Then a brilliant flash emerged from the pod's underbelly. Others followed. Clouds of steam rose where they hit the marshland surrounding the prison camp. Puffs of smoke appeared when buildings were hit. A pattern of strikes was being laid down methodically and without hurry.
'Hold fire!'
Allain's voice came over the radio.
'The pod has the prison camp as its prime target. If it turns on us we'll give it all we've got ... but, don't fire first!'
Liala shielded her eyes and peered through her fingers. A black cloud hung over the area where the prison had once been. Then the pattern of destruction moved to the side and proceeded down the highway. Vehicles fled into fields but it made no difference ... they were zapped like the rest.
'Give it all you've got!'
Allain yelled and the pod was bathed in light as hundreds of ray guns were turned on it. The silver underbelly shone like the morning star but the pod went on firing. Liala recalled that death pods were designed to reflect the rays from handheld guns. They might just as well have been using toy guns.
An overwhelming force had arrived and there was nothing they could do about it. The first of the carnival trucks was hit. Another followed. The road ahead was cleared and convoy started to move again. But it made no difference. The pod's deadly rays pursued them relentlessly.
Then the unexpected happened. When it looked as if all was lost a brilliant streak shot from the ruins of the industrial area and the death pod erupted in a ball of fire.
'They got!'
The man beside her jumped to his feet.
'The boys got it!'
Liala gathered that the gun crews in the hijacked combat pod had shot down the death pod. Allain's voice came over the radio.
'Our forces have eliminated one of the enemy's prime assets.'
The man beside Liala put it in less technical language.
'That's taught the sods a lesson.'
Liala watched the fireball descend. It seemed to fall very slowly. Then she realised it was far bigger than she had thought and much further away.
'It's heading straight for the centre of Elm Grove,' she said. 'That's where the top guardians are staying. The chancellor will be with them to watch the carnival. People will see it on TV. That should ...'
'Get your heads down and eyes covered.'
Allain's voice cut her short. The truck skidded to a halt. Liala pulled her hood down over her face and a blinding light engulfed them. She started to count and had reached ten when people started to stir.