ssed into the hull and
the big wrecking crane swung smoothly out of its cradle and over the
wreckage. The end of the crane arm was directly over Ferguson. "Lemme
have the spreaders," Clay called. The arm dipped and from either side
of the tip, a pair of flanges shot out like tusks on an elephant. "Put
'er in neutral," Clay directed. Martin pressed another lever and the
crane now could be moved in any direction by fingertip pulls at its
extremity. Ferguson carefully guided the crane with its projecting
tusks into the smashed orifice of the car window. "O.K., Ben, spread
it."

The crane locked into position and the entire arm split open in a "V"
from its base. Martin pressed steadily on the two levers controlling
each side of the divided arm and the tusks dug into the sides of the
smashed window. There was a steady screeching of tearing and ripping
metal as the crane tore window and frame apart. "Hold it," Ferguson
yelled and then eased himself into the widened hole.

"Ben," Kelly called from her perch atop the wreckage, "litter."

* * * * *

Martin raced to the rear of the patrol car where the sloping ramp
stood open to the lighted dispensary. He snatched at one of the
autolitters and triggered its tiny drive motor. A homing beacon in his
helmet guided the litter as it rolled down the ramp, turned by itself
and rolled across the pavement a foot behind him. It stopped when he
stopped and Ben touched another switch, cutting the homing beacon.

Clay's head appeared out of the hole. "Get it up here, Ben. I can get
her out. And I think there's another one alive still further down."

Martin raised the crane and its ripper bars retracted. The split arms
spewed a pair of cables terminating in magnalocks. The cables dangled
over the ends of the autolitter, caught the lift plates on the litter
and a second later, the cart was swinging beside the smashed window as
Clay and Kelly eased the torn body of a woman out of the wreckage and
onto the litter. As Ben brought the litter back to the pavement, the
column of smoke had thickened. He disconnected the cables and homed
the stretcher back to the patrol car. The hospital cart with its
unconscious victim, rolled smoothly back to the car, up the ramp and
into the dispensary to the surgical table.

Martin climbed up the wreckage beside Kelly. Inside the twisted
interior of the car, the thick smoke all but obscured the bent back of
the younger trooper