by Random, Alex
There was no reply to his hammering and he sat down again, leaning back in a corner and trying to ease the pressure in his skull. His thoughts would not come straight and he failed to see why he should have been arrested because a stranger had been foolish enough to get his head torn off by one of the sideshow freaks. The place had been crowded with holidaymakers, any one of whom could testify that Alston had not showed up until after the mishap had occurred.
Anger began to burn inside him, and if he could have got at Graham then he would have done a great deal for which he would have been sorry. Impatience flooded him and he clenched his big hands. If only he could get to grips with what had happened to him. A single fact or scrap of information would have made all the difference, but he had nothing at all, and he knew he was beaten before he could even get started in a hunt which seemed to have stacked all the odds against him.
A peephole opened in the door and Alston sprang to his feet swaying slightly at the quick movement. He saw an eye peering at him through the hole and he went to the door.
“Let me out of here!” he snapped.
The eye studied him unblinkingly for a moment, and Alston tightened his lips. He lifted his right hand and stuck his forefinger into the peephole, trying to hit the eye. But the guard outside was too quick for him and the tip of his finger met with nothing. He pulled the finger back before the guard could retaliate, and listened to the sound of receding footsteps. He took to pacing the floor, and a few moments later other footsteps sounded and then the door was unlocked.
It was Lieutenant Anders who looked into the cell, and for a moment they stared at one another. Then Anders turned to the accompanying guard.
“Lock me in with Alston,” he said. “I’ll knock when I want to come out.”
He entered the cell and the guard slammed the door heavily. Alston watched him in silence, filled with a bleak sensation that chilled his heart. There was no expression on Anders’s face, and his dark eyes held no light in their brown depths.
“I’m sorry to see you in here, Rex,” Anders said stiffly. “I guess it was your disappointment over failing to get your parole.”
“What have I supposedly done?” Alston demanded.
“Attacked Captain Graham! I came over soon as I heard. If I can get Graham not to press the charge you’ll be out of here in an hour.”
“Graham is after something else from me, Frank.” Alston spoke wearily. “Have you heard about the man who was killed at my place?”
“Yes.” Anders shook his head slowly, and there was concern in his face. “You’re getting into trouble, Rex. I don’t know what I can do to help.”
“What do you know about the man who was killed? Was he a police agent or really someone from Earth come all the way to talk to me?”
“I’m afraid only Graham can answer that, and he’s not talking. You know Graham isn’t on your side, don’t you? He’s never liked you, Rex. He’s always been jealous of you. When you and he were both starship captains you always got the missions that brought the glory, and Graham never forgot it. Only when you were court martialled and exiled here did Graham start to find some glory, and then he was promoted to his job. So be very careful around Graham. Don’t give him any chance to get at you.”
“That’s easier said than done.” There was bitterness in Alston’s voice. “I thought my troubles were all over, apart from serving out my exile here. But it seems as if the past is coming up to hit me again. I’m helpless in this, Frank. As an exile I have no rights. I can’t defend myself against any charge that might be brought against me. Graham has got me where he wants me, and the only thing I know is that they’ll never get me to one of the Hell Stars. I’ll die before I let myself be taken there.”
“That’s the wrong kind of attitude, Rex. Look, I’ll go and have a word with Graham and see what I can do.”
“There’s nothing you can do. I wouldn’t advise you to get mixed up in this, Frank. It could go hard for you. They pulled me down from starship captain. Just think what they could do to you.”
“I owe a lot to you from the old days, Rex,” Anders said sharply. “That includes my life on a number of occasions. I’ll take my chances to do what I can. But don’t make any more trouble for yourself than is necessary. Trying to hit Graham didn’t help any.”
Alston nodded slowly. “I let my feelings get the better of me. But it won’t happen again. I’ll be careful in future. I guess if the smugglers did send that man to contact me for some unknown reason then they’ll make another try when they learn what happened to him.” Anders kicked the door and it was opened immediately. He started to leave, but paused in the doorway and looked back at Alston.
“You’ve got other friends who might be able to help you, Rex, if you gave them a chance,” he said.
“If I have then I don’t know about them,” Alston retorted.
“Carmel can whisper into her father’s ear any time she wants to.”
“I figure that if she did that the Governor would become alarmed by the knowledge his only daughter is associating with an exile. He might panic and have me shipped out to Jurinne, or some such hell-hole!”
Anders nodded and turned away. “You could be right,” he said.
The door did not close after Anders had gone, and Alston remained against the back wall of the room, watching the doorway. He heard the mumble of voices outside in the corridor, and footsteps departing. Then Captain Graham appeared in the doorway, and he had a Blinder in his hand. Alston tensed, but did not move, and for a moment they stared at one another. Then Graham stepped out of the doorway.
“You’re free to go,” he said thinly.
Alston did not move. But a pang stabbed through him. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, but there were no conscious thoughts in his mind.
“What’s this all about?” Alston demanded.
“There are no charges against you. My investigations into the death of the man at the play complex clear you of being implicated. You didn’t actually land a blow on me, and for that you can be exceedingly thankful. Get out of here, Alston, and go back to your duties, and in future keep out of trouble. You will be watched, and the first step you take out of line will be your last.”
Alston showed his teeth in a mirthless grin, but he wasn’t feeling happy. He looked at the Blinder in Graham’s hands, then started forward slowly. He didn’t like the situation, and paused when he confronted the captain.
“What about the dead man?” he asked slowly.
“What about him?” There was nothing in Graham’s face or eyes to give Alston any clues to the man’s thoughts.
“Was he a contact from the smugglers out to talk to me or was he your man, trying to trap me into some kind of admission of guilt?”
Graham permitted a thin smile to touch his lips. He shook his head slowly. “An admission of your guilt now would not affect your case in any way,” he retorted. “You were found guilty and sentenced on that evidence. Why should I waste my time trying to get you to admit you were guilty?”
“Perhaps to put something between Carmel and me,” Alston said, and saw Graham’s eyes flicker. “Everyone who knows me around here has heard me claim innocence. Perhaps you think that if Carmel learned I might have been guilty she would turn away from me.”
“I’m not interested in what the girl thinks, Alston. Now get out of here before I change my mind about you.”
Alston suppressed a sigh and left the cell. He walked along the corridor, mindful that Graham was at his heels, and a guard at the door leading out of the detention block stiffened to attention.
“Alston, wait a moment,” Graham said as Alston jerked open the door, and Alston turned to face him, expecting trouble. But the captain was smiling thinly. “Don’t go around looking for trouble,” he suggested.
“You know me better than that, I think,” Alston replied. “Is there anything else you want?”
“Nothing at this time; I’ll walk to the street with you to ensure you leave sa
fely.”
Alston said nothing and they remained silent until they left the building. The sun had gone down, Alston discovered, and glanced at his watch to check the time. He had spent a considerable time in the cell, and wondered why he had been held so long. Graham had evidently been doing some checking up! He glanced into the captain’s face, but Graham was giving nothing away.
“You’d better report to the play complex,” he said.
“I’ll do that!” Alston turned away and walked along the street. He didn’t look back, but he guessed Graham would be watching him, and he could not help feeling that he was helpless in the grip of whatever circumstances had formed. He was completely in the dark, had been from the moment of his arrest on the smuggling charge. Now it seemed that further developments were coming, and although he wanted no trouble he was still in it up to his neck.
He looked up at the peaceful sky and nostalgia hit him hard. He knew the general direction in which lay Earth, and although his sight could not cross the many light years of distance that lay between them he stared at the starry sky and imagined himself in the control cabin of a starship once again.
There was a hardening of thought in his mind when he told himself that he would never recapture his old happiness. The past was as dead as if it had never been, and no matter what he did he wouldn’t be able to relive any of it. He knew he was wrong in hating this present period, because he couldn’t get away from it and the only sensible thing to do was make the best of it. But there was pride in him, and the knowledge that he was innocent of the charges that had brought him here.
He couldn’t overlook that fact for any amount of peace of mind.
He went on, walking slowly, not caring about his duty or anything else at that moment. He was dissatisfied and resentful. To a large extent, he had managed to live down the knowledge that he was as nothing in the scheme of things of Cyra, but Graham had managed to bring home to him once more the hard facts that they could do just as they liked with him and he had no redress.
Coloured lights in the sky warned him he was getting near to the play complex, and he thought again of the man who had died at the savage hands of the Tyrannusman. What had he wanted? Why had he made such an approach? If he had been from those unknown smugglers then why hadn’t he used more diplomacy and secrecy?
Alston shook his head slowly as he considered. He was practically convinced that the stranger had been one of Graham’s police spies, and had been intent upon ferreting out any information the authorities had not got at the time of Alston’s court martial. But if he had been a police spy then why had he gone into the sideshow and permitted himself to fall into the clutches of the terrible Tyrannusman?
It was all much of a mystery to Alston, but he had the subconscious thought that before it was done he would know all about it, and probably to his bitter cost …
CHAPTER FOUR
When he reached the play complex Alston went into the office to find Helga in charge. The girl was worried, but her face cleared when she saw him, and she got quickly to her feet, coming towards Alston with a quick smile showing on her lips.
“Is everything all right?” she demanded. “You haven’t been charged with anything, have you?”
He shook his head. “It was a false alarm,” he retorted. “What’s happening around here? Have they got the freak sideshow opened?”
“Oh yes! It’s pulling more crowds than ever because of what happened there earlier.”
“I’m still wondering what happened,” he retorted. “Can you tell me anything?”
“Didn’t they let you know at police headquarters?” she countered.
“They only arrested me, they didn’t give me any information.” He smiled thinly. “I seem to be right in the middle of this, and apparently I’m the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on.”
“There were several witnesses, holidaymakers, who saw what happened. The man slipped under the safety rail and went right up to the bars of the cage. He was going to take a picture.”
“That’s all I heard. What kind of a fool was he?
Alston went to the desk and sat down. “You want me to take over here now? You must have stood in for me during the time I was under arrest.”
“I did, but I’ll remain on duty until the end of the shift, and perhaps you’ll stand in for me in the future when I may want some time off.”
“I’ll do that. But I’ve got nothing to do this evening. I figure I’d better stick around in case the police come asking more questions.”
“I don’t know why they arrested you.” Helga sat down once more and crossed her shapely legs. “Captain Graham has it in for you. Don’t give him any chance to get at you, Rex!”
“I won’t. But you could do me a favour, Helga.”
“Anything.” There was eagerness in her tones.
“I’d like to try and find out more about that mystery man we lost today. How about introducing me to your friend Allie? She might be able to tell me something about him, seeing he came from Earth on her starliner!”
“I’ll call her if you like.” Helga reached out for the transmitter. “She lives it up a lot. She always makes the most of her time on the ground.”
“Call her! Perhaps I can meet her somewhere for a quiet drink and a talk. I’d better try and find out what is going on. If I don’t I’m going to drop into a hole that will be the death of me.”
Her face was serious as she dialled a number, but there was no reply.
“Perhaps it is just as well,” she said at length. “I forgot to tell you that Carmel Paine called a short time ago. She’s coming out here to see you.”
“When she arrives you can tell her I didn’t get back after being arrested.” Alston didn’t feel like talking with the girl. He had the feeling that she was the root cause of most of his trouble with Graham, and he didn’t want to add to what already lay before him. “I’m going to the Cradle of Stars. I expect your friend Allie will be there. Tell me what she looks like. I’ll drop on to her casually. I may be under observation by some of Graham’s undercover men.”
“Be careful, Rex, for Heaven’s sake! Allie is a nice girl and I wouldn’t want her to get into trouble and lose her job. She lives for what she does.”
“I used to be the same,” he retorted. “What does she look like?”
Helga described her, and added: “You won’t be able to mistake her. She never goes out without wearing her starliner uniform. Her name is on a small button she wears on her lapel.”
“Thanks. I’ll take off now to find her. See you when I get back. If anything does crop up and you want to get hold of me then put a call through to the Cradle of Stars. I’ll be there.”
She nodded and he departed, but there was a sad expression on her face that stopped him in the doorway. He looked back at her.
“You’re a good kid, Helga,” he said. “I’ll see you later.”
She smiled and nodded and her face showed relief.
“Don’t be too late,” she responded. “And I’ll keep Carmel Paine off your back.”
He nodded and went out into the night, making his way across to the hovercar. He climbed in and switched on the lights, sending two brilliant beams across the park and creating a fiery tunnel, around which the night seemed to settle in firm density. He cut in the ignition and lifted off the ground quickly, filled with the old impatience, and when he surged across the park he lifted higher with a savage intentness that almost had the craft stalling and going down. He took hold of himself and concentrated on the controls, sweeping in a flat arc across the town, his eyes narrowed against the glare coming up from the ground. His radar was working and he knew he could not run into another craft.
Almost too soon he was in the area he wanted, the far side of town that overlooked the forest, and he set down gently and hovered forward like an injured bird until he was in the right parking space. Then he alighted and locked the cabin.
There was a soothing breeze coming in across country, car
rying with it the intangible scents of a thousand miles of varied plants and vegetation over which it had travelled. He paused and sniffed appreciatively and for a moment his guard was down and he felt almost normal. Then he tightened his lips and walked up the ramp that led to the door of the Cradle of Stars.
He entered a long room that was lit in a subdued blue that made faces unreal and grotesque, and he paused on the threshold and grimaced as he looked around. Low music was vibrating through the dull air and there was a pall of cigarette smoke that further curtailed vision.
The Cradle of Stars was not one of Alston’s favourite spots, but he entered and made his way around the long room, peering at the women seated at the various small tables. Most of them were escorted, and Alston realised that he received some searching glances as he went on his round. He saw a girl dressed in a starship stewardess uniform, but she didn’t fit the description Helga had given him and he moved on, finally returning to the door without seeing the girl he wanted. He looked once more at the stewardess he had seen, and started towards her table again. She was not alone, and the man seated across the table from her was an officer of the same starline.
“Excuse me,” Alston said pausing at the table. The man looked up quickly.
“What’s on your mind?”
Alston kept his attention on the girl. She was tall and slim, pretty, like most of the starline stewardesses. She stared at him for a moment, then smiled.
“Would you know Allie Carpenter?” he demanded. “I was told she might be in here this evening.”
“Do you know Allie?” the man demanded.
“Not by sight, but we have a mutual friend, and I have to talk to Allie,” Alston said.
The man looked around at the packed room, then shook his head. He looked up at Alston again. “I don’t see her now, but she was here a short while ago.”
“She left with a policeman,” the stewardess said. “I saw her sitting at her usual table about fifteen minutes ago, and the security guard entered and spoke to her. She left with him almost immediately.”