"We can't have that," said Murdock, "but head around the pile.I'll tell you what to do when I've gotten a glimpse of the otherside."
The two Mercs and the Big Chief drew aside and Jenny crept pastthem. Murdock stared upwards from the corner of his eye, up at thetowering mound of junk they were passing. A couple well-placedrockets on either end could topple it, but the auto-mech wouldprobably clear it eventually.
They rounded the lefthand end of the pile.
Something like forty-five cars were facing them at about ahundred-twenty yard's distance, to the right and ahead. They hadfanned out. They were blocking the exit around the other end of thepile, and the six guards in back of him now blocked the way behindMurdock.
On the far side of the farthest rank of the most distant cars anancient black Caddy was parked.
It had been beaten forth from assembly during a year when theapprentice-engineers were indeed thinking big. Huge it was, andshiny, and a skeleton's face smiled from behind its wheel. Black itwas, and gleaming chromium, and its headlamps were like dusky jewelsor the eyes of insects. Every plane and curve shimmered with power,and its great fishtailed rear end seemed ready to slap at the sea ofshadows behind it on an instant's notice, as it sprang forward for itskill.
"That's it!" whispered Murdock. "The Devil Car!"
"He is big!" said Jenny. "I have never seen a car that big!"
They continued to move forward.
"He wants me to head into that opening and park," she said.
"Head toward it, slowly. But don't go into it," said Murdock.
They turned and inched toward the opening. The other cars stood, thesounds of their engines rising and falling.
"Check all weapons systems."
"Red, all around."