Abigail stared at me. Her eyes were all squinty-looking. I could tell she was trying to sift through my words and figure out what was wheat and what was chaff.
“So… Central knows you went somewhere—but not exactly where?”
“I guess so.”
She sighed, and she lifted her pistol in a decisive manner. “Dammit, James. You shouldn’t have told me that. Whether its truth or a lie, it means I have to burn your oversized carcass to slag.”
“Uh… it does?”
“Of course. Think about it from my point of view, before you get offended.”
“I’m trying. Help me out.”
She waved the pistol, indicating I should step away from the weapons crates. “First, let’s take a little walk outside on the beach.”
I glanced over my shoulder. There was a lot of valuable looking equipment behind me. Maybe she didn’t want burn-scars all over it.
Instead of moving away, I threw a big arm over an expensive looking field projector. I smiled. “Sorry, I like it right here.”
She sighed again, shaking her head. “All right, have it your way.”
“Hold on one second. What good will it do to burn me down here?”
“It’s always satisfying to take care of a thief in my warehouse.”
“I haven’t taken anything!”
“All right, all right—a spy then. But besides that, I can’t have you reporting back to Central on what you’ve seen here.”
I snorted. “Look, let’s play the logic-game, shall we? Let’s say that the Central folks decided to risk old McGill, and they sent me through using one of your machines as an experiment.”
“Uh-huh.”
“What would they do next?” I asked, then I immediately answered before she could come up with any answers of her own. She was a clever woman. “They’d send more agents, that’s what. Maybe a team of men with teleport harnesses to bring them back to Earth, pronto.”
Abigail looked worried. She gazed out the doorway. “You didn’t come directly to this warehouse, did you?”
I shook my head.
“You arrived at building six… there might be more agents in there by now. Shit.”
“That’s what I’m saying, girl. Now, do you want to listen to my proposition?”
She snorted. “What would that be?”
“Let’s you and me get out of here. It’s a good deal gone sour, that’s all. Just take your profits and run off. Isn’t that what any member of the Claver-clan would do?”
“James… I’m sorry about this. Really I am. But I’m not in charge of this operation. I’m not running some petty theft racket—I just work here.”
I blinked at her, not really understanding what she was talking about. If this wasn’t about turning a profit for the Clavers, what was it about?
Before I had time to ask her anymore questions however, she shot me dead.
-7-
When I was revived an unknown time later, I awakened with a curious mind. Who might be interested enough in old McGill to give him one more chance at life? Would it be a friend—or a hated enemy?
My first clue was the sound of a male voice. Then another chimed in. My heart sank to hear them both. One was that of Maurice Armel, the other was deep, rough… could it be a saurian? I thought that it might be.
“We should not do this,” the saurian said. “What is done is done. We should leave it.”
“Shut up, Raash,” Armel said. “Get him awake and off that table. I have… questions.”
I tried to say something, but it came out as a mumble. I felt drugged. Had they given me something before I’d even awakened? That seemed like dirty pool to me.
Strong, scaly hands grabbed me under the armpits. I was hauled up into a sitting position. I dared to open my eyes a crack, expecting to have my optic nerve blinded by the usual glare of someone’s Blue Deck.
But this place was different. It was dimly lit for a revival chamber. No Earth facility I’d ever heard of would have an O. R. that looked like this dingy pit.
My heart sank. I wasn’t on Earth. I was probably nowhere near it. I was out somewhere in the frontier provinces, probably.
My mouth and throat were too dry to form words. That was weird, too. I bit my cheek and let a little blood and spittle trickle. That allowed me to speak.
“What do you pencil-dicks want with me?” I managed to rasp out.
The saurian spoke up proudly. “You see there? He speaks! No one can revive a loose pile of scat like McGill better than Raash can. Raash is the best.”
“Yes, yes,” Armel said, sounding completely unimpressed. “Your skills are renown, Raash. Now leave us so that we may talk like two civilized beings.”
“Foolish. This one is aggressive. I know him well. He stalks you. You are his prey.”
Armel heaved a sigh. “I’m not unaware of this man’s reputation. We have killed one another on several occasions in the past.”
Raash let go of my arms, and I struggled to keep from slumping over. That wasn’t normal. Sure, I’d just been revived and rubbery muscles were to be expected—but I’d been shot up with something on top of that to keep me docile.
Raash walked out. My eyes were half-closed, but I heard his thick feet scratching on the tiled floor. His tail made a sound like a fire hose being dragged away.
“Foolish…” he muttered to himself on the way out.
Armel laughed. “Raash has a vaunted opinion of you, McGill. He thinks you are dangerous even when you’re as weak as a kitten.”
“I’m not so weak,” I slurred. “Just try me!”
Armel reached out a gloved hand. I saw it because my chin was on my chest, and
