Wilson Cole!" said the mechanical monotone. "Keep your hands in plain view."
The crowd parted, and a single Bortellite, armed with a Teroni pulse rifle, strode forward from the building's entrance.
"The others thought you were on your way to Cinnamon," he said, "but you've already escaped us once and tricked us again. I knew you would be in the least likely place of all—the middle of Pinocchio." He waved the rifle at the crowd. "I will kill anyone who tries to hinder me. This man is an escaped prisoner, and I am taking him away with me."
"The hell you are!" shouted a voice, and Cole heard the hum of a burner. He couldn't spot who had the laser pistol, but the Bortellite's rifle turned red-hot and he had to drop it. The second he did so he vanished beneath an outraged crowd of men and women who pummeled him mercilessly until what was left was hardly recognizable.
"I never did like Bug-Eyes," said a woman, dusting herself off. "Ugly creatures."
"If Bortel II wants a war, we'll give them one!" said another.
Then a tall man, the butt of his laser pistol visible where he had tucked it into his belt, walked up to Cole.
"I'm sorry, sir," he said. "I don't know why the hell he thought you were Wilson Cole. Everyone knows Cole is stationed near the Core."
"I heard he'd taken a desk job on Deluros VIII," volunteered a woman.
"Well, wherever he is, he's sure as hell not on Rapunzel," said another woman. "I don't know where the Bortellite got that crazy idea."
"Someone get the cleanup crew here and get rid of this mess," said a middle-aged man, dabbing at his bloody knuckles with a white handkerchief. "We wouldn't want the police closing the building down for a sanitation violation."
"Let's break this up and go home before we attract any more undesirables," said a third woman. She turned to Cole. "You look like a stranger in town, sir. I'd be happy to give you a sample of Rapunzel hospitality and take you and your friend home for dinner."
"So would I," echoed a man, and soon almost everyone in the lobby was inviting Cole and Potter to their homes.
"I appreciate all your offers," said Cole at last. "But you've done enough already. I wouldn't want to get any of you in trouble—with your spouses," he added with a sardonic smile.
"Then come with me," said the first woman. "I haven't got a spouse."
"It could be very dangerous," Cole said seriously.
"What's a little danger compared to what a military officer, for example, faces every day?" she replied.
Cole shrugged. "Then I thank you, and we accept your invitation."
"I live in the city and take public transportation," she said. "You never know what kind of nasty passengers you might run into, and we want to make a good impression on our guest. Perhaps someone will volunteer to convey us to my place?"
She was overwhelmed with offers, chose one, and a moment later a small balding man pulled up and hovered right outside the entrance to the building. Cole, Potter, and the woman got in, and he raced off instantly.
It took them about five minutes to get to her building—she lived on the seventh floor—and a few minutes later Cole was enjoying his first meal since Potter's cabin.
"You two go to sleep," said the woman when they'd finished eating and adjourned to the parlor. She sat down by a window that overlooked the street. "I'll keep watch."
"You'll wake me the instant you see anything unusual—Bortellites or anything else?"
"I promise."
He turned to Potter. "You take the guest room. I'm sleeping here on the couch."
"There's room for both of you in there," said the woman.
"If anything happens, I can be ready a few seconds sooner if I sleep right here."
She shrugged. "Have it your way, Mr. Smith."
Cole looked at her for a long minute. "You're good people here on Rapunzel. If I were an officer in the Navy, I'd be goddamned proud to serve folks like you."
Potter went off to the bedroom. Cole was going to stay up and talk to the woman, but the accumulated weariness
The crowd parted, and a single Bortellite, armed with a Teroni pulse rifle, strode forward from the building's entrance.
"The others thought you were on your way to Cinnamon," he said, "but you've already escaped us once and tricked us again. I knew you would be in the least likely place of all—the middle of Pinocchio." He waved the rifle at the crowd. "I will kill anyone who tries to hinder me. This man is an escaped prisoner, and I am taking him away with me."
"The hell you are!" shouted a voice, and Cole heard the hum of a burner. He couldn't spot who had the laser pistol, but the Bortellite's rifle turned red-hot and he had to drop it. The second he did so he vanished beneath an outraged crowd of men and women who pummeled him mercilessly until what was left was hardly recognizable.
"I never did like Bug-Eyes," said a woman, dusting herself off. "Ugly creatures."
"If Bortel II wants a war, we'll give them one!" said another.
Then a tall man, the butt of his laser pistol visible where he had tucked it into his belt, walked up to Cole.
"I'm sorry, sir," he said. "I don't know why the hell he thought you were Wilson Cole. Everyone knows Cole is stationed near the Core."
"I heard he'd taken a desk job on Deluros VIII," volunteered a woman.
"Well, wherever he is, he's sure as hell not on Rapunzel," said another woman. "I don't know where the Bortellite got that crazy idea."
"Someone get the cleanup crew here and get rid of this mess," said a middle-aged man, dabbing at his bloody knuckles with a white handkerchief. "We wouldn't want the police closing the building down for a sanitation violation."
"Let's break this up and go home before we attract any more undesirables," said a third woman. She turned to Cole. "You look like a stranger in town, sir. I'd be happy to give you a sample of Rapunzel hospitality and take you and your friend home for dinner."
"So would I," echoed a man, and soon almost everyone in the lobby was inviting Cole and Potter to their homes.
"I appreciate all your offers," said Cole at last. "But you've done enough already. I wouldn't want to get any of you in trouble—with your spouses," he added with a sardonic smile.
"Then come with me," said the first woman. "I haven't got a spouse."
"It could be very dangerous," Cole said seriously.
"What's a little danger compared to what a military officer, for example, faces every day?" she replied.
Cole shrugged. "Then I thank you, and we accept your invitation."
"I live in the city and take public transportation," she said. "You never know what kind of nasty passengers you might run into, and we want to make a good impression on our guest. Perhaps someone will volunteer to convey us to my place?"
She was overwhelmed with offers, chose one, and a moment later a small balding man pulled up and hovered right outside the entrance to the building. Cole, Potter, and the woman got in, and he raced off instantly.
It took them about five minutes to get to her building—she lived on the seventh floor—and a few minutes later Cole was enjoying his first meal since Potter's cabin.
"You two go to sleep," said the woman when they'd finished eating and adjourned to the parlor. She sat down by a window that overlooked the street. "I'll keep watch."
"You'll wake me the instant you see anything unusual—Bortellites or anything else?"
"I promise."
He turned to Potter. "You take the guest room. I'm sleeping here on the couch."
"There's room for both of you in there," said the woman.
"If anything happens, I can be ready a few seconds sooner if I sleep right here."
She shrugged. "Have it your way, Mr. Smith."
Cole looked at her for a long minute. "You're good people here on Rapunzel. If I were an officer in the Navy, I'd be goddamned proud to serve folks like you."
Potter went off to the bedroom. Cole was going to stay up and talk to the woman, but the accumulated weariness
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