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Mouse and Cassius watched him go.  What do you think? Mouse asked. The
boredom was gone. Sleepiness was forgotten. He was extremely uneasy.
 I think we d better get back to the hotel and lay low. This doesn t look
good.
Cassius paused at the hotel desk.  Suite Twelve, he said, requesting the
key.  Any messages?
Mouse leaned against the desk, watching the clerk hopefully. There might be
something from his father. There wasn t. Nothing but a brief instelgram from
the Fortress of Iron. Cassius read it aloud.
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Mouse watched a lean old man come off the street. He had seen the man
outside, watching them come in. There had been something strange about his
eyes . . .  Cassius! Down!
He dove toward the nearest furniture, drawing a tiny, illegal weapon as he
flew. Cassius tumbled the other way.
Calmly, the old man opened fire.
A hotel patron screamed, fell, writhed on the plush lobby carpeting. A bolt
hit Mouse s protective couch. Smoke billowed.
Cassius hit their attacker with his second shot. The old man did not go down.
Wearing a mildly surprised expression, he kept hosing the lobby with beam fire
from a military-type weapon. People screamed. Furniture burned. Alarms wailed.
Diffused beams skipping off the mirrored walls made it impossible to see.
Mouse gagged in the smoke, snapped a shot at the old man. His bolt singed the
assassin s hair. He did not seem to notice.
Cassius hit him again. He turned and walked out the door as if
unharmed . . .
 Mouse, Cassius shouted,  call Heller. I m going after him.
Mouse placed the call and was outside in seconds.
The old man lay on the sidewalk, curled in a fetal position, his weapon
clutched to his chest. Cassius stood over him. He wore a puzzled look. Heller
arrived almost before the crowds started gathering.
 What the hell, hey? the policeman demanded.
 This man tried to kill us, Mouse babbled.  Just walked in the hotel and
started shooting.
Cassius was kneeling now, studying the man s eyes.  Karl. Look. I think it s
one of them.
Someone in the crowd said,  Hey. That s Cassius. The merc.
 Crap, a companion replied.
The word spread.
Heller snarled at a uniformed officer,  Get this cleaned up before the news
snoops show. Take the body down to the plant. Cassius, I ve got to take you
and your friend down. I can t take any more of this.
Ten minutes later they were inside the police fortress. The street outside
had filled with news people. The name Cassius had that effect.
 Just plan on sitting tight till we get this straighened out, Heller said,
responding to Cassius s request that he be allowed to visit the man named
Clementine.  He can come here if you ve got to talk.
The shooting was all the news that evening. The net-folk were trying to
establish a connection between the various murders. The editorialists were
working the Legion over, insisting that The Mountain did not need its kind.
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Mouse listened halfheartedly while watching Cassius work.
Walters pulled out the stops. He used all his connections. He drew on the
Legion s considerable credit to have the old shooter resurrected. The attempt
failed because the man had been too old. He shifted his thrust to the instel
nets, where he spent fortunes.
 Karl, you got that stuff ready to go out? I ve got a connect with my man in
Luna Command.
Heller was impressed despite himself.  Push the red button. It ll squirt when
you do.
Cassius punched.  On its way. If there s anything on record about the old
guy, Beckhart has it. He runs their Sangaree section. Good man. Taught him
myself, years ago.
 I ve heard of him, Heller replied. The last few hours had dazed the
policeman. He was in over his head. Cassius had turned a local affair into an
interstellar incident. He did not like it and did not know how to stop it.
Mouse watched with mild amusement till he fell asleep.
The sun was up when Cassius wakened him.  Come on, Mouse. We re heading
home.
 Where?
 Home.
 But . . . 
 We got what we came for. You do the flying. I need some sleep.
Heller escorted them to the port, which the police had closed till they got
the crisis in hand. His okay was necessary before any vessel could lift off.
 Cassius? Heller said as Walters was about to board.  Do me a favor, eh?
Don t hurry back.
Cassius grinned. For a moment he looked like a boy again, instead of a tired,
old, old man.  Karl, if you make me apologize one more time I ll puke. All
right? I owe you one. A big one.
 Okay. Okay. You didn t bring them here. Go on. Get out of here before I
forget I forgot to charge you with carrying illegal weapons.
Mouse glanced over as Cassius settled into the acceleration couch beside him.
Walters said,  Set a base curve for Helga s World.
Mouse began the programing.  Why there? He was baffled. By everything.
 Cassius? What happened last night?
Cassius answered with a snore.
He slept nine hours. Mouse grew ever more impatient. Cassius seldom slept [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]