"Is that your Venusian girl?" Dorothy interrupted. "And what are you two talking about?"
Barry switched to English. "Hell's still loose. Got to get to headquarters immediately."
He started off, looked back with a worried frown. Xintel had drawn a tube-weapon to match Dorothy's rifle. The slender, coveralled Earthgirl and the more fully curved Venusian, dressed in only a torn skirt, were eying each other like two alley cats. He could almost feel the crackle of emotion between them. He winced.
"It's murder if you don't!" Barry raged.
Captain Stanley of Ship Two was in charge of the slough sector of defense. He shook his head regretfully.
"Must have the approval of the other captains first," he said.
"Well, in God's name, get them!"
Barry strained his eyes, but the mist had settled down thickly. Only the vaguest hints of heaving, convulsive movement were discernible beneath the water. The air-masked crews of the machine guns and mortars and flame throwers set up to supplement the stun barrier were tense and jittery as they waited.
The radio handpiece crackled with static that drowned all communication, so Captain Stanley sent a runner to summon the others.