"I can't!" she said.

"Who not?"

"I just _can't_!"

"That's an order! Smash it and cover the tunnel!"

Her guns swivelled and she shot out the tires beneath the ancientcar.

The Caddy shot past and into the passageway.

"You let it get by!" he screamed. "Get after it!"

"All right, Sam! I'm doing it! Don't yell. _Please don'ttell!_"

She headed for the tunnel. Inside, he could hear the sound of agiant engine racing away, growing softer in the distance.

"Don't fire here in the tunnel! If you hit it we may be bottledin!"

"I know. I won't."

"Drop a couple ten-second grenades and step on the gas. Maybe wecan seal in whatever's left moving back there."

Suddenly they shot ahead and emerged into daylight. There was nosign of any other vehicle about.

"Find its track," he said, "and start chasing it."

There was an explosion up the hill behind him, within themountain. The ground trembled, then it was still once more.

"There are so many tracks..." she said.

"You know the one I want. The biggest, the widest, the hottest!Find it! Run it down!"

"I think I have it, Sam."

"Okay. Proceed as rapidly as possible for this terrain."

Murdock found a squeeze bottle of bourbon and took three gulps.Then he lit a cigarette and glared into the distance.

"Why did you miss it?" he asked softly. "Why did you miss it,Jenny?"

She did not answer immediately. He waited.

Finally, "because he is not an `it' to me," she said. "He has donemuch damage to cars and people, and that is terrible. But there issomething about him, somethingчnoble. The way he has fought the wholeworld for his freedom. Sam, keeping that pack of vicious machines inline, stopping at nothing to maintain himself that wayчwithout amasterчfor as long as he can remain unsmashed, unbeatenчSam, for a