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Jake was looking down at Strella. "Hey, she's not breathing."
"I turned her off at their central control board--same time I shut down
the bulls."
He crouched beside the frail figure. "She's an android?" "Sure,
couldn't you tell?"
"I don't have your knack." Jake straightened up.
"C'mon this way." Beth started walking along the wide corridor.
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"How'd you find me?"
"If I tell you, you'll probably get angry."
"I won't, no," he promised. "But I'm curious."
Smiling as they walked along the curving corridor, she said, "When you
were leaving and I hugged you--well, it wasn't just affection."
He started feeling at his back. "You planted a tracking bug on me?"
"I don't think you'll find it, Jake. It's the size of a flyspeck,"
Beth told him. "One I designed myself--I happened to bring a few along
from the lab. It allowed me to track you, and hear everything that was
going on, too. "Gracias, dear senor. Oh, you have saved me from a
fate worse than death." Boy, Jake, how could you fall for such--" "You
had to have been there. She was very convincing."
Beth glanced at him. "Maybe I shouldn't have planted that thing on
you, but I just didn't like the sound of this meeting setup. Soon as
you left, I took off in our sky car
Jake was silent for a few seconds. "No, that was a good idea," he said
eventually. "We're partners, after all. I've got to keep that in mind
from now on."
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Beth laughed. "You're mellowing."
"A brisk workout with a few bulls tends to do that to me." "I'm sorry
I couldn't get them deactivated sooner."
"Listen, I think I was winning when you got here," he said. "Another
few minutes and--"
"You wouldn't have beaten the fourth one. He's rigged to breathe out
flame." Beth stopped at an open doorway. "In here."
On the slick white floor at the far side of the room lay two men, both
unconscious. One on his back, one on his stomach. Monitor screens
ringed the walls, and at the room's center was a complex control board.
In front of it, tied in a plaschair, was Jake's contact here in
Cuidado.
"I guess," said the fat Globo, "you'd like an explanation, huh,
Jake?"
"That'd be nice." Jake's grin was not a warm one.
The fat man wiped at his perspiring forehead. "This was strictly a
monetary thing, you understand," he was explaining.
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Jake was straddling a chair five feet from him. "Selling somebody out
usually involves money. Go on."
"Keep in mind that you and I were never close friends. So it isn't as
though I'm a Judas or--"
"\What were you supposed to do?"
Globo gave his forehead another nervous swipe. "This is going to sound
pretty awful to you."
"Tell me anyway."
The fat man mumbled something inaudible.
Beth was leaning against the wall, hands in the hip pockets of her
trousers. "We didn't catch that. Otra Yez, Dot favor."
Looking up at her, Globo answered, "I was hired to kill him." "By
whom?" she asked.
Starting to wad up his handkerchief, he said, "Keep in mind that
I was paid a considerable sum." "Who?" asked Jake. "Vargas." "Rare
Vargas." "That one, si."
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Jake studied him for a few silent seconds. "Vargas is Warbride's lover
and second in command. Why's he want me dead?"
"It's not a military thing at all, Jake." He wadded the handkerchief
up even tighter. "Vargas is aware that you and Warbride were once ...
good friends."
"Not exactly that." \Globo concentrated on his fat fingers as they
poked and pressed at the damp handkerchief. "The man is very jealous.
He doesn't want you getting near the lady again," he said. "Once he
learned I was seeking to arrange a meeting between you and Warbride, he
had me contacted."
"Who did that?"
"A nobody, a go-between. His name I don't even know."
Jake rubbed at his chin. "You're telling me that Warbride herself
doesn't even know anything about this?"
"Si, ada."
Jake glanced over at Beth. "What do you think?"
"He's too scared to be lying."
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"Exactly, senorita, obviously." He used the handkerchief again on his
sweating forehead. "The truth is what I'm telling you."
Standing, slowly, Jake crossed over to Beth. "Now we have to find
another way to arrange a meeting with Warbride."
"I can still help you with that," offered Globo. "It would be an honor
to"
"Nope. I'll make other arrangements." Jake borrowed Beth's stun gun
from her, turned and used it on the fat man.
The robot madam greeted Jake warmly. She was tall and wide with an
ample chrome-plated bosom showing beneath her shimmering glogold dress.
"Been one hell of a long time, Jake honey," she boomed as she gave him
another enthusiastic hug. Her plump chrome cheeks were decorated with
glimmering gems, her crinkly blonde hair was made of spun gold, and she
smelled strongly of a dozen different flowers. "I heard you were out
of the snoozer, but I didn't think I'd see you down here at the
Arcade."
Extricating himself, politely, from her exuberant embrace, Jake took
two backward steps across the ivory-colored parlor rug. "You seem to
be thriving down here, Mama Reina."
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Chuckling, she returned to her huge lucite rocking chair. "We got the
most successful high-tech whorehouse this side of the border," she told
him as she resumed rocking. "But since when did you go in for andy
hookers
"I don't," he replied. "I'm looking for a friend of mine who's
supposed to be here."
"Aw now, honey, I hate to interrupt a customer." \"He's not a
customer. This guy's a reporter with GLA Week-Ogden Swires."
"Him, yeah. He's doing a story on the Arcade." She chuckled, slapping
at one chrome knee. "That faxzine is supposed to have a readership of
around four million, so an article there']l be great publicity. You
just came down from GLA, didn't you? How many of those four million
you figure are frustrated and horny?" "Most all of them."
"Exactly, so a story in that rag of Swires' will boost business. Local
color and nookie's a great combination." She ceased rocking, pushed
down on the arms of her chair and shoved to a standing position.
"I've put on a lot of weight since I knew you in GLA, honey." "How's
that?"
"Hell, I had to have lots of extra security gadgets built in,"
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explained Mama Reina. "Tourists get a lot goofier than locals. But
now I'm equipped to stun them, tranquilize them and even perform a
little minor surgery if need be. I can also clear a Bam card in less
than thirty seconds."
"Notice you've added some new rubies, too."
Smiling, the robot madam tapped her cheek. "Yeah, the gift of an
admirer. I got some swell new diamonds, too, but they don't show when
I'm wearing this dress," she said, waddling toward the door. "Your [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
