"The plane is coming in for another run," Locklin interjected.
Tuck scooped up his crossbow and stood. "Hold this," he said, handing the bolt to Rikki. He extended a metal stirrup from under the front of the bow, then rested the stirrup on the turf and slid his right boot into it to act as a brace and keep the bow in position while he pulled on the string.
Using both hands, he gripped the string and pulled until there was a loud click. "The arrow," Tuck said, and Rikki returned the bolt.
"Hurry," Locklin ordered.
Tuck slid the bolt into a groove, aligning the shaft snugly. "I"m ready,"
he announced.
Rikki peered skyward through the brush and spotted the aircraft banking in from the west. He glanced at the stand of trees, expecting to see a Storm Policeman or two, but instead he spied several men and women in green. The other half of Locklin"s band had circled and silently slain the remaining Storm Police.
Tuck was heading from cover, holding the crossbow with the stock pressed against his right shoulder.
Rikki followed for a better view.
"Stay hidden," Locklin warned him.
Tuck crouched behind a bush, his gaze fixed on the plane.
The white aircraft was swooping low over the landscape, over the section of ground the Freedom Fighters had vacated.Rikki could imagine the pilot and gunners scanning the terrain for the band. The green attire worn by the Freedom Fighters would be extremely difficult to see from the air.
Tuck was tracking the plane"s path with the crossbow.
"He"s the best man we have with a crossbow," Locklin remarked from the Warrior"s right elbow.
The aircraft wasn"t more than 50 feet above tree level and 30 yards to the west when Tuck suddenly rose and sighted. He squeezed the trigger almost immediately, and the shaft was a blur as it sped to meet the plane.
"Hit the dirt!" Locklin yelled.
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi flattened as the forest rocked to a tremendous explosion. The aircraft was enveloped in a fiery ball, and the concussion snapped limbs from the tops of those trees nearest the blast. Debris flew in every direction, and a moment later the bulk of the plane, now a tangled, twisted, flaming ma.s.s of wreckage, plummeted to the field below with a resounding crash.
The Freedom Fighters voiced a collective cheer.
"We did it!" Locklin exclaimed happily, rising.
Rikki stood and regarded the black smoke billowing on the wind.
"That"s the third plane we"ve shot down this year," Locklin boasted.
Big John and Dale were leading the other half of the band to rejoin Locklin.
"How did it go?" the rebel leader asked as they approached.
"No problem," Big John said. "We didn"t lose anyone. They weren"t expecting us to jump them from behind."
"How many did you bag?" Locklin inquired.
"Eight," Big John replied. "Four more were already dead."
"Should we collect their weapons?" Dale queried."Of course," Locklin directed.
Dale selected a half-dozen band members and they hurried off.
"Did you hear that?" Locklin asked the Warrior. "We took down another Storm Police patrol. Twelve more b.a.s.t.a.r.ds bite the dust."
"You sound glad," Rikki noted.
"Why shouldn"t I be?" Locklin retorted. "The Storm Police are our enemies."
"The Storm Police are p.a.w.ns," Rikki stated. "If all that you have told me is true, your real enemies are the Peers."
"Yeah. But the Storm Police are the enforcement arm of the Civil Council," Locklin said.
"The Peers direct the Storm Police," Rikki mentioned. "The Peers are the ones manipulating the people of Atlanta. The Peers, in a literal sense, are the brains behind the operation."
"So?" Locklin responded. "What"s your point?"
Rikki stared at the blazing aircraft. "So for fourteen years you have been resisting the Peers by hara.s.sing the patrols they send outside the wall. For fourteen years you have killed p.a.w.n after p.a.w.n, downed a plane now and then, and prided yourselves on your great victories. But you"ve been deluding yourselves."
The Freedom Fighters were listening to his every word.
"You think so, eh?" Locklin said.
"I know so," Rikki declared emphatically. He looked at the rebel leader.
"Do you play chess?"
"I can play chess," Locklin answered.
"Then you must be able to see the inconsistency in your strategy," Rikki expounded. "A person does not win a chess match by concentrating exclusively on an opponent"s p.a.w.ns. Taking p.a.w.ns is not the point of the game, nor is taking p.a.w.ns the point of your revolution. If you want to wina chess match, you must checkmate the king. If you want to win your revolution, if you want to free the people of Atlanta, you must checkmate the Peers."
"He makes sense," one of the band commented.
"Have you ever tried to a.s.sa.s.sinate the Peers?" Rikki asked Locklin.
The rebel leader sheepishly averted his eyes. "No," he said softly.
"How else do you expect to win your revolution?" Rikki inquired. "You can wipe out Storm Trooper patrols for years to come, and I doubt the Peers will consider your band as much more than a petty annoyance. You may actually help them consolidate their power by giving them a threat they can arouse the populace against."
Locklin studied the martial artist for a second. "I"ve never thought of our rebellion in quite that light. How is it you know so much about revolutions?"
"I"m a Warrior," Rikki revealed. "I am one of the select few who were chosen to protect my people from any and all threats. Warriors are required to take many cla.s.ses in the art and psychology of warfare. We"re trained to develop the capacity for creative thinking. My logic is elementary."
"I agree with everything you"ve said," Locklin stated. "But it"s easier said than done. Killing the Peers would be next to impossible."
"But not impossible?"
Locklin"s forehead creased and the shadow of a smile touched his lips.
"No," he replied slowly. "Not utterly impossible."
Rikki gazed at the three dead Freedom Fighters. "Would you mind some advice from an outsider?"
"Not at all."
"If you want to resolve this conflict once and for all, if you want to end the persecution and restore freedom, if you want to insure future generations will not live under the yoke of tyranny, then you musteliminate the Peers and establish a new government. Unless those responsible for formulating and spreading totalitarianism are eradicated, no one can ever be truly free."
"Will you help us?" Locklin asked bluntly.
"I did not come here to fight a revolution."
"I don"t care why you came here," Locklin said. "The fact is, you"re here, and now you have a decision to make. Will you aid us in overthrowing the Peers, or will you stand idly by and do nothing?" He paused. "Somehow, I can"t see you as the type to stand by and allow hundreds of thousands of innocent people to suffer."
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi gazed to the west.
"There is one chance in a million we can pull it off," Locklin went on, striving to convince this sagacious stranger. "Once a week the Peers meet in the Civil Directorate for an executive session of the Civil Council. It"s the only time we can get them all under one roof with any certainty. They meet every week without fail." He grinned. "And guess what? They meet tomorrow night."
Rikki placed his left hand on the hilt of his katana.
"If you led us, we might be able to do it."
The Warrior glanced at the rebel leader. "You are the head of this band.
I cannot lead your Freedom Fighters."
"Why not?"
"There could be repercussions," Rikki said.
"What kind of repercussions?" Locklin queried.
"Repercussions against my Family," Rikki replied. "Ordinarily, we do not meddle in the affairs of others unless they pose a threat to our existence. If I led your mission, I would be violating the cardinal rule of noninterference established by the Elders."
"Can"t you make an exception in our case?"Rikki contemplated a moment. "On the other hand, my Family is now a member of the Freedom Federation, and the Federation is devoted to restoring liberty to the land."
"What"s the Freedom Federation? I"ve never heard of it," Locklin said.
"There are seven factions banded together in a mutual self-defense pact," Rikki explained.
"Would they help us fight the Peers?"
"They might," Rikki answered. "But I honestly can"t guarantee they would."
Locklin ran his left hand through his hair. "In any event, we"re not waiting to find out. Tomorrow night the Civil Council meets. Tomorrow night we will put an end to their evil, or we will perish in the attempt. Are you with us or not?"
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi was a long time in responding. When he did, his mouth was curled wryly. "I"ll tell you what. I must go into Atlanta to find a friend of mine-"
"One of those you mentioned earlier?" Locklin said, interrupting.
"Precisely," Rikki said.
"Why is he in Atlanta?"
"He"s looking for a relative of a young girl we found," Rikki elaborated.
"Her parents were killed. She blamed her father"s death on the Peers, and she told us her mother was slain by the Bubbleheads."
"Does this girl have a name?"
"Chast.i.ty Snow."
Locklin exchanged glances with several of his band.
"Do you know her?" Rikki asked.
"I know of her," Locklin replied. "Rather, I know of her father. His name was Richard Snow, and he was the publisher of The Atlanta Tribune.""Why would the Peers have killed him?"
Locklin shook his head. "Beats me. All a person has to do is cross them once, and the Peers make sure they are never crossed again."
"Would the Peers eliminate a whole family because one member aroused their wrath?"
"If the Peers were angry enough, they"d eliminate the entire Snow family tree," Locklin stated. "Sons, daughters, cousins, in-laws, you name it. The Peers are ruthless."
Rikki"s expression became thoughtful. "So if my friend starts asking questions about Chast.i.ty"s relative, he could wind up in trouble?"
"He could wind up dead."
The Warrior faced in the direction of the metropolis. "Then I must enter Atlanta as quickly as possible. Every moment of delay increases the danger to my friend."
"You mentioned two friends," Locklin reminded the man in black.
"My second friend is with Chast.i.ty Snow," Rikki disclosed. "We must inform him of our plans."
Locklin smiled. "Then you"re going in with us?"
"Technically, I won"t lead you," Rikki said. "But I must go into the city anyway. And if your band wants to tag along, I would have no objection."
Locklin chuckled. "I like the way your mind works. Let"s find your friend with Chast.i.ty and go kick a.s.s. Where are they anyway?"
From perhaps a mile away, maybe less, came the blast of gunshots.
"I think I know," Rikki stated.