city.
Jason had felt the twist as the attack had been driven home, and knew
that this was it. There was the sound of shots and a heavy booming far
away. Thin streamers of smoke began to blow above the treetops.

"Let's get into position," Rhes said.

Around them the jungle howled with an echo of hatred. The half-sentient
plants writhed and the air was thick with small flying things. Naxa
sweated and mumbled as he turned back the animals that crashed towards
them. By the time they reached the last screen of foliage before the
burned-out area, they had lost four men. One had been stung by an
insect, Jason got the medikit to him in time, but he was so sick he had
to turn back. The other three were bitten or scratched and treatment
came too late. Their swollen, twisted bodies were left behind on the
trail.

"Dam' beasts hurt m'head," Naxa muttered. "When we go in?"

"Not yet," Rhes said. "We wait for the signal."

One of the men carried the radio. He sat it down carefully, then threw
the aerial over a branch. The set was shielded so no radiation leaked
out to give them away. It was turned on, but only a hiss of atmospheric
static came from the speaker.

"We could have timed it--" Rhes said.

"No we couldn't," Jason told him. "Not accurately. We want to hit that
wall at the height of the attack, when our chances are best. Even if
they hear the message it won't mean a thing to them inside. And a few
minutes later it won't matter."

The sound from the speaker changed. A voice spoke a short sentence, then
cut off.

"_Bring me three barrels of flour._"

"Let's go," Rhes urged as he started forward.

"Wait," Jason said, taking him by the arm. "I'm timing the
flame-thrower. It's due in ... _there_!" A blast of fire sprayed the
ground, then turned off. "We have four minutes to the next one--we hit
the long period!"

* * * * *

They ran, stumbling in the soft ashes, tripping over charred bones and
rusted metal. Two men grabbed Jason under the arm and half-carried him
across the ground. It hadn't been planned that way, but it saved
precious seconds. They dropped him against the wall and he fumbled out
the bombs he had made. The charges from Krannon's gun, taken when he was
killed, had been hooked together with a firing circuit. All the moves
had been rehearsed carefully and they went smoothly now.

Jason had picked the metal wall as being the best spot to break in. It
offered the most