A Fistful of Trouble (Outlaws of the Galaxy Book 2), Paul Tomlinson [bts books to read .txt] 📗

were the old ones,” I said. “It would have been different if we’d been up against the new ones.”

“Ain’t that right!” Deke said. Then his face clouded. “You know about them?”

“I saw the one Happy was bringing here,” I said. This was a bit of a shot in the dark, but it seemed a reasonable connection to make.

“Colonel was real swazzed when he heard what happened to that one,” Deke said. “Some road bandit shot at it with a cannon – can you believe that?”

“I think I heard about it,” I said. “The robot was one of the new military types, or so I heard.”

“State of the art,” Deke said in a sing-song sort of way.

“A dozen of those and a man could take over the whole town,” I said.

“Two dozen and he could take a planet,” Deke said. “That’s why I was saying to you – you want to make sure you’re on the right side. There’s a war coming.”

“I will give it serious thought,” I said.

“Don’t take too long about it. Tick-tock, tick-tock, time’s running out.”

“When will it happen, do you reckon?” I asked.

Deke sat up and eyed me suspiciously. “I’ve said too much already,” he said. “You want to know any more, you’ll have to ask Colonel Hodges himself.”

“I might do that,” I said. My question had been too clumsy. I blamed the blow to the head. “What time are you expecting your friends?”

Deke glanced at his watch again. “Reckon I’ll be missing supper from Madam Fifi’s.”

My guess was that the attack on the jail would take place as soon as the sun went down. In the meantime, the question I had to consider was – would I go with Deke when it happened?

Chapter Sixteen

If the jailbreak had been handled better, I might have chosen a different side. But circumstances made my decision easy. This was the most inept rescue I had ever witnessed. It began with a voice outside the little window of my cell.

“Deke! Deke!”

“I think your ride’s here,” I told him.

“Deke! Deke!”

I stood on the bed and put my face up against the little barred opening that looked out onto the outside world. “Wrong window,” I told them.

“Sorry!”

There were some scuffling sounds outside, then: “Deke? Deke!”

Folk could probably hear this on the other side of town. I imagined the sheriff sitting in his office with his sneakers up on the desk just shaking his head. All those dead sheriffs? Probably laughed themselves into a coronary.

“Deke? Is this your cell?”

“No, I’m watching it for a friend! Of course, it’s my cell, you idiot.”

There were only two cells. The wrong one and the right one.

“You might want to stand a ways back from the wall,” the voice outside said.

“It’s a cell,” Deke said. “I can only move two paces in any direction.”

More whispering outside. Then: “Deke? You probably should close your eyes. There’ll be a bright flash and maybe some dust.”

“Do you think I’ve never done this before?” Deke said.

“You have, but have they?” I asked.

This question seemed to worry Deke. He was even less happy when he saw me crawling into the gap under my bed.

“What are you doing?”

“The mattress will offer at least some protection,” I said.

“You ready?” asked the voice outside.

“Wait!” Deke shouted. “How much explosive did you bring?”

“All of it. Five–four–three–”

Deke dived under his bed. “Scrack!”

“–two–one!”

Nothing. Not even a sneeze. The silence grew awkward. The cicadas did their best to fill it.

“Sorry,” said the voice outside. “Forgot to connect the blue wire.”

More whispering and scuffling outside.

“Okay, we’re ready!” the voice said. “Deke? Are you ready?”

“Do it!” Deke shouted.

“Five–four–three–oh, scrack!”

The explosion blew part of the roof upwards and most of Deke’s cell wall inwards. The boom! was deafening and shook the ground.

I waited until I could no longer hear large pieces of debris falling. And then I waited until the dust began to settle. I peered out from under my bed. Where Deke’s cell had been there was now a pyramid of splintered wood. It looked like someone had built a bonfire. Where the roof should be, I could see stars. My own cell was pretty much as it had been except for a scattering of splinters and a fresh covering of dust.

“Squit! I might have used too much.” The voice outside was clearer now. “Deke? Deke!”

The mound of broken wood began to stir. Deke crawled out from under it. He looked like someone had dipped him in a barrel of flour. Spiky bits of wood stuck out of his hair at wild angles. When he spat, dust came out.

“Deke? You still there?”

“No, you damn fool, you blasted me up to the space station!”

There was a long pause.

“You all right, Deke?”

Deke stepped over the fallen debris and made his way outside.

Smack! “Ow!”

Deke scrambled back into what had once been his cell. He peered through the bars at me. I had climbed out of hiding and was sitting on my bed.

“You coming with us?” Deke asked.

“If that’s your winning side,” I said, “I’ll take my chances with the losers.”

Deke glanced outside at the gang I couldn’t see. “We’ve got reinforcements coming,” he said.

“Good luck to you,” I said.

Deke looked for a moment as if he was thinking about staying. He waved goodbye and went back outside. I heard a vehicle start up, spin its wheels in the dirt, and then pull away.

A few minutes later, Sheriff Galton poked his head through the door. “Did you hear something?” he asked. “I thought I heard a noise.”

The wall at the back of my cell creaked and the whole thing fell outwards and crashed to the ground. It was a nice night. Clear sky. Not too cold.

“Supper’s arrived,” the sheriff said. He surveyed the wreckage. “We’ll eat in my office.”

“You going to unlock my cell or shall I just walk around to the front?” I said.

“Where’s Colonel Hodge going to get two dozen military robots from?” the sheriff asked.

We were finishing the last of the roast beef and vegetables.

“My guess would be – from the