remember?"
Sandoz looked blank.
"Through the walls," the bodybuilder said, with a short laugh. "He thinks we can walk through the walls."
Sandoz stared at Maro. "Is that right?"
Maro took a deep breath. "Yes."
"You're crazy," Sandoz said flatly.
"Maybe not," Scanner said. "We won't be able to test it until we put it all together, but it looks like it might work. Either that, or it'll clean the Cage completely off the face of the planet, along with most of the continent. We're talking a lot of pent energy here."
Sandoz laughed. "I like that. Go out with a bang and fuck 'em."
"That's not what we want to do," Maro said.
"Either way is fine with me," the assassin replied. "Stark loses with both. I'm in.
Whatever you need me to do, let me know."
Maro nodded. "Good. Anybody else want to walk now?"
Nobody said anything.
"Good. From what I hear, we've got less than a week. Let's move."
Chapter Twelve
When Stark left his office, it took only a second for him to notice what was missing: his cooler was not following to protect him from the heat with focused currents of chilled air. Dammit, where was it? Juete was in solitary, and it was only programmed to respond to the two of them. The heat in the hallway was not nearly as intense as it was outside, but it was enough to trigger his sweatpoint in a hurry, and the robotic sensor was tuned to that.
It took him a few minutes to find the mobile unit. It was on its back, just past the turn for the infirmary view. By this time sweat had soaked the cloth under his arms and across his shoulders and he was in no mood for jokes. One of the goddamned guards or prisoners had turtled the machine. Very funny.
As he got closer, however, he saw that the problem with the cooler was much more than a prank. The belly plate was open, and proteinprint circuit boards lay scattered and dripping around the cooler.
It had been gutted. Destroyed.
Lepto stood impassively as Stark shouted orders at him. "First, find out who had passes to be in the hall! And I want the duty roster checked! Second, figure out what biochips were taken, if any. I don't want somebody cranking up a laser on me with parts spagen-rigged from my own damned cooler! And I want all this done stat!"
"Yes sir."
"Go! What are you standing around for?" Lepto left, and Stark stared through the denscris window at the yard. Damn them all! The one piece of comfort he allowed himself and the bastards had killed it! Somebody was going to pay.
Somebody was going to be sorry they were ever born.
"He was very upset," Juete said into her com.
In the shadow of the Cage's outer wall, Maro allowed himself to chuckle. "Too bad."
"He won't let it just lie, Dain. When he left here, he was still smoking with it. He was… rough with me."
Maro felt a surge of anger curl his hands into fists. "I'm sorry, Juete."
"Don't be. I can deal with him. But he's got everybody searching for whoever wrecked his cooler."
"He can look until he goes blind," Maro said. "The pass was electronically issued and then deleted. The door computer won't remember admitting the one who did it. We're covered."
" Why did you do it? It'll only make things tougher."
"We needed a part. That was the only available place to get it."
Silence for a moment. "Is it going to work, Dain?"
"I think so. I hope so."
Maro shuffled across the heat-shriveled grass toward the shade of the tool shed.
As he approached he heard what sounded like a flute, and somebody singing.
The voice was high and clear—a soprano—and the flute's tone almost seemed to sparkle. He listened to the words:
His face is like rainy skies, stormy and gray
She told him something bad, what he won't say
But I know if I wait awhile, the sun will shine again On the face of my darling, my lover, my friend.
He moved closer and saw that the instrument was not just a flute, but an arofloj, an electronic version of that instrument. He didn't know who was playing it, but whoever it was was good, had
Sandoz looked blank.
"Through the walls," the bodybuilder said, with a short laugh. "He thinks we can walk through the walls."
Sandoz stared at Maro. "Is that right?"
Maro took a deep breath. "Yes."
"You're crazy," Sandoz said flatly.
"Maybe not," Scanner said. "We won't be able to test it until we put it all together, but it looks like it might work. Either that, or it'll clean the Cage completely off the face of the planet, along with most of the continent. We're talking a lot of pent energy here."
Sandoz laughed. "I like that. Go out with a bang and fuck 'em."
"That's not what we want to do," Maro said.
"Either way is fine with me," the assassin replied. "Stark loses with both. I'm in.
Whatever you need me to do, let me know."
Maro nodded. "Good. Anybody else want to walk now?"
Nobody said anything.
"Good. From what I hear, we've got less than a week. Let's move."
Chapter Twelve
When Stark left his office, it took only a second for him to notice what was missing: his cooler was not following to protect him from the heat with focused currents of chilled air. Dammit, where was it? Juete was in solitary, and it was only programmed to respond to the two of them. The heat in the hallway was not nearly as intense as it was outside, but it was enough to trigger his sweatpoint in a hurry, and the robotic sensor was tuned to that.
It took him a few minutes to find the mobile unit. It was on its back, just past the turn for the infirmary view. By this time sweat had soaked the cloth under his arms and across his shoulders and he was in no mood for jokes. One of the goddamned guards or prisoners had turtled the machine. Very funny.
As he got closer, however, he saw that the problem with the cooler was much more than a prank. The belly plate was open, and proteinprint circuit boards lay scattered and dripping around the cooler.
It had been gutted. Destroyed.
Lepto stood impassively as Stark shouted orders at him. "First, find out who had passes to be in the hall! And I want the duty roster checked! Second, figure out what biochips were taken, if any. I don't want somebody cranking up a laser on me with parts spagen-rigged from my own damned cooler! And I want all this done stat!"
"Yes sir."
"Go! What are you standing around for?" Lepto left, and Stark stared through the denscris window at the yard. Damn them all! The one piece of comfort he allowed himself and the bastards had killed it! Somebody was going to pay.
Somebody was going to be sorry they were ever born.
"He was very upset," Juete said into her com.
In the shadow of the Cage's outer wall, Maro allowed himself to chuckle. "Too bad."
"He won't let it just lie, Dain. When he left here, he was still smoking with it. He was… rough with me."
Maro felt a surge of anger curl his hands into fists. "I'm sorry, Juete."
"Don't be. I can deal with him. But he's got everybody searching for whoever wrecked his cooler."
"He can look until he goes blind," Maro said. "The pass was electronically issued and then deleted. The door computer won't remember admitting the one who did it. We're covered."
" Why did you do it? It'll only make things tougher."
"We needed a part. That was the only available place to get it."
Silence for a moment. "Is it going to work, Dain?"
"I think so. I hope so."
Maro shuffled across the heat-shriveled grass toward the shade of the tool shed.
As he approached he heard what sounded like a flute, and somebody singing.
The voice was high and clear—a soprano—and the flute's tone almost seemed to sparkle. He listened to the words:
His face is like rainy skies, stormy and gray
She told him something bad, what he won't say
But I know if I wait awhile, the sun will shine again On the face of my darling, my lover, my friend.
He moved closer and saw that the instrument was not just a flute, but an arofloj, an electronic version of that instrument. He didn't know who was playing it, but whoever it was was good, had
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