[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
buttons or consoles. I am a creature of Flux and I
will not hesitate to shoot. If I do, the spray this thing makes in stopping
one of you will kill all four of you."
Suzl reached under her shirt in the back and pulled out a small automatic
pistol, reinforcing
Mervyn and freeing him to move. "You four come into the outer room here with
us. Don't touch anything or try anything funny."
They obeyed, hands high, but they glared at her.
"You'll fry in Hell for a thousand lives for this,"
one hissed.
"I already been there, honey, and it don't scare
Jack L. Chalker
266
me a bit," she snapped back. "Ca Kasdi, you watch
'em and if you see one of 'em pull anything funny, you yell and they're gone."
"You'll never get out of here alive," one of the wardens said smugly. "You
know that, don't you?"
"If I don't, neither will you," came the equally tough reply. Suzl, Cass
noted, was loving every minute of this, and there was genuine hatred and
contempt in her expression and manner. This was no act. She ached for revenge.
Mervyn studied the control panel for a moment, checked out its switches and
relays, then found the master manual and thumbed quickly through it.
He found what he was looking for immediately, and tapped four numbers on the
intercom pad-
There was a buzzing sound, then an unfamiliar voice answered. "Sister General.
What is the problem?"
"There is an urgent message here for the Sister
General's ears alone," he said into the speaker. "It is urgent. Put her on at
once."
There was a sigh at the other end, and the con-
nection was muted for a moment. Finally a far more familiar voice said, "This
is Sister General Diasteph-
anos. What is the nature of this emergency?"
Mervyn looked over at Cass, who nodded. That was her, all right.
"The Seven Who Come Before have gathere'd at the gates of Anchor to release
the spawn of Hell,"
he said carefully. "The Nine Who Guard call upon the holy church for aid."
There was a long pause, and then the Sister
General asked, "Who is this?"
"Pericles," he responded.
Page 134
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Again there was silence. Finally she asked, "Are my wardens all right? I
assume it wasn't easy to get in to use the intercom."
"They are mad and angry and vengeful," he toid
SOUL RIDER: SPIRITS OF FLUX AND ANCHOR 267
her truthfully, "but aside from a slight bruise on one of them they are in
fine shape."
"Who's watch officer?"
He looked over at the four. One of them said, sourly, "Daran."
"Put her on."
Mervyn gestured with the gun and the chief war-
den came over to the intercom. "She's here," he told her.
"Daran, this would not have been necessary if you had not refused to carry the
message. These people are not criminals, nor are they committing sacrilege.
How many are there?"
"Three, Your Worship," the warden said glumly.
"Two have guns, and the third's pretending to be a priestess."
"She may very well be one," the Sister General snapped back. "Now, listen
carefully. You are to escort these three to my office without delay of any
kind. Understand? I want no trouble and no revenge. If there is any trouble or
any action of any kind taken against them you will all be exiled to Flux
immediately. I mean that."
"But Your Worship "
"No buts! Deliver them immediately, healthy, and with no problems and I will
forgive all. Do anything else anything and you will all curse the day of your
birth and the parents who bore you. That is all."
The watch officer sighed. Mervyn smiled at her and handed her his rifle. She
seemed startled, then undecided, suppressing an urge to fire anyway.
Instead they walked into the other room, where
Suzl handed over her pistol as well. There ensued a great debate among the
four in which the watch officer had to exercise abnormal control just to keep
them from tearing the three limb from limb or at least working them over with
rubber hoses.
Once the officer had made her decision, though, Jack L. Chalker
268
she stuck to it. When the warden who had been shoved back tried to attack
Mervyn anyway, the watch officer struck her in the mouth with the rifle butt.
She looked mad, but finally calmed down, as blood from a small cut trickled
from the side of her mouth.
"Now, then," sighed the watch officer, "let's all go see Her Holiness, shall
we?"
Leaving the guns in the security office and then locking up, they all walked
back upstairs, into the chapel, then back into the sacristy. Cass had a
feeling of having been here before, but now she was with someone who knew the
way.
Ultimately they reached the first of three-secur-
ity doors. Obviously the Sister General's own area had been reinforced since
Cass had blundered in.
Each of the doors could be opened only from the inside, by someone who first
could look at who-
ever was out there and take action if necessary.
The wardens generally expected their way to be barred at this point, and
action taken, and seemed extremely surprised when each door opened for them
with no hesitation.
Finally they reached the office of the Sister
General. It looked much the same as Cass remem-
bered it, although she'd had a very different view the last time. Sister Daji
was nowhere in sight, but to the left of the Sister General's huge desk the
falcon perch still stood, and why not? On it was a falcon.
Page 135
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
The Sister General looked at the mob, then said, "That will be all, wardens.
Retire to your posts and await my instructions." They bowed, bewildered, and
exited.
She looked at the three of them in turn, settling
on Mervyn. "I don't have to guess which one of you is Pericles."
"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Des?" he re-
sponded lightly.
SOUL RIDER: SPIRITS OF FLUX AND ANCHOR 269
The tone and question startled both Cass and
Suzl. It was obvious now that, somehow, these two actually knew each other!
She came over and hugged the wizard. "You wore that guise just for me, didn't
you?"
He laughed. "I figured if nothing else you'd get a photo from the police with [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szamanka888.keep.pl
buttons or consoles. I am a creature of Flux and I
will not hesitate to shoot. If I do, the spray this thing makes in stopping
one of you will kill all four of you."
Suzl reached under her shirt in the back and pulled out a small automatic
pistol, reinforcing
Mervyn and freeing him to move. "You four come into the outer room here with
us. Don't touch anything or try anything funny."
They obeyed, hands high, but they glared at her.
"You'll fry in Hell for a thousand lives for this,"
one hissed.
"I already been there, honey, and it don't scare
Jack L. Chalker
266
me a bit," she snapped back. "Ca Kasdi, you watch
'em and if you see one of 'em pull anything funny, you yell and they're gone."
"You'll never get out of here alive," one of the wardens said smugly. "You
know that, don't you?"
"If I don't, neither will you," came the equally tough reply. Suzl, Cass
noted, was loving every minute of this, and there was genuine hatred and
contempt in her expression and manner. This was no act. She ached for revenge.
Mervyn studied the control panel for a moment, checked out its switches and
relays, then found the master manual and thumbed quickly through it.
He found what he was looking for immediately, and tapped four numbers on the
intercom pad-
There was a buzzing sound, then an unfamiliar voice answered. "Sister General.
What is the problem?"
"There is an urgent message here for the Sister
General's ears alone," he said into the speaker. "It is urgent. Put her on at
once."
There was a sigh at the other end, and the con-
nection was muted for a moment. Finally a far more familiar voice said, "This
is Sister General Diasteph-
anos. What is the nature of this emergency?"
Mervyn looked over at Cass, who nodded. That was her, all right.
"The Seven Who Come Before have gathere'd at the gates of Anchor to release
the spawn of Hell,"
he said carefully. "The Nine Who Guard call upon the holy church for aid."
There was a long pause, and then the Sister
General asked, "Who is this?"
"Pericles," he responded.
Page 134
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Again there was silence. Finally she asked, "Are my wardens all right? I
assume it wasn't easy to get in to use the intercom."
"They are mad and angry and vengeful," he toid
SOUL RIDER: SPIRITS OF FLUX AND ANCHOR 267
her truthfully, "but aside from a slight bruise on one of them they are in
fine shape."
"Who's watch officer?"
He looked over at the four. One of them said, sourly, "Daran."
"Put her on."
Mervyn gestured with the gun and the chief war-
den came over to the intercom. "She's here," he told her.
"Daran, this would not have been necessary if you had not refused to carry the
message. These people are not criminals, nor are they committing sacrilege.
How many are there?"
"Three, Your Worship," the warden said glumly.
"Two have guns, and the third's pretending to be a priestess."
"She may very well be one," the Sister General snapped back. "Now, listen
carefully. You are to escort these three to my office without delay of any
kind. Understand? I want no trouble and no revenge. If there is any trouble or
any action of any kind taken against them you will all be exiled to Flux
immediately. I mean that."
"But Your Worship "
"No buts! Deliver them immediately, healthy, and with no problems and I will
forgive all. Do anything else anything and you will all curse the day of your
birth and the parents who bore you. That is all."
The watch officer sighed. Mervyn smiled at her and handed her his rifle. She
seemed startled, then undecided, suppressing an urge to fire anyway.
Instead they walked into the other room, where
Suzl handed over her pistol as well. There ensued a great debate among the
four in which the watch officer had to exercise abnormal control just to keep
them from tearing the three limb from limb or at least working them over with
rubber hoses.
Once the officer had made her decision, though, Jack L. Chalker
268
she stuck to it. When the warden who had been shoved back tried to attack
Mervyn anyway, the watch officer struck her in the mouth with the rifle butt.
She looked mad, but finally calmed down, as blood from a small cut trickled
from the side of her mouth.
"Now, then," sighed the watch officer, "let's all go see Her Holiness, shall
we?"
Leaving the guns in the security office and then locking up, they all walked
back upstairs, into the chapel, then back into the sacristy. Cass had a
feeling of having been here before, but now she was with someone who knew the
way.
Ultimately they reached the first of three-secur-
ity doors. Obviously the Sister General's own area had been reinforced since
Cass had blundered in.
Each of the doors could be opened only from the inside, by someone who first
could look at who-
ever was out there and take action if necessary.
The wardens generally expected their way to be barred at this point, and
action taken, and seemed extremely surprised when each door opened for them
with no hesitation.
Finally they reached the office of the Sister
General. It looked much the same as Cass remem-
bered it, although she'd had a very different view the last time. Sister Daji
was nowhere in sight, but to the left of the Sister General's huge desk the
falcon perch still stood, and why not? On it was a falcon.
Page 135
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
The Sister General looked at the mob, then said, "That will be all, wardens.
Retire to your posts and await my instructions." They bowed, bewildered, and
exited.
She looked at the three of them in turn, settling
on Mervyn. "I don't have to guess which one of you is Pericles."
"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Des?" he re-
sponded lightly.
SOUL RIDER: SPIRITS OF FLUX AND ANCHOR 269
The tone and question startled both Cass and
Suzl. It was obvious now that, somehow, these two actually knew each other!
She came over and hugged the wizard. "You wore that guise just for me, didn't
you?"
He laughed. "I figured if nothing else you'd get a photo from the police with [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]