Part 6 (1/2)

He would be lucky to still be alive when the sun set. His team and Fixit cart were gone--and all his tools. Cole reached into his pockets, searching through them hopefully. He brought out some small screwdrivers, a little pair of cutting pliers, some wire, some solder, the whetstone, and finally the lady's knife.

Only a few small tools remained. He had lost everything else. But without the cart he was safer, harder to spot. They would have more trouble finding him, on foot.

Cole hurried along, crossing the level fields toward the distant range of hills.

The call came through to Reinhart almost at once. Dixon's features formed on the vidscreen. ”I have a further report, Commissioner.”

Dixon scanned the plate. ”Good news. The man from the past was sighted moving away from Petersville, along highway 13, at about ten miles an hour, on his horse-drawn cart. Our s.h.i.+p bombed him immediately.”

”Did--did you get him?”

”The pilot reports no sign of life after the blast.”

Reinhart's pulse almost stopped. He sank back in his chair. ”Then he's dead!”

”Actually, we won't know for certain until we can examine the debris.

A surface car is speeding toward the spot. We should have the complete report in a short time. We'll notify you as soon as the information comes in.”

Reinhart reached out and cut the screen. It faded into darkness. Had they got the man from the past? Or had he escaped again? Weren't they ever going to get him? Couldn't he be captured? And meanwhile, the SRB machines were silent, showing nothing at all.

Reinhart sat brooding, waiting impatiently for the report of the surface car to come in.

It was evening.

”Come on!” Steven shouted, running frantically after his brother.

”Come on back!”

”Catch me.” Earl ran and ran, down the side of the hill, over behind a military storage depot, along a neotex fence, jumping finally down into Mrs. Norris' back yard.

Steven hurried after his brother, sobbing for breath, shouting and gasping as he ran. ”Come back! You come back with that!”

”What's he got?” Sally Tate demanded, stepping out suddenly to block Steven's way.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Steven halted, his chest rising and falling. ”He's got my intersystem vidsender.” His small face twisted with rage and misery. ”He better give it back!”

Earl came circling around from the right. In the warm gloom of evening he was almost invisible. ”Here I am,” he announced. ”What you going to do?”

Steven glared at him hotly. His eyes made out the square box in Earl's hands. ”You give that back! Or--or I'll tell Dad.”

Earl laughed. ”Make me.”

”Dad'll make you.”

”You better give it to him,” Sally said.

”Catch me.” Earl started off. Steven pushed Sally out of the way, las.h.i.+ng wildly at his brother. He collided with him, throwing him sprawling. The box fell from Earl's hands. It skidded to the pavement, cras.h.i.+ng into the side of a guide-light post.

Earl and Steven picked themselves up slowly. They gazed down at the broken box.