Deathstalker 05 - Deathstalker Destiny

out the dragon's teeth, cutting down the merely human bodies with merciless accuracy.
    Energy blasts from disrupters punched holes through the concealed metal chests of Furies posing as men. There was mass panic as the guards opened fire, and inevitably innocents were hurt or killed as they moved into the line of fire, or the targets grabbed them for use as shields. Battle espers among the elves worked to separate the guilty from the innocent, but as the crowd surged this way and that, screaming and jostling, it was hard for anyone to work out what was going on. Some tried to rush the locked doors, but there were guards waiting for that, and they grimly cut down anyone trying to leave the killing ground.
    Roj Peyton grabbed Dee Langford and used him as a human shield as he charged toward Robert and Constance. Langford cried out as bullets slammed into him, over and over, his body jerking and shuddering under the impact, but Peyton's more than human strength held him in place, soaking up punishment even after he was dead. An energy beam hit Peyton's head a glancing blow, ripping away half the human face to reveal the metal skull of a Fury below. He'd almost reached the unflinching Robert Campbell when Kit SummerIsle stepped forward and casually shot out one of the Fury's knees. He crashed to the dais, losing his grip on his dead shield, and Ruby Journey shot him through the back, destroying the Fury's link with his Shub masters.
    And very soon, it was all over. Most of the dragon's teeth fell in the first few seconds, taken out by the sharpshooters. The Furies took longer, and did a lot of damage in the crowd, but eventually they all fell under concentrated disrupter fire. Panic slowly died away, as it became clear the shooting had stopped, and was replaced by a numbed calm and acceptance. Guards moved among them, separating the condemned dead from the cleared living. There were a lot of bodies. Among them Members of Parliament, movers and shakers of industry, and
    some leaders of the clone and esper undergrounds. Robert had suspected that last, which was why he'd brought in elves to do his scanning for him. Their mass gestalt precluded traitors. A great many of the Families had lost members too, unsuspecting men and women who'd entered the Matrix as humans and came out as dragon's teeth. There were people weeping on all sides, and many were stumbling aimlessly around, blank-faced with shock. Everyone there had lost someone, or knew someone who had. Later, there would be recriminations, refusals to believe, and threats of revenge over the innocent fallen, but for now it was mostly just grief that moved through the crowd, over friends and family murdered long ago by Shub so that their bodies could serve as traitors.
    And just when everyone thought the worst was over, a viewscreen formed in midair, showing General Beckett. He'd used his considerable authority to force contact, even past the current level of security. He glared out of the screen, standing on the bridge of his ship, the flagship of the Imperial Fleet. Beside him stood Half A Man, browbeaten and bullied into joining the Fleet whether he wanted to or not. The House quickly grew quiet again, as everyone gave Beckett their full attention. They knew he wouldn't have interrupted unless this was vitally important. He and Half a Man had been placed in personal charge of the largest single section of the Fleet left, and sent out to face Shub's fleet. But they shouldn't have made contact with the Shub vessels for days yet.
    "About time," said Beckett. "Forget your damned security, this is urgent."
    "What is it, General?" said Robert tiredly. "We're in the middle of a delicate situation right now…"
    "To hell with your situation! The Recreated are here! They're only a week or so out from Golgotha! We might be able to slow them down some, but God knows for how long. Send every ship you've got to join us. Half the Fleet's already gone!
    If you can, try and make a temporary deal with Shub and the Hadenmen; the Recreated are their enemy too. Send more ships! The front line in the war is right here, right now!"
    "What about you, Half A Man?" said Robert sharply. "You're supposed to be our expert on the Recreated. What do you suggest?"
    Half A Man seemed distracted, as though trying to listen to two voices at once.
    "I don't understand any of this. I should know what to do, but when I look for it in my mind, it isn't there. Most of my mind… isn't there. Memories are