Chapter 39
Rescuing the Cat to Boot

Arnie Ace Rimmer guided her light bee out of the path of the deadly bolt the seared through her image. Both remained unharmed, and unaffected.
The computer console behind her didn't fair as well.
The shot was not fired from the pistol of Arnie's alternative evil double, but out of the rad pistol, furnished by the Cat people, in the hand of the missing Lister. The shot had gone right through the female Ace's image and into the solid Ace's shoulder.

The shot was clean just like Lister planned, but his target didn't fumble. He did however clutch his right shoulder with his left hand and gritted his teeth. He did not drop his pistol.

"Drop it, or I'll drop you so help me!" Said the Lister holding his own pistol in a more than threatening manner.

"I almost believe that you'd do it, Spanners old mate." Ace turned and faced him, the other Lister still at his feet. His spectacles had fallen off his face.

"Come on you old spicy pot pie it's you your best mate Ace. I knew it was you. It took me a while but I knew." His gun arm was still in working order.

"I gave you the coordinates to find the boys and this is how you repay me?"
The semi consscious Lister rolled quickly, if not gracefully, away from
the wounded Ace, and consequently, out of firing range. At the same time, that same Ace, fired at the Lister who was still within his firing range. But missed. HIs wounded arm was stiffening.

Although she caused her light bee to project an image of herself using a jumping kick to subdue the villain. Ace had actually hurled her light bee at the solid Ace's head, the impact caused him to drop his pistol to the floor.
He soon followed it Wiping some blood from his forehead with the back of his hand he said:

"Unbelievable. You actually managed to floor me." He laughed a little.

"Personally I think it was beauty that downed the beast." He laughed again and started to get up.

"Stay right where you are." The Cloister garbed Lister held the pistol with both hands. His arms were straight as girders and taunt as steel.

"Why did he call you Spanner?" Ace asked.
The Lister with the gun looked up at the hologramatic Femverse Ace and said: "It's because," but never had a chance to finish the sentence.
Realizing that the odds were no longer with him Ace of Black Hearts used this momentary respite and played final Ace. He depressed a miniscule button on his watch.
White crackling electric looking bolts sparked around the evil Ace, almost threatening to cook the ex-commander alive.

"Shoot him Spanners. Shoot." The hologramatic Ace yelled from where she had moved to. Lister let off three shots at almost point blank range.
Nothing happened.

"What the smeg is that?" Said the Lister who was replacing his spectacles to their rightful place.

"This my friends, if you can still hear me, is my own personal stasis force field." Said Ace getting to his feet.

"Egads, the fiend has access to technology beyond our years. With a personal force field of that nature he doesn't actually exist within our
time stream." She paused for a moment. "Attacking him would be like attacking a ghost."

"I couldn't have explained it better myself," said the evil Ace as he made his way towards the airlock. "Now if you'll excuse me."
The unarmed Lister tried a tackle in desperation and came away with two hand fulls of electromagnetic energy residue.
Before anyone could respond he was out the door.

"After him," said both Listers who were stopped by a jammed airlock
locking mechanism.
Once outside the three watched as the Ace of Black Hearts Rimmer escaped in Ace's super dimension sled, which the Listers had finished rebuilding less then twenty four hours ago.

"Well this certainly puts a halibut into the ice cream tub," said Ace.

"But I'm still grateful that we have you back with us Davie boy. Nice
shooting. We were in a pretty tight pickle jar."

"It's not as bad as it seems," said Lister. 'I've got a few surprises for both of you when we get back aboard the Dwarf." Both smiled understandingly.