Lion Loose Read online

Marras Cooms beganlaughing softly.

  "Now everything's happened!" he said.

  "Cooms," the commodore said testily, "I prefer not to be interrupted.Now--"

  "Can't be helped, commodore," Quillan said, moving forward, Perkshuffling along unhappily beside him. "I've got news for Movaine, andthe news can't wait."

  "Movaine?" the commodore repeated, blue eyes bulging at Quillan."Movaine! Cooms, who _is_ this man?"

  "You're looking at Bad News Quillan," Cooms said. "A highjackingspecialist, with somewhat numerous sidelines. But the point right nowis that he isn't a member of the Brotherhood."

  "_What!"_ Velladon's big fist smashed down on the table. "_Now_ whatkind of a game ... how did he get _in_ here?"

  "Well," Quillan said mildly, "I oozed in through the north wall abouta minute ago. I--"

  He checked, conscious of having created some kind of sensation. Thefour men at the table were staring up at him without moving. BaldyPerk appeared to be holding his breath. Then the commodore coughed,cleared his throat, drummed his fingers on the table.

  He said reflectively: "He could have news--good or bad--at that! Forall of us." He chewed on one of his mustache tips, grinned suddenly upat Quillan. "Well, sit down, friend! Let's talk. You can't talk toMovaine, you see. Movaine's um, had an accident. Passed away suddenlyhalf an hour ago."

  "Sorry to hear it," Quillan said. "That's the sort of thing thathappens so often in the Brotherhood." He swung a chair around, satdown facing the table. "You're looking well tonight, Fluel," heobserved.

  The Duke of Fluel, lean and dapper in silver jacket and tight-fittingsilver trousers, gave him a wintry smile, said nothing.

  * * * * *

  "Now, then, friend," Velladon inquired confidentially, "just what wasyour business with Movaine?"

  "Well, it will come to around twenty per cent of the take," Quillaninformed him. "We won't argue about a half-million CR more or less.But around twenty per."

  The faces thoughtful. After some seconds, the commodore asked, "Andwho's we?"

  "A number of citizens," Quillan said, "who have been rather unhappysince discovering that you, too, are interested in Lady Pendrake andher pals. We'd gone to considerable expense and trouble to ... well,her ladyship was scheduled to show up in Mezmiali, you know. And nowshe isn't going to show up there. All right, that's business. Twentyper--no hard feelings. Otherwise, it won't do you a bit of good toblow up the Star and the liner. There'd still be loose talk--maybeother complications, too. You know how it goes. You wouldn't be happy,and neither would Yaco. Right?"

  The commodore's massive head turned back to Cooms. "How well do youknow this man, Marras?"

  Cooms grinned dryly. "Well enough."

  "Is he leveling?"

  "He'd be nuts to be here if he wasn't. And he isn't nuts--at least,not that way."

  "There might be a question about that," Fluel observed. He looked atthe commodore. "Why not ask him for a couple of the names that are init with him?"

  "Hagready and Boltan," Quillan said.

  Velladon chewed the other mustache tip. "I know Hagready. If he--"

  "I know both of them," Cooms said. "Boltan works highjacking crews outof Orado. Quillan operates there occasionally."

  "Pappy Boltan's an old business associate," Quillan agreed. "Reliablesort of a guy. Doesn't mind taking a few chances either."

  Velladon's protruding blue eyes measured him a moment. "We can checkon those two, you know--"

  "Check away," Quillan said.

  Velladon nodded. "We will." He was silent for a second or two, thenglanced over at Cooms. "There've been no leaks on our side," heremarked. "And they must have known about this for weeks! Of all theinept, bungling--"

  "Ah, don't be too hard on the Brotherhood, commodore," Quillan said."Leaks happen. You ought to know."

  "What do you mean?" Velladon snapped.

  "From what we heard, the Brotherhood's pulling you out of a hole here.You should feel rather kindly toward them."

  The commodore stared at him reflectively. Then he grinned. "Could be Ishould," he said, "Did you come here alone?"

  "Yes."

  The commodore nodded. "If you're bluffing, God help you. If you'renot, your group's in. Twenty per. No time for haggling--we can raiseYaco's price to cover it." He stood up, and Ryter stood up with him."Marras," the commodore went on, "tell him what's happened. If he'shalf as hot as he sounds, he's the boy to put on that job. Let him getin on a little of the work for the twenty per cent. Ryter, come on.We--"

  "One moment, sir," Quillan interrupted. He took Orca's gun by themuzzle from his pocket, held it out to Velladon. "One of your men lostthis thing. The one outside the door. If you don't mind--he might poutif he doesn't get it back."

  * * * * *

  The fifth level of the Executive Block appeared to be, as Heraga hadsaid, quite small. The tiny entry hall, on which two walk-in portalsopened, led directly into the large room where the two Pendrake restcubicles had been placed. One of the cubicles now stood open. To rightand left, a narrow passage stretched away from the room, endingapparently in smaller rooms.

  Baldy Perk was perspiring profusely.

  "Now right here," he said in a low voice, "was where I was standing.Movaine was over there, on the right of the cubicle, and Cooms wasbeside him. Rubero was a little behind me, hanging on to thepunk--that Kinmarten. An' the Duke"--he nodded back at the widedoorspace to the hall--"was standing back there.

  "All right. The punk's opened the cubicle a crack, looking like he'sabout to pass out while he's doin' it. This bearded guy, Eltak, standsin front of the cubicle, holding the gadget he controls the thingwith--"

  "Where's the gadget now?" Quillan asked.

  "Marras Cooms' got it."

  "How does it work?"

  Baldy shook his head. "We can't figure it out. It's got all kinds oflittle knobs and dials on it. Push this one an' it squeaks, turn thatone an' it buzzes. Like that."

  Quillan nodded. "All right. What happened?"

  "Well, Movaine tells the old guy to go ahead an' do the demonstrating.The old guy sort of grins and fiddles with the gadget. The cubicledoor pops open an' this thing comes pouring out. I never seen nothin'like it! It's like a barn door with dirty fur on it! It swirls up an'around an'--it wraps its upper end clean around poor Movaine. He nevereven screeches.

  "Then everything pops at once. The old guy is laughing like crazy, an'that half-smart Rubero drills him right through the head. I take oneshot at the thing, low so's not to hit Movaine, an' then we're allrunning, I'm halfway to the hall when Cooms tears past me like arocket. The Duke an' the others are already piling out through theportal. I get to the hall, and there's this terrific smack of sound inthe room. I look back ... an' ... an'--" Baldy paused and gulped.

  "And what?" Quillan asked.

  "There, behind the cubicles, I see poor Movaine stickin' halfway outo' the wall!" Baldy reported in a hushed whisper.

  "_Half_way out of the wall?"

  "From the waist up he's in it! From the waist down he's dangling intothe room! I tell you, I never seen nothin' like it."

  "And this Hlat creature--"

  "That's gone. I figure the smack I heard was when it hit the wallflat, carrying Movaine. It went on into it. Movaine didn't--at least,the last half of him didn't."

  "Well," Quillan said after a pause, "in a way, Movaine got hisdemonstration. The Hlats can move through solid matter and carry otherobjects along with them, as advertised. If Yaco can work out how it'sdone and build a gadget that does the same thing, they're getting theHlats cheap. What happened then?"

  "I told Marras Cooms about Movaine, and he sent me and a half dozenother boys back up here with riot guns to see what we could do forhim. Which was nothin', of course." Baldy gulped again. "We finallycut this end of him off with a beam and took it back down."

  "The thing didn't show up while you were here?"

  Baldy shuddered and said, "Naw."<
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  "And the technician ... Eltak ... was dead?"

  "Sure. Hole in his head you could shove your fist through."

  "Somebody,"