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disdainfully.
"So we're dealing with humane highjackers, huh?" "Humane assholes.
iF i had my way, we--" "Congratulations, Mr. Cardigan. I see you've been
successful."
"Thus far," he said as the grey haired woman who was the pilot of the sky
liner stepped into the baggage room.
"How come nobody's nabbed you yet?"
"Probably," she said as she, smiling, pointed a lazgun at him, "because
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I'm on their side."
G0IE. XAD BEE II a few seconds faster. The beam of his stun-gun hit
Lunden square in the chest, causing the OCO agent to go staggering back. The
stun gun shot he'd aimed at the detective went wild, just missing the elderly
woman.
She started screaming.
Lunden toppled over sideways and lay, stiff, on the corridor floor.
Helton, meantime, had gone diving through the open doorway of Cabin
14.
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The heavyset, angry passenger called to Gomez, "The other son of a bitch is in
your old cabin, buddy."
"Gracias." Gomez, watchful, got to his feet. He pried weapon from
Lunden's stiff fingers and thrust it into side pocket of the borrowed uniform.
"You all right,
"Not at all, young man. But I wasn't hit by any stray if that's what you
mean."
Gomez called out, "Hey, hombre, we've got U.S. standoff here. Suppose you
chuck your gun out into--"
"To hell with you, Gomez," answered the OCO man from within the cabih.
"By now my partner has taken care of the feisty senorita," said Gomez as he
inched closer to the doorway of 14. "So you're going to be alone in ... Si,
here they come now."
Jake had entered the corridor, followed by Almita and the pilot. "This isn't a
victory parade, Sid."
Frowning, his partner inquired, "Oue #ase?"
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"Well, it turns out our pilot is in cahoots with them." The heavyset passenger
complained, "Damn, this gets worse and worse. You can be damned sure Quixote
is going to hear about--"
"Be quiet," ordered the grey haired pilot, "or you'll be in no position to
complain about anything."
"Are you threatening me?"
Helton emerged, gun in hand, from Cabin 14. "Shut up--tow"
"You certainly haven't handled this at all well," the pilot told the
OCO agent.
"You can shut up, too, dear lady." He pointed his stun gun in Gomez's
direction. "Put down all your weapons."
Sighing, Gomez did as instructed. "Up until now, Jake,
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I really was doing great," he said ruefully. they climbed, slowly, up the
twisting hillside path. On their right rose a thick tropical forest, filled
with a humid darkness and with the sounds of restless unseen animals and night
birds. On the left was a dark, deep and brush-filled ravine. Gomez, still in
the uniform he'd borrowed from the sky liner android, was at the head of the
single-file procession.
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Behind him trudged Helton, the blond OCO agent, and then came The fourth
member of the ascending group was
"I've got both my lazguns back now, cabr6n," she in Jake as she stuck the
barrel of one of the guns his back. "Try something smartass now, why don't
"I'm conserving my strength," he said over his shoulder.
"For my next assault on you.",
"Do it right now, c'mon."
Helton said, "that will be quite enough of that, dear." "You should have let
me change back into my clothes again," complained Gomez, stumbling again.
"These trousers are too long."
"Be thankful you're not wearing a shroud."
"At least a shroud wouldn't have legs that are several inches too long." He
tripped over one of the dragging pants cuffs.
"Speaking of shrouds," said Jake. "Are you planning to arrange a fatal
accident for us?"
"I'd like to do something fatal," put in Almita, poking him with the other
gun. "It wouldn't be an accident, either."
"Keep in mind," Helton told her, "that I'm in charge of this soiree."
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He swung the lite rod he was carrying in his left hand around, touching her
with its wide, intense beam. "As to your inquiry, Cardigan--you're simply
going to be detained here for a spell."
"How long a spell?"
He used the lite rod to illuminate the narrow uphill trail. "No more than a
few days."
"That means that whatever's going to be happening in Spain will happen within
the next few days."
The OCO man chuckled. "I don't know anything about Spain," he answered.
"You hold us here for a while--then what?"
"You'll be released," he answered. "Provided you haven't succeeded in annoying
anyone too much."
"Really? And suppose I report you to--"
"You'll find that I don't exist, Cardigan. None of us do," explained
Helton. "Well, except for Almita, and I
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really doubt you'll be able to track her down." "The Office of
Clandestine Operations will deny you're on the payroll, huh?"
"I'm not on anybody's--"
"Caramba." Gomez had tripped once more, this time sprawling facedown on the
trail.
"Get up." Helton turned the light on him. "Very slowly,
and without a single try at a trick, get on your feet."
"Trick? Dios, I nearly break my favorite leg and you accuse me of--"
"Pay careful attention to me, Gomez," cut in the agent, angry. "I'm very tired
of this. Should you slip or stumble once more--I'll stun gun you. Then your
partner can carry you the rest of the way.
"Behave, Sid," urged Jake. "I'm not up to lugging you."
"I'll try not to fall over, amigo. But these baggy pants--"
"We'll continue on our travels," ordered Helton.
"We've only got two miles to go."
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"That's a long way to trek in pants that don't fit."
After they'd climbed a few minutes in silence, with the of Helton's lite rod
illuminating the pathway ahead,
inquired, "How'd you get the sky liner to set down "That's a trade secret."
"The equipment here on the island?"
Helton chuckled. "If it was, it wouldn't be by the time you can get back with
anybody official," he said. "Actually, though, it's elsewhere, considerably
elsewhere."
"And you got us here without leaving a trace?"
"To the outside world, Cardigan, your disappearance is a mystery. The
vanishing sky liner is probably a thirty second vidnews squib just about now."
"Eventually, I figure--"
"Ai, caramba!" Gomez took a new, violent fall. He toppled off the path
completely. Crying out once, he went rolling down into the dark foliage-filled
ravine on their left.
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You could hear him rolling and tumbling down through the darkness.
Helton stepped to the edge of the trail and shined the beam into the gap.
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There was no sign of Gomez and no sound came up from below.
"That cabrd. I'll fix him." Almita, a lazgun in each hand, pivoted and moved
to the trail edge.
Jake moved to her side and bumped against her just as she fired. Both shots [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]