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BEVqARE THE MAX! Just beneath the inscription a one-legged man in a faded Mexican Army uniform sat on a crate. He glanced up at Jake with minimal interest. Jake fished into his pocket for a coin. "What's the Max?" The one-legged man said, "I'm not a fucking beggar, senor. Keep your money. "Sorry." Jake let the coin fall back. "The Max," said the one-legged man, "is a nickname for Las " Vldquinas." Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html "And who've they?" The one-legged man made a dry, rasping sound that might have been a laugh. "Perhaps you'll find that out tonight." Page 93 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html "Gives me something to look forward to." He continued on his way toward the Toro Plaza, which was still three long blocks from here. Suddenly, overhead a white sky ambulance went roaring by, belly lights flashing red, siren hooting. In the doorway of a burned-out bodega a four-year-old boy in a ten-year-old boy's trousers stood silently bouncing a ball. His eyes didn't seem to see Jake at all. Halfway up the next block, light showed in a few of the ground floor windows of a ramshackle apartment house. Just before Jake reached there the door came flapping open. A thin, dark-haired girl of no more than thirteen burst free of the building, ran down the six stone steps and into the twilit street. There was a bleeding gash across her cheek, another zigzagging along her bare shoulder. She wore a white singlet and faded blue shorts. Stumbling, she went running across the rutted street, not noticing Jake at all. Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html From out of the building lunged a heavyset young man. Instead of a right hand he had a silvery knife with a ten-inch blade. "Out of the way, cabr6rz," he said to Jake as he took off after the running girl. She darted into a shadowy alley. The heavyset cyborg galloped across the street, charged into the alley in her wake. "This could be a setup," Jake reflected. "But I better make sure." Drawing his lazgun, he headed for the alley. Stopping at the edge of the dark alley mouth, Jake heard the sound of the girl crying out in pain and then hard metal scraping against stone. "I won't miss again, chiquita," came the voice of the cyborg. "You better just come along home with me." "NO." The sound of running, then another cry. Carefully Jake entered the alley. At first he saw nothing but thick Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html darkness. Then he made out the flash of the cyborg's knife hand as it was raised high. "Just come back, bonita," he was urging. "Hey, there's only just three of us now. Rico probably isn't in the mood anymore, after the way you kicked him." "No!" Jake saw them now dimly. The young girl sprawled on the ground, the cyborg standing wide-legged over her. They were about fifteen feet into the alley. Page 94 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html Moving deeper into the darkness, Jake said, "Right about now, amigo, you better start moving clear of her." \The young man turned, knife hand dropping. "Didn't I tell you to keep the fuck out of this, gringo?" "Just ease away from the gift." Jake had his lazgun aimed at the shadowy figure. "You ease away, cabr6n. This is Max business, not yours." Halting a few feet from him, Jake ordered, "Back off. Now." Instead the cyborg lunged at him, swinging his knife hand up. But Jake had moved. The blade missed, ripping only the night air. Jake kicked out with his booted right foot, catching the knifer in the groin. Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html "Madre!" He started to double up. Jake kicked again, his boot toe connecting with the cyborg's chin. The young man jerked completely upright, as though he were trying to stretch and grow taller. His left arm slapped at his side and he produced a puzzled, whimpering noise in his throat. Then he began folding up. First at the knees, then in the middle. He hit the ground hard, flattened out, stayed there. "Gracias," whispered the girl. Jake dropped to one knee beside her. "Let's get you out of here. Can you walk?" "Si. I can--" She looked up suddenly at something above and behind Jake. "Las Mciquinas!" There were two more of them, climbing down the side of the building opposite. As big as the one Jake had felled, and both cyborgs, they were twenty-five feet up on a plasrod fire escape. The nearer one had a flame gun instead of a left arm, the other a whirring saw in place of his right hand. "You shouldn't of done that!" shouted the closer one. Sliding an arm around the fallen girl, Jake scooped her up and started moving. Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html A fat line of sizzling orange flame left the cyborg's arm, cut across the alley and cooked a large black circle on the wall behind where Jake and the girl had been. Jake fired his lazgun. The beam sliced into the fire escape. He fired again, slicing more of it away. Aware of what was happening, both cyborgs tried to climb up and clear. But Jake had cut through the rickety fire escape above and below them. The center section gave way under their weight. Both came falling down. The Mdquina with the built-in flame gun hit first, landing with a bone-cracking thud. He kicked convulsively three times and ceased moving. Page 95 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |