"I've lived up here."
The unicycles braked to a halt.
"Step over here, slow," ordered one of the Squadmen.
Duggan obeyed, careful to keep his arms rigid. Of course paralysis needles would cause this mech body no damage, but why make trouble? They had more destructive weapons.
"Ran into us," he said mildly. "We figured something wrong—honest men would be standing where they were. We stopped them."
The four members of the Squad were inspecting the damage.
"I guess you did," one of them said, admiringly. "You must be super mechs too?"
"That's right. I'm Duggan, Al—Merle Duggan, and this is my friend, Ted Rusche. We work on the 80th Level—rockhounds."
"Duggan?" The man's voice was suddenly strained. "Maybe you're not so clear as you pretend. A woman got in the way by accident, supposedly, of their getaway from the bank. Her name was Duggan too."
Duggan started forward, remembered the ugly expoder muzzles and backed away.