To Ride Pegasus
- Автор: Маккефри Энн
- Серия: Talents #1
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Научная фантастика
Электронная книга - «To Ride Pegasus». Краткое содержание книги:
“Wait a minute, Lester,” Charlie said, “that Immunity Law only means that you can’t get sued when…”
“It also means,” and Lester waggled a bony finger at Charlie and Daffyd in turn, “according to the way Senator Joel Andres and our legal eagles interpreted it to me, that any citizen attempting to interfere with a registered Talent’s performance of his duty is violating that law.”
“This would be the first time we’ve had to invoke the law,” Daffyd said.
Lester raised his eyebrows in surprised alarm. “So what’s wrong with that? Or did you break your…” he glanced abruptly at Sally who stifled her laugh…“your bones arranging protection not to use it?”
Op Owen made a cut-off gesture with one hand. Lester Welch muttered in disgust.
“I thought by this time you’d’ve learned the cost of idealism, Dave. We sweated out that Bilclass="underline" it damned near cost us Joel Andres’s life; we have a clear case of an infraction and by God’s little chickens, you’re going to invoke it. If
Gillings hasn’t already.”
The comset on Daffyd’s desk lit up, flashing red. He pushed the toggle down.
“Commissioner Gillings, sir, urgently.”
Daffyd nodded acceptance.
“Op Owen, we’re getting a lot of static from the Waiters Union, about Amalda, false arrest and all that crap,” Gillings stated with no preamble. “So far I’ve played it that their member was pushing a lust act and got told to bug off: that the lady-in-question is sufficiently upset to invoke female citizen’s rights.
Then we got the honest-employees, good union men with clean sex records and she’s a pervert-after-the-damages claim.” Gillings sighed with heavy disgust.
“You know, the usual convention static. Now, we can clear all this up by invoking the Professional Immunity Act but…” and Gillings waggled a thick finger at Daffyd. “I’m not all that eager to break the team’s cover. Bruce Vaden told my men that something had scared Amalda and the only thing I know she’s scared about is what happened at the Fact. Was there a repeat at the Morcam?”
“I haven’t talked to Amalda yet, Frank,” Daffyd said. “I assume she’s on her way back here with Vaden?” Gillings nodded. “Give me a little time.”
“Don’t take too much. That Waiters Union packs quite a wallop.”
As soon as the Commissioner’s face had faded from the screen, Daffyd asked for Ted Lewis in the LEO Block.
“Ted, you heard about the snatch attempt on Amalda?”
“It’s all over the place. Say, why don’t you just invoke the Immunity Act…
No?” Ted was as perplexed as Lester.
“Is Roznine involved in any way in the Waiters Union?”
“Hell yes. There isn’t one Union he isn’t involved with right now.”
“Any chance of finding out if he was at the Morcam Convention Hotel this afternoon?”
Ted Lewis held up a hand, flicked on another switch, his words and the reply indistinct, being off the receiver limit of the comscreen. He looked more confused.
“We’ve had Croner sort of keeping him under the eye/ear. Croner says he’s at a TRI-D on Market and Hall. Huh, how’s that, Croner? Hey, boss, Roznine has been watching a lot of TRI-D lately.”
“Then he suspects he’s been under surveillance and is ducking out the other exit of the TRI-D. Fine.” This was an unsettling development because it could mean that Roznine was developing as a Talent. If he got pushed too hard…op Owen shuddered. “Let’s go see Amalda.”
“It was him,” Amalda told Daffyd. She looked white, shaken and small as she huddled against Red Vaden on the couch in the living room of their suite.
“How close to you?”
She shook her head. “He wasn’t in the room. I’d’ve seen him. But he was near enough to recognize me. My mind, I mean.” She gave a delicate shudder. Had he recognized her because she’d been thinking those thoughts about him? She wanted to ask Daffyd but she didn’t dare. She’d let him down enough already.
“Were you aware of anything, Red?” Daffyd asked.
“Not at first Then only Amalda’s surprise. I looked up and saw the waiters grabbing her. But before I could get across the room, Harold had acted.” There was admiration on Vaden’s face for the maneuver. “I should apologize to the guy.
I think we got things quieted down before any of the convention crowd got wise.”
“After the attempt, were you aware of Roznine’s mind, Amalda?”
“Not until we were leaving the hall.” She closed her eyes. “He said ‘I’ll get you. The next time I’ll get you.’ “
Daffyd looked questioningly at Red who shook his head.
Had you ever received words before, Amalda? Daffyd asked.
Amalda looked at him startled and then shook her head, smiling shyly. “Only from you. Before now.” She was aware of his concern. “That’s bad, ain’t it?” she asked, her soft southern inflection intensifying her regret.
“Not necessarily. We have a problem,” he began, choosing his words carefully.
“We know that Roznine would like to…get you, Amalda, to accomplish his own ends which, knowing your capability, must be illegal control of men’s emotions.
We have to assume he’s been trying to locate you. We must also assume that he may not realize that Brace is part of your ability. And that’s a link that can and will protect you, Amalda.” Daffyd reinforced that notion with a stern telepathic voice. “Roznine couldn’t succeed in kidnapping you today, could he?
Well, he damned well won’t be able to anywhere else either.”
“You can’t be sure of that, Daffyd,” she said in a very small scared voice.
“I don’t intend to put it to the test, Amalda,” Daffyd continued smoothly, smiling at the apprehensive girl, “but kindly remember that you have successfully eluded him twice now. Once by running away and hiding-successfully.
And today by direct action against his agents.”
Amalda slowly nodded her head in agreement.
“Now, while Roznine is keen to get his hands on you, we…and I include the Commissioner…are very anxious to get Roznine.”
It was Brace Vaden who stiffened and looked with an intensity close to hatred at
Daffyd op Owen. The telepath returned that look calmly, knowing in that exchange that Vaden understood the implication even if Amalda didn’t.
“Roznine is obviously a latent Talent. We know he fits minds with Amalda. We don’t know what else he can do, and he is in a peculiarly sensitive position in the ethnic situation of this city: in a position to do a lot of damage or a lot of good. We can’t push him too far and we can’t let him go. We do want him, preferably on his own initiative as you did, to come to the Center. You know what it’s like to have an unmanageable Talent…”
Daffyd was speaking more to Bruce Vaden than Amalda but it was the girl who answered.
“It’s awful…awful lonely, awful wonderful.” She gave Daffyd a smile, tremulous, and though she held her chin up in an attitude of confidence, he could see the indecision and fear of her mind.
“Now,” he went on briskly, “in using the Waiters Union to snag you, Roznine has put us in a difficult position: we can easily use the Professional Immunity Act to protect you but that would necessitate your appearance in court. And believe me, everyone interested in our cover agents would be there to identify you. Your team usefulness would decrease…”
“Does Amalda have to appear in court?” asked Red suddenly.
“Well, yes. Oh, I see what you mean,” and Daffyd started to grin. He managed to keep his smile normal despite what he had read in Bruce Vaden’s mind under the cover of the constructive suggestion. “Very good point. Two ways. Yes, I suppose we could make Amalda up to look different…or we could have a stand-in for her. In that case, Amalda would have to be physically present because Roznine would be there and he’d know if she weren’t present, which could score against us if an EEG reading is requested by the prosecution.