and he just couldn't get enough control. So he'd lost all control now and was spinning helplessly as he accelerated down the slide. "Look alive, Roni! If the bad guys show up down here, it's just you and me."
Roni grunted assent.
The next floor arrived all too quickly. CJ sprang from the slide as she reached the bottom, and this bit of the training worked perfectly: she landed on her feet well clear of the other Angels sliding in behind her, with her spike at the ready.
As the Web had predicted, no minions of Shiva waited for them. Which was fortunate, because her prediction had also been right: Lars and Axel landed in a heap at the bottom.
By the end of the third slide, they'd gotten the hang of it. Axel was leading his bike down, sliding on one leg. He was still clumsy getting off the slide . . . but then, he was clumsy with only one leg fully operational anyway.
From somewhere on the Web came the suggestion that they rip Axel's shirt into pieces and string it across the bike to make a stall chute. Axel slid down this time in a sitting position, with the bike dragging air behind him. It worked beautifully.
Soon CJ lost track of the slides they'd run, the chutes they had yet to slide. All she knew was that it was as close to joy as she would get on this ride, and she rode it with gusto.
It could not, however, last. Eventually Morgan informed them, "Okay, folks, this is it. Next stop is the center level." As one, the Angels stopped. No Shiva had ever tried to ambush Angels on the slides to the center. But every Shiva had set up a welcoming party at the center level itself. This was where Angel One had first encountered the Destroyers. No one doubted that this time the opposition would be deadlier still.
CJ peered down the last chute. As with all the other slides, she could not see much at the bottom: the floor to her level, and the ceiling of the level below, blocked the view. She could see where they would land, but an army could lurk a sword's length away and stay hidden. She knelt down beside the chute, pulled out a recon pyramid, and placed it gently on the slope. It slid away with growing speed, till it reached the bottom.
A huge roar echoed up the chute—the sound of Destroyer guns chained together in terribly harmony. CJ muttered, "Sounds like there are a
Roni grunted assent.
The next floor arrived all too quickly. CJ sprang from the slide as she reached the bottom, and this bit of the training worked perfectly: she landed on her feet well clear of the other Angels sliding in behind her, with her spike at the ready.
As the Web had predicted, no minions of Shiva waited for them. Which was fortunate, because her prediction had also been right: Lars and Axel landed in a heap at the bottom.
By the end of the third slide, they'd gotten the hang of it. Axel was leading his bike down, sliding on one leg. He was still clumsy getting off the slide . . . but then, he was clumsy with only one leg fully operational anyway.
From somewhere on the Web came the suggestion that they rip Axel's shirt into pieces and string it across the bike to make a stall chute. Axel slid down this time in a sitting position, with the bike dragging air behind him. It worked beautifully.
Soon CJ lost track of the slides they'd run, the chutes they had yet to slide. All she knew was that it was as close to joy as she would get on this ride, and she rode it with gusto.
It could not, however, last. Eventually Morgan informed them, "Okay, folks, this is it. Next stop is the center level." As one, the Angels stopped. No Shiva had ever tried to ambush Angels on the slides to the center. But every Shiva had set up a welcoming party at the center level itself. This was where Angel One had first encountered the Destroyers. No one doubted that this time the opposition would be deadlier still.
CJ peered down the last chute. As with all the other slides, she could not see much at the bottom: the floor to her level, and the ceiling of the level below, blocked the view. She could see where they would land, but an army could lurk a sword's length away and stay hidden. She knelt down beside the chute, pulled out a recon pyramid, and placed it gently on the slope. It slid away with growing speed, till it reached the bottom.
A huge roar echoed up the chute—the sound of Destroyer guns chained together in terribly harmony. CJ muttered, "Sounds like there are a