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"We've got to get that weapon before they find it."
"Count me out, Lieutenant," said Graham.
"Ever hear of loyalty, or self-sacrifice?"
She smirked. "We've all got our jobs to do. For me, it's this." She
patted the camera.
"Please, Scott," Marlene said, cutting them off, reaching up for his
hand. "Don't try to go out there. You'll be killed."
Scott squeezed her hand and smiled thinly. "I'll see that weapon
destroyed before I see it fall into their claws." He turned to glare at Sue
Graham: "That's my job...but I can't expect you to understand."
Graham laughed shortly, patting the camera again. "Just give me some
good footage, hero. I'll make you a star."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
God knows Rick and I have had our share of difficulties, Max, especially
during the weeks following his decision to join the Sentinels, as you probably
recall. But this is worse than that, and it's beginning to prey on me. Sue's
with him day and night lately, and Rick doesn't seem to mind it one bit-the
lecher. He claims Sue sees him as some kind of father figure, but just who
does he think he's kidding? She's infatuated with him, and I'm worried that he
is going to fall for it one night-the loneliness of command and all that rot.
Max, can't we just see about getting her transferred? Who'd be the wiser?
Lisa Hayes-Hunter in a letter to Max Sterling
Oddly enough, some of them managed to get a little sleep. Marlene had made
Scott promise to wait at least until morning before making an attempt to go
after the syncro-cannon. He had given his word, proverbial fingers crossed
behind his back, if only to calm her down. She had appeared especially
stressed out for the past week, and Scott was worried about her, so he wasn't
surprised to hear her call out in the middle of the night. He slipped out of
his sleeping bag and went to her side; she seemed to sense his presence and
come around, smiling weakly up at him in the moonlight.
"I feel so strange, so alone, Scott... "
He reached out to stroke her luxuriant hair. "It's because we're so
close to Reflex Point, Marlene. I was afraid this would happen; that's why I
wanted you to stay with Simon... " He was suddenly aware that she wasn't
listening to him but staring instead at the holo-locket that had slipped from
his shirt.
"You'll never forget her, the woman in your pendant...She was very
special, wasn't she?"
Scott held the heart-shaped memento in the palm of his hand and regarded
it for a moment. "She was special, but so are you, Marlene." He placed his
hand against her cheek. "I wear this to remind me...Sometimes it's the only
thing that gives me the strength to go on."
"I'm sorry I brought it up," she said sleepily, and rolled over in her
bag.
Scott heard the roar of thrusters and went to the door and looked up.
Through the trees he could see three Invid patrol ships streak across the
night sky. Lancer was beside him now; he had the watch and had returned to the
cabin at the sound of Marlene's cries. "Everything all right?" he asked.
Scott led him away from the doorway. "Nobody has enough strength left to
hold on to, Lancer. If we don't finish this thing soon..." Scott let it go and
uttered a soft curse aimed at the stars. "What's keeping Hunter? Doesn't he
realize-"
"Don't, Scott," Lancer said, cutting him off. "We just have to keep
taking things one step at a time."
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"I suppose you're right." Scott turned to look back at his sleeping
friends and teammates. "We've just got to-Lancer, where's Rand?!"
Lancer swung around and saw the empty bedroll-then another. "Annie's
missing, too."
Scott stepped deeper into the woods to whisper their names in the dark.
"They're with Graham, I'm sure of it," Scott told Lancer angrily. "Wake
everyone up. We've got trouble."
Ten minutes later, what remained of the team was ready for action; Lunk
and Marlene were helping Scott, Lancer, and Rook into their battle armor. "My
guess is that Graham is leading them to the syncro-cannon," Scott was saying
now. They were gathered at the edge of the woods and could see that the Invid
were still patrolling the area. "We have no choice-we have to get the
Veritechs up."
"I can't believe Rand would be foolish enough to listen to that woman,"
said Lancer. "And to take Annie with him..."
Rook snorted. "Doesn't surprise me any. I think he's hot for that
photographer." She disregarded the fact that Rand had tried to take Graham's
head off earlier in the day.
"I know why he did it," Marlene offered, looking away from them.
"Because I made such a scene about Scott going."
Lancer flashed her an understanding look. "Still, why would he take
Annie?"
"That was probably Graham's idea," Scott answered him. "Can't you
understand what she's up to?" he continued, seeing their puzzled looks. "The
whole idea is to try to get some terrific action footage for herself. Think
about it: Annie and Rand, two freedom fighters far from home."
Scott was correct on every count, including his hunch that Sue Graham
had set the whole thing in motion. She and Rand and Annie were picking their
way across a steep, rock-strewn incline now, nearing the place where Graham
claimed to have hidden the Robotech weapon. Neither Rand nor Annie minded in
the least that Graham was getting it all down on disc; after all, this was a
heroic undertaking, and who along the long road they had traveled had taken
such an interest in their actions? And while it was true that Rand had been
affected by Marlene's concern for Scott's safety, his motivations were more
selfish than considerate.
What Graham had termed a cave was actually a kind of pocket in the
hillside, well concealed and protected by a broad earthen overhang. Several
Invid patrol ships had overflown the area, but the cannon had thus far escaped
detection. Rand wasn't all that impressed by his first sight of the thing. But
the weapon was massive, he had to admit, with a boxcar-sized barrel that had a
kind of mitered muzzle. There was an adjacent drive unit, its front cockpit
portion enclosed by a bubble shield. The whole arrangement was mounted on a
three-legged circular base that housed the weapon's thrusters and hoverports.
It reminded Rand of some of the artillery used by the Army of the Southern
Cross in the Second Robotech War.
Rand and Graham scrambled down the slope while Annie waved good luck
from the overhead ledge. The photographer trained her camera on the young
girl, then swung around to catch Rand as he was seating himself at the
cannon's controls.
"On second thought, this thing looks awesome;" he said, grinning for the
lens. "But I'm sure I'll be able to handle it. Why, when I think back to some
of the spots we've-"
"Get started!" Graham yelled from the ground. "I want to get a shot of
you coming out of the cave."
Rand's face reflected his disappointment, but a moment later he was
pushing buttons and flipping switches, the cannon's thruster fires roaring to
life beneath him. He had had limited experience with Hovercraft of any sort,
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