Dennis teetered under her weight and the knife slanted downward across
Frank's chest. It ripped a red gash as the door shuddered a third time.
Dennis turned in that direction and crouched. The door splintered and
flew open. Dennis lunged, like a line-bucking football player. He hit
both Brent Taber and Captain Abrams simultaneously, sprawling them both
and sending Abrams' gun spinning out of his hand.
He leaped over them and dashed down the hall where the elevator man
waited uncertainly, not sure whether to dispute the right of way or not.
His indecision was fatal. Dennis wrapped an arm around his neck, pulled
his head back and cut his throat with one slash of the knife.
Captain Abrams' head had hit a doorjamb opposite the entrance to Rhoda's
apartment. He stirred and tried to come erect but he was unable to make
it.
Brent Taber clawed the gun off the floor and came to one knee. He got
off one shot as the elevator door was closing and saw the android spin
away from the controls as the impact of the slug smashed the bone of his
shoulder.
Taber lunged to his feet and went for the stairs.
There was no one in the lobby when he arrived there--no dead bodies,
either. But on the sidewalk, in front of the building, a woman lay dead
in a pool of blood.
In a sick rage, Taber looked in both directions and saw the android dive
through a group of people half a block away. He tipped them over like
tenpins and ran on. Taber gripped the gun tight and started in pursuit.
He could not fire because there was enough sidewalk traffic to make it
dangerous. On ahead, the android's path was blocked by a man. He sought
to get clear but the android passed him close enough to jam the knife
into his neck and send him screaming to the sidewalk.
A uniformed patrolman appeared on the other side of the street, further
down. He took the situation in and understood Taber's frantic gesture. A
car screamed to a halt as the patrolman raced across the street, drawing
his gun.
The android, seeing his escape cut off, veered into an areaway. The
patrolman got there first and plunged in after him.
Taber, gasps tearing at his lungs, arrived thirty seconds later. During
that time, he'd expected the sound of shots from the patrolman's gun.
But there was silence.
He braked on his heels, skidded into the areaway, and saw the android
advancing on the patrolman. The latter stood motionless, the gun hanging
useless at his side.
"Drop! Drop!" Taber yelled. He cursed as he tried to angle in the narrow
areaway in order to get a clear shot.
The android advanced with his knife raised. In desperation, Taber fired
at the lethal fist that held the weapon. And he was lucky. The hand
snapped open under the ripping impact of the bullet and the knife rang
sharply against the wall as it ricocheted to the ground.
Only then, did the patrolman obey the order to drop. He went to one knee
and Brent Taber fired three shots into the chest of the android.
He hesitated. There was only one slug left in the revolver. If the three
didn't spot the android, he planned to wait for closer contact and put
the sixth slug into the forehead.
The android shuddered. The fire and frenzy went out of him. He tried to
lift a leg and was surprised when it didn't move. He looked down at it.
Completely bemused, he peered down at his crimson chest. He looked up at
Taber without anger, only with surprise. A distinct expression of
wistful regret crossed his face as he sank to the ground.
The tenth android was dead.
The patrolman came shakily to his feet. His face was as pale as death.
"I--I don't know what happened. Buck fever. Pure buck fever, and I've
been on the force for ten years."
"Don't worry about it," Taber said.
"Don't _worry_. All of a sudden I freeze under pressure and he says,
'Don't worry.'"
"I meant it. This is no ordinary man. It wasn't buck fever at all. I
couldn't have faced him myself if I hadn't rattled him with that lucky
shot."
The patrolman wanted to believe. He most pathetically wanted to believe.
"Honest?"
"It's the God's honest truth. No man could have stood in front of that
killer and pulled a trigger. He's a master hypnotist. You're all right.
We won't say a word about what happened in here. And you'll have no
trouble in the future."