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Anzelmo turned his chair to get a better view, resting one hand on his knee.
"How does that headgear connect with the computer?"
"Anytime you're within five feet of a terminal, you can become connected,"
answered the Chinese woman. "You activate the whole operation verbally,
reciting a series of pass codes and then ordering whatever kind of Tek
illusion you want to enjoy."
Macri was frowning. "I don't quite comprehend how the money gets from them to
us," he admitted. "Can you, slow, explain exactly--"
"Emergency! Security emergency!" announced the trio of voxboxes floating up
near the ceiling.
Marriner jumped up, glancing at Lana. "Any idea what the hell is--"
"Rodriguez is on his way here," she replied, tapping at the voxbug in her left
ear. "He says-No, I'm losing him."
A different voice from a different voxbox said, "Ramon Rodriguez requesting
entry."
Anzelmo pushed back further in his chair and, with considerable effort, stood
up. "You promised us complete security for this meeting, Marriner," he said,
upset. "But instead we get bitches from Newz and now--"
"Rodriguez can enter," said Marriner toward the ceiling.
A wall panel slid aside and the slick, handsome man came hurrying in.
He moved to Marriner's side and reported in a low voice, "There may be some
kind of bomb aboard the Movie Palace."
"May be--or is?"
"Well, we better assume there is."
"And how the hell did it get past our security checks?"
"I don't know that yet," admitted Rodriguez. "But I think we better assume it
is here--because Austin Quadrill has a reputation for being able to plant a
bomb just about anywhere."
"Austin Quadrill?" said Anzelmo, shuffling over to them. "Is that son of a
bitch here?"
"Well, he is--he was," answered Rodriguez.
"Which is it, asshole?"
Rodriguez took a deep breath before answering, "He got aboard somehow and we
think he planted a bomb before he was killed."
"Shit," said Marfiner, taking hold of the handsome man by both shoulders.
"What the hell are you telling me now?"
"It's a sort of screwed up chain of events," he admitted, and
ran his tongue over his upper lip. "Jake Cardigan is on the Movie
Palace, too, and it's his notion that--"
"That's wonderful," said Anzelmo, dropping both hands to his sides. "We got a
flapping mad bomber who does most of his work for my bitter enemies--assholes
like Johnny Trocadero and--"
"That's who Cardigan suspects is behind this whole mess," offered the uneasy
Rodriguez.
"And as the frosting on the whole mess," the old Teklord went on, "we got
operatives from the frigging Cosmos Detective Agency crawling all over the
damn satellite."
Marriner let go of Rodriguez and stood back. "I want to talk to
Cardigan," he said quietly.
"We have to find him first," answered Rodriguez even more quietly.
"You had a nice little chat with the bastard," suggested Marriner, "then let
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him go on about his business."
"He says he can find the bomb Quadrill planted," explained Rodriguez.
"And we only have about two and a half hours to---"
"Why did you let him get away from you?" said Marriner. "We've got our own
bomb experts. I don't need--"
"I didn't have that much choice. He knocked me flat on my ass and when
I awoke---he wasn't there."
Mrs. Dooley had joined them. "Forget about Cardigan," she told them.
"What are your people doing about this bomb?"
"I've alerted the entire security force," answered Rodriguez, and licked his
lip again. "They're combing every nook and cranny of the entire satellite
looking for the explosive device."
"Tell them also," said Marriner, "to look for Cardigan."
23S
Not much of an accomplishment, since all he had to do was walk around the bend
in a corridor down near the center of the orbiting satellite and there was
Jake.
Grinning, striding right toward him.
"You'll have to come with me, Cardigan," he ordered, pointing his lazgun.
"Marriner wants to see you."
"I wouldn't mind seeing him," said Jake.
Rodriguez noticed the small grey metal box in Jake's right hand. "Is that
it?"
"It is, yeah."
Rodriguez ran his tongue over his upper lip and then his lower lip while he
moved, rapidly, over against the strutted metal wall of the corridor. "What's
the .. . What's the status of the damn thing, for
Christ sake?"
"I inactivated it."
"You know how to do stuff like that, Cardigan? What I mean is, you're sure it
won't explode anymore?"
"Oh, it'll explode again," said Jake. "I learned a hell of a lot about bombs
while I was with the SoCal State Police, Ramon. Quadrill was a pretty clever
lad, but there's almost no bomb that can't be
controlled." "Oughtn't you to hand it over to me now? Then I can have our
demolition experts make absolutely--"
"Here's how things work," said Jake, speaking slowly and patiently.
"Unless Marriner guarantees me and certain friends of mine safe passage off
the Movie Palace--I'll rig this to blow again."
"That would be suicide for you," said Rodriguez. "And you'd also kill off
hundreds of innocent people."
"So?"
"C'mon, Cardigan, you're not that--"
"Think about it, Ramon," he said evenly. "The Teklords framed me and got me
sent up to the Freezer for four years. Four years in suspended animation and
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