Earthbound by Joe Haldeman Read Free Book Online Page B

and take a look around. You cover things down here?”
    “Sure.” He didn’t sound so sure.
    Where would the third one be? Would he or she continue the plan alone? If I were in that situation, with the two others gone, I would be hiding now. Sneak away after the sun goes down.
    Paul had said something to me. “What?”
    “I want you to cover me while I run out and get that guy’s gun. He has two magazines on his belt, too.”
    “Cover you? You mean shoot back if someone shoots at you?”
    “Yeah. Keep their heads down.”
    “I only have five bullets in this thing.”
    “Here, trade.” He set the rifle in front of me on the reception table, and took my pistol, ours.
    He bounded out the door as I picked up the rifle. I barely had time to figure out the safety, when he came rushing back in with the weapon and its two magazines, and kicked the door shut with a slam behind him.
    “Get down!” I was already crouching, but I flopped down, the rifle clattering under me, and there was a deafening explosion.
    His face was about two feet from mine, and we stared at each other wild-eyed. “Grenade. Hand grenade.”
    Namir came rattling down the stairs. “What the fuck was that?”
    “He had a hand grenade. I went out to get his weapon and I guess his hand relaxed. The whatchamacallit sprang off—”
    “The arming lever.”
    “—and I just got back in time.”
    “God. That’s why he shot out the hole in the window. To toss it in.”
    “I wonder if they have more,” Paul said.
    “I wonder why they had one !” Alba had crawled up with her shotgun. “Not exactly crowd control.”
    “Namir!” Dustin’s voice from the door onto the roof. “Guy running away.”
    “Armed?”
    “Not obviously.”
    He went up, taking two stairs at a time. I could hear them talking quietly, and then a single shot.
    Namir came back down. “Shot over his head. Just let him know we saw him.”
    “Wonder if that’s all of them,” Alba said, standing up.
    “Maybe there’s one inside the building here,” came a voice from the shadows. My brother Card came forward. He was holding one of the flare pistols, aimed at Alba.
    “For God’s sake, Card,” Paul said, “don’t shoot that thing indoors.”
    Alba set the shotgun on the floor and raised both her hands. “Let him have his say.”
    “You came out of the darkness with just what we needed. Guns, ammunition, information. You’re pretty and smart and have a convincing and useful uniform. Anybody who’s ever gamed knows that rule: If it seems to be too good to be true, it’s probably not true.”
    “I have ID.”
    “I’m sure you do.”
    “It’s a NASA ID with a DNA spot.”
    “Which means shit without electronics.”
    “Card,” I said, “you’re being paranoid.”
    “We all should be,” he said. “Alba, even if you do work for NASA, or did, how do we know you’re not one of them, now?”
    Snowbird came up behind him. “I could speak to that,” she said, “just from observation.”
    “What have you observed?” Card asked.
    “This morning, when it became light, Alba could have taken the riot gun and killed everyone except the upstairs guard. And then, probably, killed the guard as soon as he opened the door. Her partners in this endeavor would be nearby—we know they were—and then the three of them would abduct me and get on with their plan.”
    “An idiotic idea to begin with,” Alba said. “If, as you say, I’m smart, why would I team up with those idiots?”
    “Good enough for me,” Namir said. “Card, your caution is commendable. But excessive in this case, I think.”
    “I agree,” Paul said. “The same thing occurred to me last night, Card. But after we’d talked for a while, no. Besides, she had plenty of opportunities last night and, as Snowbird said, this morning, and we’re all still alive.”
    I saw a tense look pass between Paul and Namir, and could read it well: Paul was closer, and Namir’s expression was saying, “You do it,