"That's it?"
"Yes."
"And what about Sharkey—the ferret, you called him."
"He ran."
"Doesn't sound like him. Why did he run?"
"You should ask him."
The detective blew a cloud of smoke into my face. It smelled like xeno. He put the weed down in an ashtray, reached over to a shelf, and dropped the metal nightstick noisily onto the table. It was bent almost double.
"Could this have something to do with it?"
"Maybe."
"Want to tell me about it?"
"It is an old strongman's trick. Once you get it started, it is not so hard if you keep up the pressure."
"And you're a strongman."
"I lift weights."
"Were you trying to scare Sharkey?"
"Yes. I did not want to fight them."
"Is that so."
"Yes. I did not want to hurt them."
"You hurt Jocko. You killed him."
"He attacked me—first with the electric baton, then with the knife. I was defending myself—and Millie. I did not mean to kill him."
"Self defense."
"Yes sir."
The detective dropped something else onto the table. A little holo, Millie's holo '…with Love. Don't ever forget me.'
"Why didn't you take this with you?"
"I do not understand."
"Sharkey says he saw you disappear last night—with a bang. Into thin air. And you left this holo behind."
"Sharky is…hysterical. The holo fell from my pocket during the fight." Deto! Jason had warned me about people in the vicinity, when I had requested return. I had forgotten all about the pix. Naturally, it could not go with me.
"We didn't find it at the fight scene. We found it where Sharkey said you disappeared. Why do you think Sharkey would say something like that?"
"I do not know, sir."
"We also found a credit card—and a comcard. Why didn't you take those with you?"
"I must have dropped them, sir." Deto! I normally left them in the library. Yesterday was not a good day.
"Where are you from, boy?"
"Peta Jaya."
"What's Sa'no?"
"I do not understand."
"You're from Peta Jaya and you never heard of Sa'no?"
"No sir."
"You're not from Peta Jaya. What is your name?"
"West-One Outfam."
"You're lying. There's no West-One Outfam in all of Peta Jaya. We checked. Why don't you have any ID?"
"I lost my ID, sir."
"Lies. More lies. Where are you from? What's your real name? You might as well tell us. We're going to find out. Self defense is not against the law. You might even get out of the murder charge. But it's a serious offense to lie to the police. And if we don't even know who you are, you're not going anywhere."
"Yes sir."
"Tough guy, huh? Well, we'll see about that. What's your interest in Millie S-Fam?"
"She is a friend."
"She doesn't seem…quite your type. How long have you known her?"
"Three days."
"Three days, and she's willing to lie for you—and deceive the police. A nice girl like that. Nice work."
"She is…innocent. She knows nothing."
"About what?"
"About me."
"Yes. About you. A mystery man, who bends steel bars with his hands. Mega said Sharkey hit you right on the head with the nightstick. Where's the bruise?"
"It hit my shoulder. Not the head."
He pulled my smock back, roughly examining my shoulders. "No bruises. That's funny. Do you have any explanation?"
"It was a glancing blow." I read from Jason's text, but I knew it was hopeless. This cop wasn't buying it.
"You a boxer?"
"I can defend myself."
"What's your relationship with Rex Two Lammafam?" He fingered Rex's comcard.
"He gave me a ride into town. He gave me his card. That is all."
"Except for the lock design you sold to him. What about that?"
"It was my design."
"He said it was brilliant. Innovative."
"Is that against the law?"
He took another puff on his cigarette and blew the smoke into my face. "Listen, punk. You've probably heard about the hard man-soft man routine? We do it here. I'd just like you to know—I'm the soft man. But if you continue wising off like that, I'm going to turn you over to the hard man. You don't want to meet the hard man. I'd advise you to be nice and polite to me."
"Yes sir. I did not mean to be…impolite."
"Good. All right, Superboy, I'd like to start with your childhood. Tell me where you were born, who your parents are, ID your brothers and sisters, tell me where you went to school, what you studied, what your native language is, why your Trib is so bad…just basic bio. Stuff that everybody knows. Let's hear it."
***
My talk with the detective did not go well. I had no answers for him. It was so hopeless he did not even bother to turn me over to the hard man. I went straight to the lockup, to ponder my sins. They stripped me and issued me a phospho orange prison jump suit and sandals, and shoved me into an isolation cell. Just me, a hole-in-the-floor toilet, and a steel bunk with a thin blanket and musty pillow. I sat on the bed.
I didn't feel bad. It certainly wasn't our fault. We had a very limited time to study the planet, and our resources had to focus on learning the language. There was no way we could have picked up enough knowledge, in the time available, for me to convincingly pass as a native. And we certainly couldn't fool the police. I considered it a miracle that I had even been able to fool Millie. After all, they were on the other side of the galaxy and were only technically human. I wasn't a miracle worker—but I thought I had done pretty good, considering the obstacles we were facing.
I'LL TRY TO KEEP THE CLOTHING POWERED UP AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, Jason told me. That was a worry. We did not want my holo clothing dissolving as they were handling it. They would certainly examine it for clues to its origin. Jason could keep a separate lock on it, but not forever. Eventually, it was going to disappear.
I looked around the cell. I'd bet there was a camera, on the ceiling, behind that grill. They were watching me.
"Jason," I whispered. "Wait until lights out. If they do it. Believe I'm under observation."
CONFIRM WE WAIT UNTIL LIGHTS OUT, THEN POWER DOWN. JUST GIVE ME THE WORD.
I settled back on the bunk. I guess I was the galaxy's most fortunate jailbird. All I had to do was give the word, and I'd be gone, instantly. Unfortunately I'd be leaving a lot of questions behind me. I was certainly going to become Lakeside's most wanted fugitive. This was not the kind of profile I had hoped for. And all because of those stupid thugs. Deto!
I disappeared with a flash and bang, shortly after lights out, leaving my prison garb behind. My holo clothing disappeared from the crime lab at the same instant. My quiet little clandestine mission was now big news.
Chapter 13
Production
Put me right into her room," I said, examining the printout tacmaps of the interior of Millie's cube bloc. I had a glass of ice water in one hand and I was so charged I was spilling it over the tacmap. I was out of ES less than two hours ago, clad in a robe thoughtfully provided by Apples.
"We'll have to," Jason said. "The probes confirm the S-Fam is under heavy surveillance. They're already all over the place, outside. And more are arriving every moment—quietly. Shouldn't we wait until tomorrow?"
"No! We do it now. There's no more time to waste. I've got to tell her to go back to the library and get that info!"
"All right—but there's no more sense in being subtle. If they close in, I'm going to disappear you."
"Fine. Try not to let Millie see it."
"Camfax?" Apples asked me, tossing a fresh pack onto a desk.
"Fine. You're right, there's no more point in being subtle." I ripped the pack open and started slipping into the c
amfax.
"No undies?"
"Shut down and get me some boots. I don't have time!"
"I'll get your undies."
"All right, all right. Deto! Hurry!"
***
I reappeared in a corner of Millie's bedroom, silently, clad in Legion camfax and boots. The room was dark. Millie was in bed, asleep. There was a window, curtained. A desk with mirror, chair, and desk lamp. A bedside table with a lamp.
Carpet. Closet, bureau. Our holo was on the mirror.
I knelt beside her. She was out, her mouth slightly open. She looked exhausted. I slipped a hand over her mouth.
"Millie. Wake up. It's Westo."
She came awake instantly, adrenalized and terrified, and it's lucky I had a hand over her mouth. When she realized it was me, she threw her arms around me and squeezed. I gave her a few fracs to calm down. She was wearing a thick long nightgown that looked like it had been designed for somebody's grandmother, but I could feel her breasts against my chest. I tried not to think about that.
"Millie. I told you I'd come back."
"Westo! The police were here again! They say you broke out of jail! They said you're extremely dangerous!"
"I am only dangerous to your enemies. Millie. I must have that information. You must go back to the library and…"
"I've already got it! It's right here! I know how important it is to you."
"Bless you! You will save millions of lives! Where? Show me!"
She scrambled out of bed, found her glasses, opened the desk drawer, pulled out a stack of loose documents and placed them on the desk top. I pulled up the chair as she stood over me.
"That's everything I could find about the Plague. Mycotoxico Paracitica Volcanospora, it's called. Everything's in there. Including all the genetic information on the disease."
"But what about the fungicide?"
"I should have remembered. It was a mild hallucinogenic acid, Glycocellinus. It's harmless to humans, but lethal to this variety of fungus. It's…"
"Millie! What's…" the door was flung open. One of Millie's roomies stood there, a cute blonde in a short silky night gown. "Oh my God!" she gasped, and backed up against the wall upon spotting me, her face suddenly chalky white.
"All right, what's the ruckus?" Another girl wandered in, yawning, long black hair, sexy black nightgown and a pale face, now going considerably paler. Millie was on them like a bloodcat, backing them both against the wall, wagging a finger at them.
"Laura, Sheena, you just shut your mouths and stand there and don't move! This is my boyfriend, West-One, and he is very busy right now. Don't interrupt! West-One has a bad temper and if you move a muscle you will be very, very sorry! Do you understand?"
They both nodded, terrified, frozen against the wall like a couple of statues. I glared at them once, then went back to the papers.
"The fungicide!" I demanded.
"It's present in xeno. Xeno is a staple, everyone in the world drinks or eats or smokes xeno. Don't you?"
"Jason, are you getting this?"
"It would be easier if you turn on a light and start turning the pages!" Jason replied. I clicked on the desk lamp, gazing nervously at the window. Can't be helped! I started on the docs, giving Jason about two fracs per page. It was all he needed to copy it.
"Who are you talking to?" Millie asked me. "Don't move, Sheena! I warn you!" They froze, again. I had a feeling Millie was going to get a lot more respect in the future from her roomies, if they dared stay with her. "Westo—don't your people consume xeno?"
"No—we don't! Do you have xeno's genetic code in here? Or the code of the active element—what was it—Glyco-something?"
"Well…no. I thought you'd surely know what that was."
"We don't. I need it." Xeno? I had no idea what it was in our language. The Legion might not know, either. It might not even exist in our time!
"I can…"
"Open the door!" A faint banging.
"Police have entered the cube bloc," Jason announced. "They're at the door to your cube."
"All right, I'm on the last few pages. Millie, where's the bathroom?"
"Bathroom? Now?"
"Finished. Bathroom!" I slapped the last page aside and stood up.
"In the hall—right out the door. Don't you want these papers?"
"Get me the genetic code for the fungicide, and for xeno."
"Yes."
I kissed her, deeply, standing in the door. Her roomies watched wide-eyed.
"I'll be back, Millie…that's a promise!" Someone was working on a door with a battering ram. It sounded like it would give soon. I found the bathroom and stepped in, slamming the door shut behind me.
"Do it, Jason," I said. I disappeared with a bang.
***
"She's evidently under arrest," I explained patiently, "or at least under detention. Our probes say she's in the local Police Hqs."
"The information you provided is invaluable," Tara said. Her image was icy clear in the Q-link. "But we need more. We have no idea what xeno is. We must have the genetic code of the active element—the fungicide."
"I know that, Tara."
"We need it as soon as possible."
"I know that too, Tara."
"I am under tremendous pressure, Wester."
"Tara. You tell those people to shut the hell down! I will provide that information just as soon as I can obtain it—and not before!"
"But how are you going to do it, with your source under arrest?"
"She's probably just being questioned. Maybe accused of non-cooperation. She's a smart girl. She'll get out, probably in a few days at most. And she knows exactly what I want. They can't stop her from going to the research library. She's a student nurse, she has free access."
"Every hour more people die, Wester."
"You don't have to tell me that! I know that!"
"Isn't there another way you can get this data? Must it…"
"No! I can't find it by myself. I'm probably the most wanted man on the planet by now. Rex Lammafam can't help me, they'll be sitting on him as well. Only Millie can do it, wants to do it, will do it!"
"Wester…"
"Don't you Wester me! You tell those bastards to get off my back! You tell them I am going to get that information! This mission is going to be totally successful! Those were the parameters that I was given and that's what I am going to produce—total success! I don't want any interference, from you or anyone else! It's my mission! I am going to give you victory, Tara. Tell them that! Tell them your attack dog is on it! And don't call me back! I'll call you!"
"When?"
"When I can report the mission is successful! Goodbye, Tara." I snapped the link off.
***
I prayed, alone in my cube, kneeling on the cold cenite deck until my knees ached. I prayed to the Legion's dark Gods, for victory. Never had I had a more important mission. If I failed…the souls of millions of dead would howl at me for the rest of my immortal life. I didn't even want to think about it. I prayed.
Jason and I sipped bitter dox together in the control room, waiting for word from the probes. It's funny—you become very close to people when you're together on an important mission. Millie, Jason, Apples and I…we were as close as four people could get, even though Millie had never met Jason or Apples. I think Jason was falling for Millie as bad as I was.
Apples joined us and we locked the rest of the ship out of the control room, and brooded over dark schemes, each wilder and more improbable than the other.
I was just about ready to pay a visit to Millie in her cell when the probes shot us a heavenly vision. Millie S-Fam, walking out of Police Hqs, unescorted. We whooped, we screamed, we did a little dance. Then we calmed down and sat before the screens to watch, and wait.
The probe, invisible, followed her all the way home. It was almost sunset. She would surely go to work tomorrow—and visit the library.
Her cube bloc was surrounded by plainclothes cops. It was senseless
to try the cube again. They were probably inside, waiting. They were ready for me. I feared it would be the same at the hospital, tomorrow.
"Get some sleep, Thinker. You're going to need it."
"Right. I'll do that. See you in the morning."
***
"They're all over her."
"Deto!"
It was the following morning on Chudit, a bright, clear day. Millie S-Fam was in the research library of the Lakeside College of Medical Science, evidently collecting information. She sat at a desk in a large room with about eight other people reading and studying. We could see it all from the probe, watching over her from up on the ceiling. From time to time she would go over to the stacks and select a book or a datapak to feed into the small reader on her desk.
Two of the occupants of the room, a young man and a young woman, were armed. The probes outlined the weapons clearly, under their clothing. They were both in good positions to watch Millie. Outside it was the same. The place was swarming with plainclothes types. Lakeside's government had evidently decided something seriously strange was occurring. They were right.
"You're not going to be able to do it," Jason said.
"All I need is a few fracs, to let you record the data. Just a few fracs."
"They're not going to give you a few fracs. You'll never get close to her. You show your face, they'll leap on you. Instantly."
"There'll be a chance. Somewhere."
"Where? They're on her inside, they're on her outside. You show up, they're on you."
"I know she's got the info by now! I've got to get it!"
"No, you don't. I've got an idea."
"What?"
Jason pressed the intercom. "Alpha Six, Jason. On me."
***
We projected Jason's Holo-X right into the little corridor that led to the restrooms, once the probe confirmed the coast was clear. Apples had given him a modified bowl cut and a white lab coat with no ID. We figured it would do, for what we needed. He wandered into the library, visited the stacks, piled up some books on his desk and tried to look busy. His back was to Millie. The two cops looked at him, but did nothing.
I was sweating bullets at the controls. It was fool-proof, Jason had told me. It had better be, I had replied. The very brief instructions he had given me had not filled me with confidence. Apples was right beside me, visibly perspiring. She knew we were breaking every rule in the book—and she didn't know any more about the controls than I did. Nothing can go wrong, Jason had said. It's not as if you're going to lose me in the past. I'll be right in the next room! The worst that can happen is some dead people who lived a couple hundred thousand years ago are going to get a big surprise if I disappear into thin air. So relax!
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