Out of the corner of his eye, Paulsson caught the flash from the window of Business Tower, ducked, dodged, whipped out his own sidearm and fired, all in one motion. The deadly missile exploded in the midst of the decor with a puff of flame, and there was a slight hiss as pressure air drained out through the hole it had left in the plastic. Paulsson flung himself across the floor to touch the button that actuated the window-wall blackout, and turned to face Meyeronen, who was just picking himself up. The man was smiling.