Aurelian was coming back to himself steadily as he watched the city race by from behind the window of Marc’s HiLux ground-effect vehicle. Next to him, Marc shouted into his phone.
“Official authorization is coming in minutes,cochon!” Marc cursed. “If you let that cutter take off before then, it will be your ass!”
Marc patted the shoulder of his driver encouragingly. “Vite, vite, Simon! I swear, I’ll stop that cutter if we have to drive onto the bloody tarmac!”
Aurelian glanced behind them and swore. “Problems coming up behind, I think.”
“Eh?” Marc turned around to look through the rear windscreen where an ominous speeder with blacked-out windows was gaining on them rapidly. “Merde!”
“Time to ignore all the bloody laws, Simon,” Marc called out. “Punch it!”
Aurelian was pushed back into his seat by the acceleration.
Marc opened the briefcase lying between them and pulled out a handgun. “Do you still remember how to handle one of these, Aurelian?”
Aurelian nodded.
“Bien. One for you.” He handed Aurelian the pistol then pulled out a compact submachine gun. “And one for me.”
“Jesus, Marc!” Aurelian exclaimed.
The HiLux swerved recklessly through traffic.
“I promise you,” said Marc, “I will only use this if they start—”
Aurelian ducked at thepingof bullets off the HiLux’s bulletproof exterior.
“Never mind.” Marc lowered his window and leaned out.
The HiLux weaved back and forth. In the front, Simon muttered, and pulled his seat belt on with a click.
“You weren’t wearing thatbefore?” asked Aurelian incredulously.
“Attendez, Simon,” barked Marc. The HiLux briefly straightened, and Marc let off a three-round burst.
At acrashbehind them, Aurelian turned to see the black speeder spinning wildly off the road.
“Mon Dieu, Marc,” said Aurelian in awe. “When the hell did you learn to do that? Does Amelie know?”
Marc grinned and put a finger to his lips.
Aurelian watched Simon’s rapid progress as Marc raised the window and returned to his phone, which was buzzing.
“Allo? Yes, that’s right! By order of Madeline Marx, CEO of the Pleasure House of Tarma! My name is Marc Duchesne, her accredited representative! Damn right, you look it up!” Marc put the phone back in his pocket. “Putain,” he muttered.
“You’re the accredited representative of Madeline Marx?” Aurelian marveled.
Marc looked at the GPS on the front console to gauge their progress. “Oui,” he admitted.
“Never felt like sharing that information?”
“I could not, Aurelian.”
Aurelian nodded. “I think we may have a chat about this when all is said and done. But for right now, it’s good to know who’s on our side.”
Marc nodded.
“Five minutes,m’sieur,” said Simon. They could see the massive buildings of Tarma’s spaceport looming in the front windscreen of the HiLux.
“Marc…” Aurelian’s jaw dropped in dismay.
The front windscreen dimmed to protect them from the flare of a planetary launch. They watched helplessly as the cutter of theStella Marislifted off from the planet’s surface and made its way into orbit.
“We’re too late,” said Aurelian numbly.
