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Authors: Edward D. Hoch
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all.”
“If you could tell me who your informant is …”
“A young lady very close to Jason Blunt.”
“His wife?”
“I can’t tell you any more. I’ve told you too much already.” He picked up the little plastic overnight case he carried and started to open it. “Earl, I have to ask you to help me on something else.”
“I’ve bent the rules already,” Jazine said. “I don’t know how far I can go without reporting to the chief. What is it now?”
“There are many people affiliated with HAND throughout the world. They are Graham Axman’s people mainly, since he did much of the organizing for HAND while I was a political prisoner on the Venus Colony.”
“We’d like to have a list of those people.”
“So you could arrest them? Ship them all off to Venus? Can’t you see that the Blunt—Ambrose group, whatever it is, represents a far greater threat to this country than HAND? They are organized enough to hold secret elections, using the regular equipment for a presidential election. The figures we found indicate this group has over eighty thousand voting members! Can you imagine what a secret society of eighty thousand members could do to this country?”
“Not much,” Jazine observed. “In the last century there were plenty of pressure groups with more members than that—a few even bent on revolution—and they never got anywhere.”
“But they didn’t have computers, did they?” Frost asked triumphantly. “No, if HAND stands aside and lets them win this one …”
“Just what do you intend doing?”
“That’s the point! I’ve kept HAND going in this country, but without Axman I’m helpless on the overseas contacts. That island in the Indian Ocean, those Oriental girls he used so well …”
“Why do you need me?”
“I need you because I need Graham Axman. HAND needs Graham Axman.”
“He’s in prison,” Jazine said, stating the obvious.
“In prison and due for transfer to the Venus Colony.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“Well, I do! His lawyer told me last week! Earl, I’ve been to the Venus Colony. I know what it’s like up there.”
“I thought Ambrose did away with the penal aspects while he was there.”
“I’m the living proof that he didn’t! The Venus Colony has become our Siberia. Instead of sending families there like the Russo-Chinese do, we deport criminals and political prisoners.”
“Axman broke the law. You’re damned lucky you’re not in prison with him.”
Euler Frost stood there, weighing his next words. Finally he spoke. “We have to get him out, Earl.”
“Out?”
“Out of prison. You have to help me get him out, like you helped me tonight.”
“Hey, wait a minute! That business tonight was one thing, but helping a federal prisoner to escape is something else! You seem to forget whose side I’m on!”
“I was hoping you were on HAND’s side.”
“Well, I’m not. I could arrest you for just talking about helping Axman escape. The only reason I’ve gone along with you this far is because you saved my life in that damned salt mine!”
“Since you owe me a life, give me Graham Axman’s.”
Earl Jazine shook his head. “It’s not mine to give.”
Frost looked almost sad. “Very well,” he said, “then I’ll do it without you.”
“I may have to prevent that.”
Jazine moved forward, around the bed, as Euler Frost’s hand came out of his bag. He was holding a stunner. “I’m sorry about this.”
“Hell,” Jazine barked, “not twice in one week!” He launched himself across the bed at Frost, and he was half in the air when the stunner caught him in the side. He felt the thud of the concussion against his body, felt the instant of pain on his already broken ribs, and went down hard.
When he came to, a half hour later, Euler Frost was gone. He established that fact and then simply stayed where he was on the floor. For a long time he was afraid to move his body, afraid of feeling the stab of pain in
“If you could tell me who your informant is …”
“A young lady very close to Jason Blunt.”
“His wife?”
“I can’t tell you any more. I’ve told you too much already.” He picked up the little plastic overnight case he carried and started to open it. “Earl, I have to ask you to help me on something else.”
“I’ve bent the rules already,” Jazine said. “I don’t know how far I can go without reporting to the chief. What is it now?”
“There are many people affiliated with HAND throughout the world. They are Graham Axman’s people mainly, since he did much of the organizing for HAND while I was a political prisoner on the Venus Colony.”
“We’d like to have a list of those people.”
“So you could arrest them? Ship them all off to Venus? Can’t you see that the Blunt—Ambrose group, whatever it is, represents a far greater threat to this country than HAND? They are organized enough to hold secret elections, using the regular equipment for a presidential election. The figures we found indicate this group has over eighty thousand voting members! Can you imagine what a secret society of eighty thousand members could do to this country?”
“Not much,” Jazine observed. “In the last century there were plenty of pressure groups with more members than that—a few even bent on revolution—and they never got anywhere.”
“But they didn’t have computers, did they?” Frost asked triumphantly. “No, if HAND stands aside and lets them win this one …”
“Just what do you intend doing?”
“That’s the point! I’ve kept HAND going in this country, but without Axman I’m helpless on the overseas contacts. That island in the Indian Ocean, those Oriental girls he used so well …”
“Why do you need me?”
“I need you because I need Graham Axman. HAND needs Graham Axman.”
“He’s in prison,” Jazine said, stating the obvious.
“In prison and due for transfer to the Venus Colony.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“Well, I do! His lawyer told me last week! Earl, I’ve been to the Venus Colony. I know what it’s like up there.”
“I thought Ambrose did away with the penal aspects while he was there.”
“I’m the living proof that he didn’t! The Venus Colony has become our Siberia. Instead of sending families there like the Russo-Chinese do, we deport criminals and political prisoners.”
“Axman broke the law. You’re damned lucky you’re not in prison with him.”
Euler Frost stood there, weighing his next words. Finally he spoke. “We have to get him out, Earl.”
“Out?”
“Out of prison. You have to help me get him out, like you helped me tonight.”
“Hey, wait a minute! That business tonight was one thing, but helping a federal prisoner to escape is something else! You seem to forget whose side I’m on!”
“I was hoping you were on HAND’s side.”
“Well, I’m not. I could arrest you for just talking about helping Axman escape. The only reason I’ve gone along with you this far is because you saved my life in that damned salt mine!”
“Since you owe me a life, give me Graham Axman’s.”
Earl Jazine shook his head. “It’s not mine to give.”
Frost looked almost sad. “Very well,” he said, “then I’ll do it without you.”
“I may have to prevent that.”
Jazine moved forward, around the bed, as Euler Frost’s hand came out of his bag. He was holding a stunner. “I’m sorry about this.”
“Hell,” Jazine barked, “not twice in one week!” He launched himself across the bed at Frost, and he was half in the air when the stunner caught him in the side. He felt the thud of the concussion against his body, felt the instant of pain on his already broken ribs, and went down hard.
When he came to, a half hour later, Euler Frost was gone. He established that fact and then simply stayed where he was on the floor. For a long time he was afraid to move his body, afraid of feeling the stab of pain in
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