Alan Dean Foster (24 page)

"I am here to take Harcourt," he whispered to her. "We have all the evidence we need to put him and his cronies away permanently. Where is he? I will find him eventually myself, so you have nothing to lose by cooperating with me, and may have much to gain."

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She hesitated briefly, then nodded toward the office doorway. He slowly removed his hand from her mouth. "You'd hear him anyway. He's in there, with the others."

He looked to his left as he pulled his service revolver. "How do I know I can trust you?"

She shrugged tiredly. "Go and look for yourself."

"Not good enough. You show me."

She was suddenly scared. "Oh, no. Leave me out of it. They'll kill me."

The detective showed her the gun. "I came up behind you, silenced you, forced you to talk by pointing this at your head. No one will blame you."

She studied his face for a long moment, then nodded once and started back down the hall.

The introductions being performed in the office were perfunctory.

Everyone in the room knew his neighbor by name, profession, or both. They had not gathered for small talk.

Everyone focused on the large black suitcase which Kipling set in the center of the conference table. The visitors eyed it curiously, wondering what it might contain. They'd come because of Harcourt and Harcourt's reputation and so far had been shown nothing. However, it was known that William Harcourt did not waste his time or that of others, so it could be presumed that the luggage sitting so prominently before them held something of interest as well as of value.

One of the Newcomer visitors spoke up, utilizing English for the benefit of his human colleague and also because he enjoyed showing off his diction.

"So what's the deal, Bill? Why drag us to this dump in the middle of the night?"

"I could explain, but it's all self-explanatory, so why waste the time?"

Harcourt approached the table, Kipling flanking him closely. Quint had stationed himself in the shadows, just in case. Harcourt trusted the three he'd invited as much as he trusted anyone, which was to say not at all.

Track lighting illuminated the conference room, creating alternating pools of light and darkness. Harcourt now entered the beam which happened to be aimed at the suitcase. His

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fingers nudged the double combination locks, then flipped the twin latches.

He opened it slowly, making his audience wait, heightening their curiosity.

Despite their best attempts to appear indifferent, all three visitors found themselves staring at the black bag.

The track light shone directly down on fifty carefully arrayed one-kilo glass tubes, each resting in its individual padded slot. Each tube was filled to within a centimeter of its stopper with a deep blue gel.

Several small plastic containers lay in the bottom of the case, below the ranked tubes. Harcourt removed one of the glass cylinders and held it up to the light, eyeing it like a proud father studying his firstborn. The light shined through the translucent gel, sparkled off the lab-quality glassware.

After a suitably theatrical pause he placed it back in the case, next to its siblings.

The eyes of the two Newcomer visitors had grown wide as they realized what the contents of the suitcase might be. Only their human colleague sat with a puzzled expression on his face, wondering what all the silent excitement was about.

"What is it?" he finally asked.

Harcourt smiled lazily. "A sweet indulgence from our past, resurrected for our future. A delight we thought had been lost to us forever, a simple pleasure once allowed us only on another's whim. Something for which we hungered daily and over which we now can exert control. Our own destiny in a test tube, if you will."

He observed the expressions on the faces of the two Newcomer dealers, knew what they were going through. They weren't strong enough to handle something like this. No one was strong enough except for him. That was why he had control. That was why he was the one in charge. That was why he would always be the one with the power.

He let them stare, let them drink as much as they could with their eyes, knowing that wouldn't be enough. When he thought they couldn't stand it any longer, he graciously spared them the indignity of having to ask. Removing one of

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the plastic dispensers from the case, he slid it across the table.

"Please feel free to sample the quality. The experience will be everything you remember it to be. So that there can be no doubt in your minds, I have gone to the expense of doubling the active ingredients in this particular dispenser. Therefore, a small amount will be sufficient to bring back memories, physical as well as mental. For those who are on top, only the best, yes?

"If anything, I believe this product to be of higher quality than what we were used to receiving prior to our journey, because it was produced by us and for us and not by the Masters. You would be surprised to learn, as they would themselves, of the skill of these humans at chemical engineering.

Some of the ingredients are not readily available here, but that is only a matter of money. The necessary equipment is easily obtained and the manufacturing process surprisingly simple." He grinned by way of reminder.

"None of which matters unless one has access to the formula and concomitant methodology. That remains secure with me. "

"If you're telling the truth, Harcourt. If you're telling ha~f the truth.

. ." The alien dealer nearest the dispenser picked it up and put it to his lips, squeezing out a tab of the blue gel. His companion tried not to display his anxiousness as he waited his turn, occupying the interval with conversation.

"Where'd you get it, Harcourt? The formula and the methodology?"

Harcourt reminisced. "I arranged to spend some time with three very resourceful people. I had made the necessary inquiries, forbidden of course, before we were placed in deepsleep, and sought them out subsequent to our arrival here. I did not expect anything to come of my inquiries, so you can imagine my surprise when my contacts suggested there might actually be one among the Travelers who had some knowledge of the supposedly forbidden formula. With a certain amount of coaxing, he was indeed able to reconstitute it for me.

"Mere access to the formula was not sufficient, of course.

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Our touchdown on a world of comparative freedom and relative scientific sophistication was an unexpected bonus, as I did not have to try and steal equipment or improvise it from the ship's stores. But there was still a great deal of work to do. Funds had to be acquired according to this world's laws, and the team I was putting together had to be kept secret.

"I have worked very hard, gentlemen, and made something of a success of myself. I ingratiated myself to our hosts, whom I could naturally not ask for help in this matter (both Newcomer dealers chuckled knowingly) and achieved wealth and notoriety among them. They believe such things to be adequate ends unto themselves. They could not imagine I was doing all that I had done merely to achieve a means to a much greater end.

"My three associates worked well together. Unfortunately they are no longer with us, but I was lucky enough to reap the benefit of their endeavors."

No one inquired as to why Harcourt's three associates were no longer around. It would have been impolite.

By this time the first alien Dealer was swaying gently in his chair as he experienced the indescribable rush the drug produced. His companion took the dispenser and squeezed out a hit for himself. The rush swept through him even faster than it had his colleague. No fool, the human dealer grabbed the plastic container and blued his own tongue.

"Let me try some!" As soon as the taste reached the back of his mouth he spun to his left and spat. Only after he'd cleared his palate did he look disgustedly at Harcourt. "Jesus! This crap tastes like detergent."

Harcourt was grinning at the man's reaction. "And it will affect you about as strongly. It may even clean your mouth out-it has certain interesting side-effects-but there are mouthwashes available for human use at considerably less cost. Your physiology is not attuned to it."

The man was still spitting, wiped the the back of his mouth with the sleeve of his silk coat. "You can say that again. "

" I arn no chemist, though I have been forced by recent 177

developments to acquire some small knowledge of that branch of science. As I understand it, human physiology is so different from ours that there is no possibility of this having any effect, benign or detrimental, on any human being. Not even on a child. This will prove useful since humans are reluctant to interfere when their interests are not directly at stake. I have learned that much about human society. You are a very self-centered people."

"As opposed to altruists like yourself, right, Harcourt?" The human dealer displayed a greater command of the language than Harcourt would have given him credit for.

"I am merely pointing out some of the advantages of the mutual enterprise in which I think you will desire to participate. When my fellow Newcomers learn they can obtain this drug, they will work very hard to make as much money as they can, to give it to me. If necessary, they will lower themselves to do the kind of work which is to our particular advantage, much as do human addicts. This drug represents much more than money, my friend. It is power."

"You haven't told him all of it." The voice came from the shadows near the door that led to the adjoining office.

Harcourt crouched slightly as he reacted. Everyone else spun in the direction of the pronouncement. Caught off guard and resting, Quint jumped to his feet while Kipling's hand edged toward his shoulder holster.

A silhouette appeared in the door and resolved itself as it entered the room. Cassandra, with Francisco right behind her.

Quint had his gun out and was starting to take aim when his eyes widened as he caught sight of what the detective carried cradled in his right hand.

The bundle was compact and fwniliar: the plastic explosive he'd intended to connect to the ignition wires of a certain human detective's automobile.

The wires had been properly run from the explosive pack to the detonation switch, an uncomplicated pressurerelease button. You squeezed it tight and when the ignition was turned, it let the switch bounce upward and ...

Francisco held the switch depressed, his thumb heavy on the sensitive trigger.

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" He's got the C-4 charge!" Quint yelled, incriminating himself while warning his companions. Kipling's hand hesitated and Harcourt lost the rest of his smile.

- What is a C-4 charge?" one of the Newcomer dealers inquired through the haze induced in his brain by the drug he'd just ingested.

"Human plastic explosive." Quint's eyes were locked on Francisco's right hand. "Primitive but impressive stuff. That's a real bomb he's carrying there. And the way he's got it set, if he moves his thumb it's gonna go off real easy. "

The dealer started to rise. Francisco turned on him, holding out the charge. The Newcomer got the idea fast and sat back down.

Francisco was sweating profusely and the room rapidly filled with the odor of alien perspiration as the others joined him. He advanced by nudging Cassandra gently ahead, keeping her where he could see her.

Despite what she'd already done for him, he didn't trust her. Right now he didn't trust anyone. He couldn't afford to.

Quint had slowly put his pistol away and was making reassuring motions with both hands. "Just take it easy, buddy. Nobody here's gonna do anything stupid. Keep your finger on that button and don't do nothin'

squirrelly. Whatever you want, I'm sure we can talk about it, right?"

The detective nodded slightly. "Right. We'll talk."

Harcourt was watching the intruder, not the lethal device in his hand.

It was the detective they had to disarm, not the bomb. The detective who had to be rendered harmless.

"if you release that button," he said as he gestured toward the depressed detonation switch, "you will not only kill us, but yourself as well."

"That's for sure." Francisco's expression was grim, his tone unwavering.

"This will not merely demolish this room, it will level the entire floor of this building."

"No joke," the edgy Quint said confirmingly. "There's enough stuff there to bring the whole place down."

"That does not make any sense," Harcourt observed softly.

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"No," Francisco shot back, "it makes perfect sense, since you're the only one who knows how to make the ss'jabroka. To finish you, and that," and he nodded in the direction of the open suitcase and its gleaming contents, "I would do it. "

As he spoke he stared straight at the Newcomer entrepreneur, and Harcourt knew he wasn't bluffing.

"Everyone up against that wall." When Francisco gestured with the C-4

everyone moved. "Slowly." They rose from their chairs and walked in slow motion. Quint moved more slowly than anyone. "Except you."

Complying with the order, Harcourt halted behind the conference table.

Her face alight with fear, Cassandra remained where she was, watching the others as they lined up against the wall. Kipling was having an especially tough time. His pistol hung heavy against his shoulder, within easy reach yet untouchable. He wanted to break the detective's face.

Slowly. But the thumb depressing the trigger controlled them all. He glanced in the direction of his boss, saw that Harcourt was not giving any signals, and decided quite correctly that now was not the time for improvisation. Wait.

Trying to watch all of them at once, Francisco approached the table. He picked up the sample dispenser and tossed it back into the open suitcase.

With his free hand he succeeded in closing the case and latching it tight.

Harcourt watched him silently, his emotions seething inside him. He experienced actual physical pain as he watched the detective pick up the suitcase on which so much effort had been lavished.

"One small matter seems to have escaped your attention, sir. " Harcourt nodded at the luggage. "Just as it has escaped the attention of my friends here. What you hold in you hand is not listed on any human law books as a controlled substance. Legally it might as well be fifty kilos of grape jelly."