through that hole at him. He looked down and saw the skyscrapers of Neckerdam moving sedately below. This time there was no vertigo to bother him. So far, so good.
The rotorkite approached the liftship from astern, rising above it. “We can’t stand off and trade fire with it,” Doc said. He thought about it for a bare second. “So drop me on top.”
“You’re insane,” Noriko said. “Do you remember being so exhausted you could barely stand, less than a chime ago? You’re drained.”
“It wasn’t as bad as the time in Cretanis. I promised less, it took less. And Duncan is tired, too. He had to have put everything he had into holding that cloud together for so long.”
“But his men, his soldiers, aren’t. They’re fresh and have better guns than you. No.”
Doc gave her a surprised look. “When did you become so contrary?”
She looked flustered, also unusual. “I’m simply not going to let you kill yourself so that you will think of me as a good, obedient associate.”
“I won’t kill myself,” he said, keeping confidence in his voice. “Noriko, I have to deal with Duncan. No one else can; he’s a Deviser. No one else has to. Get me to him. If we don’t stop him now, he will be back.”
He saw her expression of resignation. She kept the rotorkite on course and said nothing more.
Duncan heard the distant thup-thup-thup of a rotorkite. He switched to the cockpit view again.
Captain Walbert turned from the wheel to look at him. “Yes, sir.”
“We have more trouble. Doc or some of his men have taken to the air.”
“Yes, sir. I’ve already sent the men to the gun platform.”
The liftship’s gun opened up before Noriko anticipated it, when the rotorkite was still half a stad
The rotorkite approached the liftship from astern, rising above it. “We can’t stand off and trade fire with it,” Doc said. He thought about it for a bare second. “So drop me on top.”
“You’re insane,” Noriko said. “Do you remember being so exhausted you could barely stand, less than a chime ago? You’re drained.”
“It wasn’t as bad as the time in Cretanis. I promised less, it took less. And Duncan is tired, too. He had to have put everything he had into holding that cloud together for so long.”
“But his men, his soldiers, aren’t. They’re fresh and have better guns than you. No.”
Doc gave her a surprised look. “When did you become so contrary?”
She looked flustered, also unusual. “I’m simply not going to let you kill yourself so that you will think of me as a good, obedient associate.”
“I won’t kill myself,” he said, keeping confidence in his voice. “Noriko, I have to deal with Duncan. No one else can; he’s a Deviser. No one else has to. Get me to him. If we don’t stop him now, he will be back.”
He saw her expression of resignation. She kept the rotorkite on course and said nothing more.
Duncan heard the distant thup-thup-thup of a rotorkite. He switched to the cockpit view again.
Captain Walbert turned from the wheel to look at him. “Yes, sir.”
“We have more trouble. Doc or some of his men have taken to the air.”
“Yes, sir. I’ve already sent the men to the gun platform.”
The liftship’s gun opened up before Noriko anticipated it, when the rotorkite was still half a stad