Dragon and Liberator

But the Death was different. There was no useful task to which it could be put, no role of defense or creation that its technology could provide. All it could do was kill, without discrimination or restraint or mercy.

It was pure evil.

Jack felt a cold shiver run up his back. Uncle Virgil, he knew, would have immediately looked for ways the Death could be of use to him, as either a prize to ransom or a commodity to sell to the highest bidder. Jack himself, a year or two ago, would probably not have approved, but he would probably not have voiced any serious objections, either.

Not so the Jack Morgan of the present. This Jack Morgan could recognize the need to destroy this device. And he was ready and willing to do so.

Six months of living with a poet-warrior of the K'da had turned Jack into a person he'd never thought he could be. A person he'd never even dreamed he could be.

He was going to do what was right. Not because he stood to gain a thing from it, but just because it was right.

And despite the danger all around him, it felt good. It felt really good.

Jack?

With an effort, Jack shook away the sudden rush of feelings. The self-evaluation and warm fuzzies could wait until later. Right now, he had a job to do.

He eyed the Death, doing a quick mental calculation. Assuming the device hadn't been moved since his visit to the monitor room, one of the two cameras in the room had to be directly above the door, while the other was across in the far left-hand corner. A simple, straightforward arrangement, and one that covered the room quite adequately.

Unfortunately for Frost, the people who'd installed them had made the classic mistake of mounting both cameras out of the way near the ceiling. As long as Jack kept his head down, he should be able to keep his face off the monitors.

He stepped inside, looking down at his waist as he pulled out his multitool. Have you gotten close enough to Valahguan equipment over the years to know what kind of fasteners they use? he asked Draycos.

I have, Draycos said. They're like human-style screws, but with a triangular hole in the end.

Jack winced. His multitool had screwdriver blades with both cross-headed and square-headed tips. But a triangular tip was something new. I suppose it's too late to tell them I need to go get a tool kit?

Definitely, Draycos said. But I think one jaw from your needle-nose pliers will work.

I hope you're right. Jack reached the Death and leaned over the blue-light panel as if examining it. Control circuitry?

Beneath a cover plate on the underside, directly under the status light display.

Jack finished his examination and crouched down beside the weapon, using its bulk to block the relevant camera's view of his face. He found the access cover plate right where Draycos had said it would be, held in place at its four corners by the odd-looking triangle-holed screws. Mentally crossing his fingers, he opened his needle-nose pliers and inserted the tip of one jaw into the nearest screw.

The fit wasn't perfect, but it was close enough. Be careful—the thread is left-handed, Draycos warned. It works the opposite way from human designs.

Thanks. Jack turned the proper direction, and the screw began to loosen.

"You don't have right tools," the Brummga said, sounding more confused than suspicious. "Why don't you have right tools?"

"You've got to be kidding," Jack said with a snort. "Those Valahgua tools are for sissies." He got the panel off and laid it aside, then flicked on his flashlight and pointed it up into the opening.

Inside was a maze of wires, four rectangular circuit boards with neat rows of small components, and a few larger, thumb-sized modules wired separately into the system. Jack had dealt with his share of electronic designs over the years, but this one was completely unlike anything he'd ever seen.

But there were certain constants in every electronic design, constants forced by the laws of physics. Control circuits, which always ran on low voltage, were connected together by thin wires. Power supplies, which ran much higher voltage, required thicker wires and heavier insulation.

And if the high-voltage current from the power circuits ever wandered over into the control circuits, trouble was pretty much guaranteed.

Reaching a hand to the top of the weapon. Jack tapped one of the handles. "Hold it right here," he told the Brummga. "Keep it real steady. And don't bump any of the controls."