Free Wrath of the Lemming-men by Toby Frost Page B

power to set the world to rights!With the Ghast Empire by your side, you can force the galaxy to accept peace and love, marching at the head of an indestructible legion of storm-hippies! Your enemies will be crushed under your plastic sandal! With us, you would no longer be a child of the Earth, but its queen!’
    ‘That’s not true,’ Rhianna said. ‘Gaia created us all equ—’
    ‘Oh no.’ 462 shook his head. ‘I think not. You know what a lie that is. Look deep inside yourself. Tell me, all the times that you’ve tutted at people who read tabloids, shaken your head sadly at those who eat steaks rare, lifted your nose at people who prefer electric guitars to acoustic ones – did you really think you were created equal then?’
    ‘I don’t know,’ said Rhianna. ‘You represent a vicious tyranny – but then Dylan did totally sell out when he went electric. . .’
    ‘And you get a trenchcoat,’ 462 added.
    ‘No. It’s wrong.’ Rhianna shook her head as if to clear it. ‘It’s wrong. I don’t wear leather.’
    ‘She’s her own woman and she’s not interested!’ Smith snapped.
    ‘Think about it.’ The projection shrugged and turned. ‘Tench? Remove these idiots!’
    It vanished, and for a moment there was an awkward silence.
    ‘Well? Get ‘em!’ Tench yelled, and his men ran in, cursing and bellowing. Smith drew his gun and let a shot off at Tench, who was prodding the controls to activate the train, then ducked as a thug tried to break his head with a crowbar. Rhianna jumped down and started to untie the woman on the tracks. Tench ran over the bridge, towards the doors. Smith shot the man with the crowbar and drew his sword.
    Glass shattered above – a skylight hung down like a broken jaw – and Suruk dropped onto the platform, cuffed Tench across the head and flung himself onto a Ghastist armed with a rounders bat.
    Lights boomed into life along the train. Tench scrambled upright, holding a Stanford gun.
    ‘Good God!’ Smith cried, seeing the would-be Dictator of Earth about to spray them. Rhianna took a deep breath and closed her eyes, exhaled and made a humming sound. Bullets tore the air but none of them found their mark. Suruk’s spear flashed, there was a howl of pain and blood sprayed the wall.
    Blue light pulsed into the station and a great metal figure clanked onto the platform, steam pouring from chimneys on its back. A lamp spun on its armoured head.
    ‘Dead or alive, you’re all nicked, sunshine!’ it declared, and it pulled a truncheon out of a compartment in its leg and piled into the fight.
    ‘Eat lead, copperbot!’ Tench yelled, loosing half a dozen shells into the front of the thing, and in a flurry of sparks the machine lumbered forward and bashed the gun from his hand.
    And then, suddenly, that was that. A body fell in the corner and Suruk stood up, looking quietly satisfied. One of the thugs dropped a cleaver and raised his hands.
    The police robot chuffed towards the doors, pushing a handcuffed Tench before it. ‘Evening all,’ it intoned.
    ‘Move along now.’ At the bottom of the stairs it turned to Smith. ‘I need you all to come down to the station, sir. Suspicion of assault.’
    ‘Gladly,’ said Smith. ‘That man’s a bloody traitor.’
    ‘I was referring to you, sir.’
    ‘Me?’ Smith demanded. He was still panting. ‘These are dangerous criminals!’
    ‘You can tell me at the station,’ the robot said in a weary monotone. ‘If you would, sir. And the Morlock.’
    ‘Well, there’s a surprise,’ Rhianna said, jabbing the machine’s chestplate with her finger. ‘The police oppressing an alien minority. What’re you going to get him on, suspicion of being green?’
    ‘Actually, madam,’ the robot replied, ‘possession of three severed heads and a Ghurka knife.’
    ‘Why don’t you arrest some real criminals, fuzz?’
    Smith grimaced. ‘Rhianna, please. This isn’t helping.’
    ‘I deny everything,’ Suruk added. ‘I was not