It was stupid not to build all the walls with force-fields that would make them impervious to beam guns. But then, the whole set-up on Apollyon was stupid. These petty Autarch-Assassin games could only have been set up by a madman.
Five android guards ran into the room, firing their beam-rifles. Bartol ignored them; the beams couldn't touch him. Two more started to pull in a wheeled semiportable. They got it in through the door and swiveled it toward Bartol.
At that moment, the mechanism in the helmet synchronized with the wall's force field. Bartol slid through the field, melted through the wall, and stepped through to the other side.
He hurled himself to the floor instantly as two coruscating beams of ravening heat met at the spot where he had stood. There was another semiportable inside the real citadel of the Autarch of Apollyon.
Before the Autarch could swivel the gun, Bartol had leaped on him, slamming him to the floor.
"Don't kill me!" screamed the man. "I'll do anything! Just don't kill me!"
On the other side of the wall, the androids found themselves helpless. The force field was still up, and they had been forbidden to enter the citadel.
"I don't intend to kill you," Bartol said. "Not unless you act up."
He cut off the man's body shield and pulled the handgun from his holster. Helpless and disarmed, the man cowered on the floor as Bartol stood up.