanded, "Shiddehara, out of the way!"

One-handed, Ebony threw t.i.tus at Langton, aiming the gun with her other hand. Langton side-stepped, whirled, and, with her leg at full extension, higher than her own chin, Langton swiped the gun from Ebony's grip with her foot.

t.i.tus fetched up on the floor. "Suzy, she's suicidal!"

Ebony crouched and charged toward t.i.tus, her hand dipping into her bodice again. The dark fingers emerged with a gleaming shuriken that spun at t.i.tus.

t.i.tus dodged the point-blank throw of the shuriken.

Simultaneously, Abbot roared, "Ebony, stop!"

But it was too late.

As Ebony obeyed Abbot's Influence, and failed to execute her dodging motion, Langton's heel smashed into the side of Ebony's head, snapping her neck. The black woman dropped like a stone, dead before she skidded to a halt at t.i.tus's feet. He hardly heard Inea's scream.

In front of him, Suzy Langton had recovered from delivering the blow with her usual poise and stood swaying on her feet. Then she crumpled in a limp heap.

t.i.tus scrambled to her side as her dying breath hissed out, forming the words, "Must have been poisoned. d.a.m.n her."

t.i.tus gathered the woman up in his arms, hurting in a most peculiar way. She died protecting me.

Inea skidded to her knees beside t.i.tus.

"She's dead," he announced, surprised how husky his voice was. "Just as dead as the other guard and Ebony. The shuriken that was aimed at Carol hit her. It was poisoned."