Rohant roared his own rage as he got stuck in the gradually narrowing space between the doors as they beat at and crushed the bench between them. He freed himself and plunged inside.

Rose rolled onto her knees.

A hand grabbed her ankle.

She twisted around, shot along her leg, swore again as she hit her foot as well as the guard.

She pushed up, went limping to the door. She crawled over the bench, swung herself inside, her leg dead from the knee down.

Lissorn was racing toward Ginny, stunner forgotten, claws out. He was only a few steps away, but the man wasn’t moving; he stood watching unperturbed near the front rank of the pulochairs. It seemed to Autumn Rose he was more interested in the degree of his attacker’s rage than in any danger to himself. Directing his own death? Ginny Seyirshi’s last and best?

No.

He raised a hand.

Four cutters flashed from overlooks, hit Lissorn in mid-stride.

For an instant the Dyslaeror was a black core in the furnace where the beams met, then they winked out and there was nothing left, not even dust.

Rohant roared, his great voice filling that room. He lifted the stun pistol.

The other Dyslaerors spread in a broad arc, converging on Ginny.

Shadow stood at the edge of the bidfloor, staring at Ginny. He turned, nodded at her, started to lift a hand… Autumn Rose shivered, touched her head…

A hand closed on her arm, small, warm…

Pulled at her… no… she couldn’t move…

Oppression… her head, her head…

Things moving slow… ly… slooow… ly… slooow… lyyy.

Blackness…

Nothing…

She remembered and understood. Null vibrator-they must have triggered it when they went charging in. Or Ginny had…