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.“I thought they were all young men, although one of them might have been a woman.The only one who spoke was the leader, who insisted on asking a number of questions about the air conditioning and other systems before signing the lease and making the first payment to the company’s credit account.I didn't see the questions as particularly unusual, sir.Everyone asks how to manage the facilities before they take over the building.”Glen nodded, then pulled his terminal from his belt and opened it to show the faces of the dead men.“Do you recognise any of them?”“That’s the leader,” Sharon said, after paging through five faces.“I don’t recognise any of the others.”“I see,” Glen said.The leader had been one of the mystery men, which meant.what? Assuming Sharon was correct, there were at least three others running around on Terra Nova and probably more.They’d always known the Nihilists had an interstellar presence, but the reports had definitely suggested the strangers were ex-military personnel.“Did they ask you anything in particular?”“They talked about renting a shuttle,” Sharon said.“We don’t get that request very often, because most of the stuff we store in those warehouses comes from the planetary surface.I had to tell them that the shuttles were fully booked up for the week.”“Probably for the best,” Glen said.He briefly considered inviting Sharon to the station for a full interrogation, then decided against it.Instead, he leaned forward.Women were often more observant than men, he’d been told.And sometimes they saw more than they realised.“Did you see anything else you want to mention?”Sharon hesitated.“I’m not sure if it’s worth mentioning,” she said.“I could be wrong.”“I won’t hold it against you,” Glen said.“What did you see?”“They seemed very comfortable with each other,” Sharon said, finally.“Perhaps a little too comfortable.I had the impression they were homosexuals, but two of them were definitely staring at my butt when they thought I wasn't looking.Maybe they were bisexuals.”Glen kept his face expressionless.She might be right, but he could think of another explanation for their appearance.A trained commando team, one that had worked together for years, might be equally comfortable with one another.And they wouldn’t be hesitant about admiring a pretty girl either.The suspicion that a rogue team was precisely what they had on their hands was too strong to be ignored.If they’re actually rogue, he thought.Who might have sent them to Terra Nova?“I’ll keep it in mind,” he said.He reached into his pocket and produced a contact card, which he passed to her.“If you think of anything else, anything at all, feel free to contact me at once.Until then, keep what we talked about to yourself.”“They’ll want answers,” Sharon said, jerking a hand towards the wall.“And what do I tell them?”“That the whole affair is classified,” Glen said, rising to his feet.There would be time to go through the files he’d borrowed – stolen – later.“You won’t have to worry about losing your job.”Sharon looked doubtful.Glen didn't blame her.It was illegal to dismiss someone because they’d been called to the colours, let alone interrogated by the Imperial Marshals.But Doyle could probably find another reason to dismiss her, if he tried.Glen sighed, then made a mental note to have a short talk with Doyle afterwards.The whole affair couldn't be left in the past until Glen and his superiors confirmed that there were no suspicions levelled at the shipping firm.He could delay clearing them for as long as he chose.And how, he asked himself as he rose, does that make you any different from all the others who exploit their positions?He watched Sharon leave the room, then had a long heart-to-heart with Doyle.The man seemed somewhat relieved, leaving Glen convinced he had a guilty conscience about something.But there was no time to follow up on it, not now.He checked his watch, then walked out to the car and climbed behind the wheel.There was just enough time to go home to check on Helen before driving to the office the terrorists had hired.It was unlikely they’d left any clues behind, but he had to check.And then he could start going through the remaining files from Doyle.Who knew what else the man had been doing?But only if it’s a major crime, he reminded himself.You don’t have time to waste.Chapter ThirteenLegally, the older one in the partnership will be guilty of statutory rape (an act that is always criminal because the victim is assumed to be incapable of granting consent) and thus can be charged with child molestation.But if one person is sixteen and the other fifteen, with both parties having raging hormones, is that actually a criminal act? Many readers would, I suspect, argue no.It is not a criminal act.- Professor Leo Caesius.The Decline of Law and Order and the Rise of Anarchy.“I was surprised to hear from you again,” Thomas Augustus said.Belinda gave him a charming smile.She was surprised he’d answered her message so promptly, inviting her to dinner at the largest revolving restaurant in Landing City.Indeed, she’d barely had time to catch a few hours of sleep before his personal car arrived to transport her to the restaurant.Clearly, she’d made a much greater impression on him than she’d thought.Or he’s embarrassed about falling over in a drunken stupor, she thought, privately.I’m surprised he even wants to look at me after embarrassing himself so thoroughly.“You left your code with me,” Belinda said.“And I don’t know many other people in Landing City.”“Well, I’m glad you did,” Augustus said.He stood and waved a hand towards the window, indicating the towering skyscrapers outside.“What do you make of our fine city?”Belinda had several answers for that, but most of them would be far from helpful.“Old,” she said, after a moment.“Living history.”“That’s true,” Augustus said.“The other cities on this planet might be alarmingly like Earth, but Landing City is spread out for miles.Government House” – he pointed to a block of lights in the distance – “hasn’t really changed since the planet gained self-government.It’s a piece of living history too.”Belinda nodded.She had no idea what building on Earth had served as the model, but she had to admit the towering white edifice was very impressive.And, compared to some of the skyscrapers, it looked tiny.The building would be very hard to defend if an insurgent force took control of some of the surrounding buildings and used them to pour fire into the heart of Government House.She looked around the room as Augustus sat down.The restaurant was very impressive, although there was a creaking sense of age that reminded her of some of the Imperial Navy’s older battleships.There were gold and silver artworks everywhere, while the waiters were dressed up to the nines, with snooty expressions they directed towards every guest who didn't have at least a million credits in the bank.Even reserving a table in advance, according to the datanet, cost a thousand credits.Belinda was morbidly impressed that Augustus had been able to organise one on such short notice.“But enough of that,” Augustus said.He smiled at her, then picked up the menu.“Order whatever you want, my dear.My treat.”And then you plan to lure me into bed, Belinda thought, sardonically.But she wasn't too surprised.If you knew what I was would you still want to go to bed with me?She pushed the thought aside as she opened the menu.The prices were literally staggering, even something as simple as fish and chips cost over a hundred credits [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.“I thought they were all young men, although one of them might have been a woman.The only one who spoke was the leader, who insisted on asking a number of questions about the air conditioning and other systems before signing the lease and making the first payment to the company’s credit account.I didn't see the questions as particularly unusual, sir.Everyone asks how to manage the facilities before they take over the building.”Glen nodded, then pulled his terminal from his belt and opened it to show the faces of the dead men.“Do you recognise any of them?”“That’s the leader,” Sharon said, after paging through five faces.“I don’t recognise any of the others.”“I see,” Glen said.The leader had been one of the mystery men, which meant.what? Assuming Sharon was correct, there were at least three others running around on Terra Nova and probably more.They’d always known the Nihilists had an interstellar presence, but the reports had definitely suggested the strangers were ex-military personnel.“Did they ask you anything in particular?”“They talked about renting a shuttle,” Sharon said.“We don’t get that request very often, because most of the stuff we store in those warehouses comes from the planetary surface.I had to tell them that the shuttles were fully booked up for the week.”“Probably for the best,” Glen said.He briefly considered inviting Sharon to the station for a full interrogation, then decided against it.Instead, he leaned forward.Women were often more observant than men, he’d been told.And sometimes they saw more than they realised.“Did you see anything else you want to mention?”Sharon hesitated.“I’m not sure if it’s worth mentioning,” she said.“I could be wrong.”“I won’t hold it against you,” Glen said.“What did you see?”“They seemed very comfortable with each other,” Sharon said, finally.“Perhaps a little too comfortable.I had the impression they were homosexuals, but two of them were definitely staring at my butt when they thought I wasn't looking.Maybe they were bisexuals.”Glen kept his face expressionless.She might be right, but he could think of another explanation for their appearance.A trained commando team, one that had worked together for years, might be equally comfortable with one another.And they wouldn’t be hesitant about admiring a pretty girl either.The suspicion that a rogue team was precisely what they had on their hands was too strong to be ignored.If they’re actually rogue, he thought.Who might have sent them to Terra Nova?“I’ll keep it in mind,” he said.He reached into his pocket and produced a contact card, which he passed to her.“If you think of anything else, anything at all, feel free to contact me at once.Until then, keep what we talked about to yourself.”“They’ll want answers,” Sharon said, jerking a hand towards the wall.“And what do I tell them?”“That the whole affair is classified,” Glen said, rising to his feet.There would be time to go through the files he’d borrowed – stolen – later.“You won’t have to worry about losing your job.”Sharon looked doubtful.Glen didn't blame her.It was illegal to dismiss someone because they’d been called to the colours, let alone interrogated by the Imperial Marshals.But Doyle could probably find another reason to dismiss her, if he tried.Glen sighed, then made a mental note to have a short talk with Doyle afterwards.The whole affair couldn't be left in the past until Glen and his superiors confirmed that there were no suspicions levelled at the shipping firm.He could delay clearing them for as long as he chose.And how, he asked himself as he rose, does that make you any different from all the others who exploit their positions?He watched Sharon leave the room, then had a long heart-to-heart with Doyle.The man seemed somewhat relieved, leaving Glen convinced he had a guilty conscience about something.But there was no time to follow up on it, not now.He checked his watch, then walked out to the car and climbed behind the wheel.There was just enough time to go home to check on Helen before driving to the office the terrorists had hired.It was unlikely they’d left any clues behind, but he had to check.And then he could start going through the remaining files from Doyle.Who knew what else the man had been doing?But only if it’s a major crime, he reminded himself.You don’t have time to waste.Chapter ThirteenLegally, the older one in the partnership will be guilty of statutory rape (an act that is always criminal because the victim is assumed to be incapable of granting consent) and thus can be charged with child molestation.But if one person is sixteen and the other fifteen, with both parties having raging hormones, is that actually a criminal act? Many readers would, I suspect, argue no.It is not a criminal act.- Professor Leo Caesius.The Decline of Law and Order and the Rise of Anarchy.“I was surprised to hear from you again,” Thomas Augustus said.Belinda gave him a charming smile.She was surprised he’d answered her message so promptly, inviting her to dinner at the largest revolving restaurant in Landing City.Indeed, she’d barely had time to catch a few hours of sleep before his personal car arrived to transport her to the restaurant.Clearly, she’d made a much greater impression on him than she’d thought.Or he’s embarrassed about falling over in a drunken stupor, she thought, privately.I’m surprised he even wants to look at me after embarrassing himself so thoroughly.“You left your code with me,” Belinda said.“And I don’t know many other people in Landing City.”“Well, I’m glad you did,” Augustus said.He stood and waved a hand towards the window, indicating the towering skyscrapers outside.“What do you make of our fine city?”Belinda had several answers for that, but most of them would be far from helpful.“Old,” she said, after a moment.“Living history.”“That’s true,” Augustus said.“The other cities on this planet might be alarmingly like Earth, but Landing City is spread out for miles.Government House” – he pointed to a block of lights in the distance – “hasn’t really changed since the planet gained self-government.It’s a piece of living history too.”Belinda nodded.She had no idea what building on Earth had served as the model, but she had to admit the towering white edifice was very impressive.And, compared to some of the skyscrapers, it looked tiny.The building would be very hard to defend if an insurgent force took control of some of the surrounding buildings and used them to pour fire into the heart of Government House.She looked around the room as Augustus sat down.The restaurant was very impressive, although there was a creaking sense of age that reminded her of some of the Imperial Navy’s older battleships.There were gold and silver artworks everywhere, while the waiters were dressed up to the nines, with snooty expressions they directed towards every guest who didn't have at least a million credits in the bank.Even reserving a table in advance, according to the datanet, cost a thousand credits.Belinda was morbidly impressed that Augustus had been able to organise one on such short notice.“But enough of that,” Augustus said.He smiled at her, then picked up the menu.“Order whatever you want, my dear.My treat.”And then you plan to lure me into bed, Belinda thought, sardonically.But she wasn't too surprised.If you knew what I was would you still want to go to bed with me?She pushed the thought aside as she opened the menu.The prices were literally staggering, even something as simple as fish and chips cost over a hundred credits [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]