Chapter 8: Shattered Dreams

Quaid whipped out the pistol and pointed it between Benny's eyes. "I know you're a traitor who Cohaagen hired to kill Kuato. So why shouldn't I ventilate your skull right now?"

Melina gently pushed the pistol aside. "Stop acting like an idiot and get in the cab."

"He's an assassin!" insisted Quaid.

She opened the cab door and shoveled him inside while Benny hurried around the cab to climb into the driver's seat. "You folks want the nearest hospital?" He started up and steered around one of the big, subterranean tunnelers, with its multi-faced blades spinning uselessly in the thin air.

Melina shook her head. "Venusville."

Quaid couldn't believe Melina was so blasé about this. "We can't let him report back!"

"Man, you're talking crazy! You hit your head or what?"

Melina asked, "Why in the world do you think Benny's out to kill Kuato?"

That stopped Quaid cold. He couldn't very well say, I saw it in a dream. So he muttered, "I just know."

"What?" she sneered. "You're a psychic like Kuato?"

Benny was watching him the rear-view mirror. "Naw, that ain't it. Cohaagen's been screwin' with his mind and has him all confused." He floored the cab and shot through the quickly narrowing space between two tunnelers. "So what's with the reactor in the Pyramid Mines?"

"You know as well as I do," growled Quaid. "The reactor makes air. That's why Cogaagen won't turn it on. It'll break his monopoly."

From out of a side tunnel, a multi-wheel van emerged and screeched into the tunnel after them. Shots rang out.

Melina spun around. "It's Richter!" she announced. "Damn, when did he get back from Earth?" She stuck her assault rifle out the window and started shooting back.

Benny started jigging the cab with evasive maneuvers.

Quaid aimed his pistol and added to the gunfire.

The cab scraped the side of the tunnel and caused a partial cave in. The multi-wheel bounced over the new pile of dirt, grazed the wall, veered over and grazed the other wall, but righted itself and kept going.

Benny tossed a sonic grenade from out of the front seat to Melina, who pulled the pin and dropped it out the window.

The explosion lifted up the front corner of the multi-wheel and tipped it over as Benny raced out of the tunnel and into Venusville. He was looking in the rear-view mirror. "That just made them mad," he said. "They're swarming out that thing and coming after us!" He screeched to a halt in front of The Last Resort. "Come on!"

They were all out of the cab now, heading for the bar. Quaid stopped Benny, again leveling his pistol at him. "I can't let you got in there."

Melina couldn't believe her ears. "Quaid!"

"If he gets inside, he's going to kill Kuato!"

Benny nearly bent over with bitter laughter. "Mr. Quaid," Benny sighed in exasperation. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kuato."

Bullets whipped by. More multi-wheels were pulling up. Heavily armed troops were pouring out. Richter was pointing at Quaid and the rest. The troops rushed forward.

Melina shouted, "Everybody inside! Now!"

They ran for it.