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a second armored vehicle. Joshua, Moff, and the translator joined him. As they
rumbled northward toward Sollas and the Dewdrop one of the escort carefully
fitted Joshua with his explosive collar.
It was a simple device, consisting of two squat cylinders at the sides of his
neck fastened together by a soft but tough-feeling plastic band about three
centimeters wide and a couple of millimeters thick. It seemed to make
breathing difficult ... but perhaps that was just his imagination. Licking his
lips frequently, he tried not to swallow too often and forced
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Timothy Zahn his mind to concentrate instead on York's condition and chances.
All too soon, they had arrived.
The bus coasted to a halt some fifty or sixty meters from the Dewdrop's main
hatch. Two Qasamans unloaded a rolling table and placed York's stretcher on
top of it, returning then to the vehicle.
Moff motioned Joshua to stand and held a small box up to each of the cylinders
around the
Aventinian's neck. Joshua heard two faint clicks; felt, rather than heard, the
faint vibration from within. "Three minutes only remember," Moff said in
passable Anglic, looking the younger man in the eye.
Joshua licked his lips and nodded. "I'll be back."
The trip to the ship seemed to take a lifetime, torn as he was between the
need for haste and the opposite need to give York as smooth a ride as
possible. He settled for a slow jog, praying fervently that someone would be
watching and be ready to pop the hatch for him ... and that he could explain
all of this fast enough ... and that they'd be able to switch the collar in
the time allotted....
He was two steps from the hatch when it opened, one of F'ahl's crewers
stepping out to grip the front stretcher handles. Seconds later they were
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inside, with Christopher, Winward, and Link waiting for them in the ready
room.
"Sit down," Christopher snapped tightly as someone took Joshua's half of the
stretcher.
Joshua's knees needed no urging, dropping him like a lump of clay into the
indicated chair. "This thing on my neck "
"Is a bomb," Christopher finished for him. Already the other was tracing the
strap with a small sensor, his forehead shiny with perspiration. "We know they
weren't able to jam your signal. Now sit tight and we'll see if we can get the
damn thing off without triggering it."
Joshua gritted his teeth and fell silent; and as he
COBRA STRIKE
177
did so Justin entered the room, clad only in his underwear. For a moment the
twins gazed at each other .. . and the expression on Justin's face sent half
the weight resting on Joshua's shoulders spinning away into oblivion. They
weren't in the clear yet not by a long shot but there was a satisfaction in
Justin's eyes that said Joshua had done his job well, had made the decisions
that gave them all a chance.
Justin was proud of him ... and, ultimately, that was what really mattered.
The moment passed; and, kneeling before his brother, Justin began to remove
Joshua's boots. Joshua unfastened his own belt and slid off his pants, and he
was beginning to work on his tunic when
Christopher gave a little snort. "All right, here it is. Let's see .. - bypass
here and here.
Dorjay?"
Joshua felt something cool slide between the collar and his neck. "Hold
still," Link muttered from behind him. There was the soft crackle of
heat-stressed plastic ... and suddenly the pressure on his throat eased, and
Winward lifted the broken ring over his head. "Out of the chair," Link said
tersely. "Justin?"
Joshua's place was taken by his brother, and the collar lowered carefully
around Justin's neck.
"Time?" Christopher asked as the Cobras eased the two broken ends back
together and began the ticklish job of reconnecting them.
"Ninety seconds," F'ahl's voice came over the room intercom. "Plenty of time."
"Sure," Link growled under his breath. "Come down here and say that. Easy,
Michael."
Joshua got his tunic and watch off and waited, heart thudding full blast again
as he watched
Christopher and the Cobras work. If they weren't able to do it in time
"Okay," Christopher announced suddenly. "Looks good. Here go the bypasses...."
The wires came off, and the cylinders remained solid. Cautiously, Justin stood
up and reached for
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Timothy Zahn
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