A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born

"I will demonstrate, your caponess, since one action speaks louder than a thousand words. I also suggest that you sit there and strap that belt about you as I have done. This demonstration, I guarantee, will impress you." If not impressed already, he was at least curious. He strapped in and I backed the length of the causeway to the shore. Going slowly with all attendant wheezing and clanking. I stopped the car and turned to him.

"What about the speed of this thing? What you are used to?" "Speed? You mean how fast it moves? This is an excellent yoke and goes with greater alacrity than my own." "You have seen nothing yet, capo. First-notice this." I turned off the sound and steam and he nodded with understanding. "You have banked its fires and it rests and does not move." '"Quite the opposite. I have simply silenced it so no one can hear its approach. It is raring to go-and go it will. After you answer one question. If this cart belonged to an enemy and it appeared here-would your soldiers have time to raise the drawbridge before it reached them?" He snorted with derision. "What sort of fool do you take me for with questions like that? Before a cart could crawl its way there the drawbridge could be raised and lowered more than once." "Really? Then hold on and see what this baby can do." I floored the accelerator and the thing shot forward in almost perfect silence. There was the hum of the motor, the rustle of the tires on the smooth stone. Faster and faster towards the gate, which expanded before us with frightening speed. The guards who were standing there dived aside just in time as we hit the rough boards of the repaired wooden drawbridge with a crash, bounced, and rocked through the gate.

And shuddered to a halt inside the keep. The capo sat there with round eyes, gasping, then struggled to get his sword free.

"Assassin! Your attempt to kill me has failed..." "Capo, listen, it was a demonstration. Of how I am going to get you and your soldiers through the gate of Capo Doccia's keep. Right through the open gate into the courtyard where you can kill, loot, murder, torture, maim, destroy..." This got his attention. The sword slid back into its scabbard and his eyes unfocused as they looked at the wonders I had summoned i~] for him.

"Right," he said, blinking rapidly and coming back to the present. "You have an interesting idea here, soldier, and I want to hear more about it. Over a flagon of winefor that ride was something I have never experienced before." "I obey. But let me first get this cart hidden and out of sight so it cannot beobserved. The attack will only succeed if there is complete surprise. " "In that you are correct. Put it in the barn and I will post guards over it." The wine he gave me was a good cut above the acid the troops were issued and I sipped it with pleasure. But not too much for I was going to need a clear head if the game were to proceed as planned. I had to find reasons that would make sense to him; to convince him to get cracking with his war plans at once. Because if we didn't move quickly Prof. Lustig would be swarming over us with his gas bombs. I am sure he was most unhappy about my pinching his buggy. And there were not that many keeps in the area where it could be hidden. It was time for action. I slid out a rook along a mental rank and spoke.

"The keep of the foul Capo Doccia is no more than a five-hour walk from here-is that correct?" "Five hours, four-hour forced march." "Good. Then consider this. He attacked you while you were away with the greater part of your army. His troops did great injury to the drawbridge and the fabric of the keep itself. Before you venture out to launch an attack you must have the drawbridge repaired, hire more soldiers perhaps. So when you begin your next campaign no advantage can betaken of your absence. Is that correct?" He slurped his wine and glared at me over the rim. "Yes, damn and blast your head, I suppose it is. Prudence, my officers always consul prudence when I want to behead that creature, rip out his entrails, flay him alive..." "And you shall, yes indeed, fine things lurk m your future. And unlike your other advisers I do not consul caution. I think that fiend in human guise should be attacked-and at once!" This appealed to him all right and I could see that I had his undivided attention as I explained my plan.