39

Paladin Anderson's hands tightened on the steering wheel. How long would he have to suffer this humiliating surveillance? The car following 100 meters behind him was carrying at least two of Integra's followers, he was sure. How could he shake them off? Perhaps the direct approach was best. He could send a message to his foes at the same time. A wide grin spread across his face as he rolled the window down.

40

Walter's eyes narrowed slightly. "What is he doing?" he asked out loud.

Seras leaned closer to him to see what he was looking at.

Before they could react, something shiny flew past their driver's side window. Walter flinched back from it, pushing Seras back into her own seat.

"He's throwing knives!" Seras yelped.

"From this distance?" Walter asked. "And traveling at this speed? It would be a miracle if he managed to hit us."

Another silver flash shot out of the car ahead of them. It appeared to miss low and for a moment, Walter and Seras felt more confident. But a moment later, a bang like a gunshot made them jump. The car listed to one side and the steering wheel shook in Walter's hands like a live thing.

"Bloody hell! He's hit our front tire!" Seras shouted.

Walter gritted his teeth and slammed on the brakes. The car skidded to a stop on the road shoulder, sending a cloud of dust up against the windows. Walter and Seras sat still for a moment, catching their breath.

"I suppose he worked a miracle, eh Walter?" Seras said, a little nastily.

Walter ignored her and pulled his phone from his pocket. "We must inform Sir Integra quickly. We were to function as Miss Robin's backup. But we won't be able to arrive in time now. She will have to hold him at bay as long as she can by herself."

41

Integra, Amon and Nagira peered into the darkness inside the cave. They could see little flashes of movement, like bugs, and waving cobwebs through the narrow opening. It was easy to believe that the cave had been abandoned for centuries.

"Okay, who wants to go down the creepy tunnel first?" Nagira asked.

Amon nudged him out of the way and crept forward.

"Might as well," Nagira said, turning his eyes to Integra.

Integra didn't answer. She brushed past him and went after Amon into the cave. Nagira shrugged his shoulders and moved quickly to catch up.

42

Robin leaned back and rested her head against the stone warmed by the sun. The rocks she was sitting on formed a natural comfortable seat. How long would it be before she was fighting again? She tried to relax. Getting upset or freaked out wouldn't help her. Amon always said that letting emotion intrude on a fight would only hinder her. But somehow, she couldn't help thinking that something bad was about to happen. Her ringing phone made her sit up.

"Hello?" she answered.

"It's me," Michael said on the other end of the line. "I've got a message from Walter and Seras. They tried to call Sir Integra but they can't reach her."

"She's already in the cave," Robin said. "She must not be getting service in there. So what did they say?"

Robin almost dropped her phone as Michael broke the bad news to her. There would be no backup. She would be completely on her own. She couldn't stop her hands from shaking. It had been a long time since she had been in a one-on-one duel. Would she have to kill him?

"Miss Robin? Are you okay?" Michael was saying.

"I'm fine," she replied, a little too quickly.

She heard the sound of a car's brakes above her on the road.

"You're going to be okay, right?" Michael asked hopefully.

"Please don't worry about me," Robin said, as she reached into her pocket for her glasses. "I'll be fine. I'll have to call you back. He's here."

Story Notes:

"...the creepy tunnel..." - Nagira's line here is a reference to the movie National Treasure. If you haven't seen it, don't worry about it. It's not important.