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hamburger a different matter entirely. It appeared to be a bap of some kind
with stuffing. There was no knife or fork and Jan had not the slightest idea
of how to go about eating it. In the end, sure that no one was watching him,
he seized it up and took a bite. It was very different from anything that he
had ever tasted before, but interesting nevertheless. Buried in its heart was
a layer of barely cooked mince which had a number of sauces and bits of salad
spread over it. But it was immensely satisfying too. He wolfed it down. It
took him only a few minutes to eat it and he was finishing the coffee when the
two men came in.
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Without looking around and without hesitation they slid into the booth across
the table from him. Jan put the coffee cup slowly down and seized the butt of
the pistol with his other hand.
They weren't looking at him; appeared not to notice him. One of them took a
coin from his pocket and reached over to put it into a slot under the table TV
screen.
The machine came to life with a blare of music. jan did not look at it; he
drew the gun from the bag under the shelter of the table. The thin man who had
inserted the coin touched the controls, changing channels until he was
satisfied, then sat back.
It was a sports broadcast, about a racing match of some kind.
What did it mean? jan thought. Both men were middle-aged, dressed very much
the way he was. They appeared to be examining the menu, but did not press the
service button. As yet neither of them had caught his eye. The words of the
television announcer cut suddenly through his concentration.
"...further news of the criminal rebels who attempted to seize the Alpharon.
The fighting has ended and the murderers have met the fate ~hey wished for
others. Quick justice at the hands of the comrades of those brave men who gave
their lives for their home world..."
One glimpse of the torn, twisted and blood-drenched bodies of his friends was
enough. Jan looked back at the two men. The announcer's next words froze him
motionless.
"One criminal escaped. His name is Jan Kulozik and the public is warned that
he is dangerous. He is wanted alive for questioning concerning details of this
mutinous plot. There is a reward of twenty-five thousand dollars for anyone
supplying information that might lead to his recapture. All citizens of
California and Arizona are warned to be on the lookout for this man...
Jan permitted himself one swift look at the screen. There was his face, full
front and profile. Taken years ago before he was shipped from Earth, but
instantly recognizable. When he looked back he found that the two men were now
looking straight at him.
They both had their hands on the table so they were either very sure of
themselves~or very stupid.
"Is all that true, what he said?" The thin man spoke for the first time. Jan
did not answer so after awhile he added, "Why do they want you, Kulozik?"
Jan's answer was to bring the barrel of the gun up over the edge of the table.
"This is a standard issue .65 calibre, rifleless pistol. It fires rocket slugs
that can blow a hole through a cow. I want you to stand up and walk out of
here ahead of me. Now."
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They obeyed instantly, sliding out of the booth and waiting for him, their
backs turned. Then they went out the door with Jan following them. As he
walked through after them Jan was barely aware of the figure in the darkness
to one side, swinging something. He half turned and was just bringing up the
gun when he was struck.
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Seven
"I can only repeat what I've told you before," Jan said.
"Then do it."
It was a different voice-but the questions were the same. Jan was bound so
tightly to the hard chair that his arms and leg5 were numb; his eyes were
bandaged. It seemed that he had been tied there for eternity.
"My name is Jan Kulozik. I arrived on the Alpharon. I didn't know the ship's
name until I heard the broadcast. I was with a group of prisoners who escaped.
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I was the only one that got away. I killed an officer..."
"His name?"
"Lauca, Sub-Lieutenant Lauca. And it was not murder but self-defense. I've
told you all this already. I took his uniform and gun, commandeered a truck
driven by a man named Eddie Millard. I left the truck behind the garage before
going into the restaurant where you jumped me. Now you tell me something. Who
are you? You're
Security, aren't you?"
"Shut up. We ask the questions..."
The man's voice broke off as someone else entered the room. There were
footsteps and muttered voices. They came toward him-and his face burned with
pain as the adhesive tape that covered his eyes was torn away. He gasped with
shock and kept his eyes shut against the searing light.
"What was the registration number of the last car you owned in England?"
"How the hell do I know? That was a long time ago. He blinked at the three men
standing before him. Two of them were the ones from the restaurant. "If you're
Security then you know all about me. So why these games?"
The newcomer, a scrawny man with a head as naturally bald as Jan's shaved one,
answered him. "We're not Security. But maybe you are. A plant. To find our
people.
So you should answer our questions. We can help you-if you are what you say
you are.
If not, we'll kill you."
Jan looked at their faces, then nodded slowly.
'I feel the same hesitancy on my own part. You could be Security no matter
what you say. So I will tell you only what is in my record. I'll not
compromise others."
'Agreed." The bald man looked at a sheaf of printout. "What was your phone
number in
London?"
Jan closed his eyes, tried to think. It was another age, really another life.
He visualized his apartment, the doorman, the lift. Going into his flat,
picking up the phone...
"Oh one... two three six... treble one two. That's it."
There were more questions like this. He answered them more quickly as memory
flooded back That must be his security file they held-but how had they
obtained it?
Only Security would have that. Were they just playing with him?
"That's enough," the bald man said, throwing aside the accordion-folded paper. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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