programmed a whole run of contrapuntal beats to work against the melody. The singer swung into the chorus: And I laugh when he thinks it's not funny
And sometimes I make him so mad
But he's still with me after all these years.
The best friend that ever I had.
It was Raze. To hear that sweet song coming from her muscular form astonished him. He stood silently along with a dozen others, listening until she finished the ballad. There came a strong burst of applause then, and Raze grinned at the small crowd. Most of the listeners drifted away, and Maro moved closer to Raze.
"Nice song," he said.
"Thanks. I used to sing it to my lover, back when I was in the Real Galaxy. He was a teacher; taught children how to play music. Never knew what he saw in me."
"You loved him a lot?"
"What's it to you?"
"Nothing. I liked the song."
She softened. "Yeah. He was all right, Celine was. We got along pretty good. I wonder where he is now."
"Maybe you can find out."
She turned to face him. Muscles roiled in her neck and shoulders like a ripple spreading in a pond. "You really think we can make it out of here?"
"What have to got to lose?"
"I copy that, Slick. I'm at the point where I want to swing on Lepto every time I see him. I might even take him, but it'll cost me. Everything in here costs. Too much."
"Tomorrow night we should have everything patched together enough for a test.
We'll know then if we're just spinning dust or if we have a real chance."
Raze looked at him with a peculiar expression of mingled humor and bitterness.
"I don't know if I like you, Maro. You've made me hope this'll work. If it doesn't work, I'll probably be real disappointed."
He laughed. "If it doesn't work, I'll probably be real dead. And if not, you'll have to stand in line to take it out on me."
"I'll be right behind Sandoz," she said, grinning.
He returned the smile and turned to leave. "Where you headed?" she asked.
"I need to go start a pipeline to the warden. We don't want him spoiling things before we're ready."
Berque disgusted him even more, possibly, than did the Mindfucker, but Stark wore a smile for the fat man. For whatever reasons, Berque had contacts both in and outside of the Cage. And he was one of Stark's best dips. Besides, what Berque had just told him was worth a hundred smiles.
"You're sure about this?"
Berque flashed one of his own toothy grins. "Yes, Warden. We got to talking, you know how it is, about things that went down. So I asked him, 'What's all the static about you and the Confed ghoul?' He didn't want to say, at first, but I told him some stuff about me, and after a while, he opened up."
"You don't think he was just bragging?"
"Negative. I can tell when somebody is pumping sewage, believe me. I've given you some first disk material, haven't I?"
"Yes. You've been very helpful to me."
"Anyway, so after awhile, he says, 'Yeah, all he wants is to know the Black Sun dogs and whips and how the scramble runs. I can't believe they don't know about Tweel and his curs, and the bankers from Muto Kato.'"
Tweel. Muto Kato. Somebody's name, and a world in the Bruno System. He had it! "He say anything else?"
"Not anything you're interested in."
"I'm interested in everything he says. Listen, Berque, I want you to stay with this.
Get everything you can from him. You do this right and your perks will triple."
Berque leaned back in his chair, his exopthalmic eyes almost exploding from his face. "Ah, Warden, you're too kind. Have you thought about what I asked you last time we talked?"
Stark felt his teeth grind together. He forced the smile back to his lips. "Yes, I have given it some thought. And if you get this for me, Berque, I'll see that you get the job of morgue attendant."
The fat man's smile was radiant. It made Stark's stomach turn. What Berque wanted to do with the bodies… well, it didn't matter. If some parts of them didn't get cremated, who would care?
When the dip left, Stark punched the names into his
And sometimes I make him so mad
But he's still with me after all these years.
The best friend that ever I had.
It was Raze. To hear that sweet song coming from her muscular form astonished him. He stood silently along with a dozen others, listening until she finished the ballad. There came a strong burst of applause then, and Raze grinned at the small crowd. Most of the listeners drifted away, and Maro moved closer to Raze.
"Nice song," he said.
"Thanks. I used to sing it to my lover, back when I was in the Real Galaxy. He was a teacher; taught children how to play music. Never knew what he saw in me."
"You loved him a lot?"
"What's it to you?"
"Nothing. I liked the song."
She softened. "Yeah. He was all right, Celine was. We got along pretty good. I wonder where he is now."
"Maybe you can find out."
She turned to face him. Muscles roiled in her neck and shoulders like a ripple spreading in a pond. "You really think we can make it out of here?"
"What have to got to lose?"
"I copy that, Slick. I'm at the point where I want to swing on Lepto every time I see him. I might even take him, but it'll cost me. Everything in here costs. Too much."
"Tomorrow night we should have everything patched together enough for a test.
We'll know then if we're just spinning dust or if we have a real chance."
Raze looked at him with a peculiar expression of mingled humor and bitterness.
"I don't know if I like you, Maro. You've made me hope this'll work. If it doesn't work, I'll probably be real disappointed."
He laughed. "If it doesn't work, I'll probably be real dead. And if not, you'll have to stand in line to take it out on me."
"I'll be right behind Sandoz," she said, grinning.
He returned the smile and turned to leave. "Where you headed?" she asked.
"I need to go start a pipeline to the warden. We don't want him spoiling things before we're ready."
Berque disgusted him even more, possibly, than did the Mindfucker, but Stark wore a smile for the fat man. For whatever reasons, Berque had contacts both in and outside of the Cage. And he was one of Stark's best dips. Besides, what Berque had just told him was worth a hundred smiles.
"You're sure about this?"
Berque flashed one of his own toothy grins. "Yes, Warden. We got to talking, you know how it is, about things that went down. So I asked him, 'What's all the static about you and the Confed ghoul?' He didn't want to say, at first, but I told him some stuff about me, and after a while, he opened up."
"You don't think he was just bragging?"
"Negative. I can tell when somebody is pumping sewage, believe me. I've given you some first disk material, haven't I?"
"Yes. You've been very helpful to me."
"Anyway, so after awhile, he says, 'Yeah, all he wants is to know the Black Sun dogs and whips and how the scramble runs. I can't believe they don't know about Tweel and his curs, and the bankers from Muto Kato.'"
Tweel. Muto Kato. Somebody's name, and a world in the Bruno System. He had it! "He say anything else?"
"Not anything you're interested in."
"I'm interested in everything he says. Listen, Berque, I want you to stay with this.
Get everything you can from him. You do this right and your perks will triple."
Berque leaned back in his chair, his exopthalmic eyes almost exploding from his face. "Ah, Warden, you're too kind. Have you thought about what I asked you last time we talked?"
Stark felt his teeth grind together. He forced the smile back to his lips. "Yes, I have given it some thought. And if you get this for me, Berque, I'll see that you get the job of morgue attendant."
The fat man's smile was radiant. It made Stark's stomach turn. What Berque wanted to do with the bodies… well, it didn't matter. If some parts of them didn't get cremated, who would care?
When the dip left, Stark punched the names into his
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