Whether his audacity daunted the P-mobile, or whether they held off from
an all out attack because of Hovan, Dane could not guess. But he was glad
for a few minutes of grace as he raced the protesting engine of the heavy
machine to its last and greatest effort. The treads of the crawler bit on
the steps leading up to the impressive entrance of the tower. There was a
second or two before traction caught and then the driver's heart snapped
back into place as the machine tilted its nose up and headed straight for
the portal.
They struck the closed doors with a shock which almost hurled them from
their seats. But that engraved bronze expanse had not been cast to
withstand a head-on blow from a heavy duty off-world vehicle and the
leaves tore apart letting them into the wide hall beyond.
"Take Hovan and make for the riser!" For the second time it was Dane who
gave the orders. "I have a blocking job to do here." He expected every
second to feel the bit of a police blaster somewhere along his shrinking
body--could even a space suit protect him now?
At the far end of the corridor were the attendants and visitors, trapped
in the building, who had fled in an attempt to find safety at the
crashing entrance of the crawler.
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