[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

where the pile of instruments had been assembled.
 What was that? Volcheme demanded.
 My shortcode transmitter, Danestar told him.
 It s recorded a message?
 Obviously.
 From whom?
 I m not sure, said Danestar evenly.  But let s guess. It s not from outside
the Depot because shortcode won t go through the barrier. It s not from
Wergard, and it s not from one of your people. What s left?
The smuggler stared at her.  That s an insane suggestion!
 Perhaps, Danestar said.  Why don t we listen to the translation?
 We will! Volcheme jerked his head at Decrain.  Go over to the table with
her. She isn t to touch anything but the transmitter!
He watched, mouth twisted unpleasantly, as Decrain followed Danestar to the
Page 19
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
table. She picked up the miniature transmitter, slid a fingernail quickly
along a groove to the phonetic translator switch. As she set the instrument
back on the table, the words began.
 Who . . . has . . . it . . . where . . . is . . . it . . . I . . .
want . . . it . . . who . . . has . . . it . . . where . . . 
It went on for perhaps a minute and a half, three sentences repeated
monotonously over and over, then stopped with a click. Danestar wasn t
immediately aware of the effect on the others. She d listened in a mixture of
fear, grief, hatred, and sick revulsion. Shortcode was speech, transmitted in
an economical flash, restored to phonetic speech in the translator at the
reception point. Each of the words which made up the three sentences had been
pronounced at one time by a human being, were so faithfully reproduced one
could tell the sentences had, in fact, been patched together with words taken
individually from the speech of three or four different human beings. Human
beings captured by the enemy in the Pit, Danestar thought, long dead now, but
allowed to live while the enemy learned human speech from them, recorded their
voices for future use. . . .
She looked around. The others seemed as shaken as she was. Volcheme s face
showed he no longer doubted that the owner of the alien instrument had come to
claim it.
Dr. Hishkan remarked carefully,  If it should turn out that we are unable to
destroy or control this creature, it is possible we can get rid of it simply
by reassembling the device it s looking for and placing it outside the defense
screen. If it picks it up, we can open the barrier lock as an indication of
our willingness to let it depart in peace with its property.
Volcheme looked at him.  Doctor, he said,  don t panic just because you ve
heard the thing talk to you! What this does seem to prove is that the specimen
you re selling through us is at least as valuable as it appeared to be and I
for one don t intend to be cheated out of my profit.
 Nor I, Dr. Hishkan said hastily.  But the creature s ability to utilize
shortcode to address us indicates a dangerous level of intelligence. Do you
have any thoughts on how it might be handled now?
Galester interrupted, indicating the screen.  I believe it s beginning to
move. . . . 
There was silence again as they watched the fire body in the square. Its
purple luminescence deepened and paled in slowly pulsing waves; then the tip
swung about, swift as a flicking tongue, first toward the building, then away
from it; and the thing flowed in a darting curve across the square and into a
side street.
 Going to nose around for its treasure somewhere else! Volcheme said after it
had vanished.  So, while it may suspect it s here, it isn t sure. I m less
impressed by its apparent intelligence than you are, Doctor. A stupid man can
learn to use a complicated instrument, if somebody shows him how to do it.
This may be a stupid alien . . . a soldier type sent here from the Pit to
carry out a specific, limited mission.
Galester nodded.  Possibly a robot.
 Possibly a robot, Volcheme agreed.  And, to answer your question of a moment
ago, Doctor yes, I have thought of a way to get it off our necks.
 What s that? Dr. Hishkan inquired eagerly.
 No need to discuss it here! Volcheme gave Danestar a glance of mingled
malevolence and triumph. She under-stood its meaning well enough. If Wergard
could be located, Volcheme could now rid himself of the Kyth operators with
impunity. There were plenty of witnesses to testify that the monstrous
creature which had invaded the Depot had destroyed over a dozen men. She and
Wergard would be put down as two more of its victims.
 We won t use the shuttle at present, Volcheme went on.  But we want the
portable guns, and we ll get ourselves into antiradiation suits immediately.
Decrain, watch the lady until we get back use any methods necessary to make
sure she stays where she is and behaves herself. We ll bring a suit back up
for you. The rest of you come along. Hurry!
Page 20
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Decrain started to say something, then stood silent and scowling as the others
filed quickly out of the office and started down the hall to the right. The
big man looked uneasy. With a gigantic fiery alien around, he might not
appreciate being left alone to guard the prisoner while his companions climbed
into the security of antiradiation suits. As the last of the group
disappeared, he sighed heavily, shifted his attention back to Danestar.
His eyes went huge with shocked surprise. The chair in which she had been
sitting was empty. Decrain s hand flashed to his gun holster, stopped as it
touched it. He stood perfectly still.
Something hard was pushing against the center of his back below his shoulder
blades.
 Yes, I ve got it, Danestar whispered behind him.  Not a sound, Decrain! If
you even breathe louder than I like, I ll split your spine!
They waited in silence. Decrain breathed cautiously while the voices and
footsteps in the hall grew fainter, became inaudible. Then the gun muzzle
stopped pressing against his back.
 All right, Danestar said softly she d moved off but was still close behind
him  just stand there now!
Decrain moistened his lips.
 Miss Gems, he said, speaking with some difficulty,  I was, you remember, a
gentleman!
 So you were, buster, her voice agreed.  And a very fortunate thing that is
for you at the moment. But 
Decrain dropped forward, turning in the air, lashing out savagely with both
feet in the direction of the voice. It was a trick that worked about half the
time. A blurred glimpse of Danestar flashing a white smile above him and of
her arm swinging down told him it hadn t worked here. The butt of the gun
caught the side of his head a solid wallop, and Decrain closed his eyes and
drifted far, far away.
She bent over him an instant, half minded to give him a second rap for
insurance, decided it wasn t necessary, shoved the gun into a pocket of her
coveralls and went quickly to the big table in the center of the office. Her
control belt was there among the jumble of things they d brought over from her
room. Danestar fastened it about her waist, slipped on the white jacket lying
beside it, rummaged hurriedly among the rest, storing the shortcode
transmitter and half a dozen other items into various pockets before she
picked up her emptied instrument valise and moved to the opposite end of the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]