y, you and Cliff get the flac rifle, and
have it handy in the back of the second truck. Be sure he doesn't see
it on this first pass. Elmer, get on the radio and check anything he
sends."

Kenny Ballalou and the hulking Cliff Jackson ran to carry out orders.

Isobel said, "Got an extra gun for me?"

Bey scowled at her. "You better get over there with Homer where it's
safer."

She said evenly, "I've always considered myself a pacifist, but when
somebody starts shooting at me, I forget about it and am inclined to
shoot back."

"I haven't got time to argue with you," Bey said. "There aren't any
extra guns except handguns and they'd be useless." As he spoke, he
pulled his own Tommy-Noiseless from its scabbard on the front door of
the air cushion lorry, and checked its clip of two hundred .10 caliber
ultra-high velocity rounds. He flicked the selector to the explosive
side of the clip.

* * * * *

The plane was roaring in on what would be its first pass, if Bey had
guessed correctly. If he had guessed incorrectly, this might be the
end. A charge of napalm would fry everything for a quarter of a mile
around, or the craft might even be equipped with a mini-fission bomb.
In this area a minor nuclear explosion would probably go undetected.

Bey yelled, "Don't anybody even try to fire at him at this range.
He'll be back. It takes half the sky to turn around in with that
crate, but he'll be back, lower next time."

Cliff Jackson said cheerlessly, "Maybe he's just looking for us. He
won't necessarily take a crack at us."

Bey grunted. "Elmer?"

"Nothing on the radio," Elmer said. "If he was just scouting us out,
he'd report to his base. But if his orders are to clobber us, then he
wouldn't put it on the air."

The plane was turning in the sky, coming back.

Cliff argued, "Well, we can't fire unless we know if he's just hunting
us out, or trying to do us in."

Elmer said patiently, "For just finding us, that first pass would be
all he needed. He could radio back that he'd found us. But if he comes
in again, he's looking for trouble."

"Here he comes!" Bey yelled. "Kenny-Cliff ... the rifle!"

Isobel suddenly dashed out into the sands a dozen yards or so from the
vehicles and began running around and around in a circle as though
demented.

Bey stared at her. "Get back here," he roared. "Under one of the
trucks!"

She ignored him.

The rocket-plane was coming in, low and obviou