"The ayes have it. We will now plan to commit a crime in the name of the greater good of democracy. " "Who's the fascist-anarchist now?" I growled.
"Not us," Angelina smiled in sweet answer. "We're just pragmatists. Our hearts are pure and our motives of the best. And the results of our actions will be for the greater good of all." TL." C1I:""l^rrr c". ~i n-i. r r• i iii~ Jltiiiiicaa JICCI i\[ii lur rreiilueni \tj "Say that to the owners of the Populacho," I snarled, "when they find their spaceship at the bottom of a smoking crater. " But she was unflappable. "They will get recompense from their insurers and buy a new and better ship. Isn't that what you always say?" There was of course no answer to that other than to bite savagely into a piece of toast. But even as I chewed I smiled. "You are a fine crew and I cannot argue with you. Now let us extremely honest, democratic republicans, staunch upholders of law and order, begin planning our crime of spaceship nlcfrltrior
Chapter 26
"How does it look?" I said, leaning out of the car window and calling up to Bolivar who sat on the roof above me with the high-power binoculars. •" "They're sealing the loading hatch now, so they should be ready for takeoff soon. Wait-yes-one of the crew has just come down and disconnected the power leads, which means that the ship is on internal power. The ground crew is driving away. " "Perfect. Get into the car and we go into action." He hit the pavement and bounced into the front seat. Bolivar put the car into motion the instant the door was closed. I sat in the back and admired Angelina, sitting at my side, clearly visible as soon as we had pulled out of the darkness of the hangar into the glare of the spaceport lights.
"You're adorable! I just love your kinky white nurse's outfit. If only you had brought a white whip with you." "Do you really like it?" she asked, ignoring the crude flagellation funny. 'The skirt isn't too short?" "Very short-and very nice," I said, patting the neat turn of white thigh between skirt and knee. "The idea is to distract these people while we work our will upon them. And you are the most distracting thing on this planet." "You're not to shabby yourself with that uniform and curly moustache." I twisted the ends of this hirsute object, then gave the rows of medals on my chest ajingle, "Everyone respects authority. So the more authoritarian you look the more respect you get. All right team, here we are. Operation Medico will now swing into action." We climbed from the car at the foot of the gangway and I led the way up to the entrance, light gloaming from my high-peaked cap and pristine uniform. Nurse Angelina followed and the boys brought up the rear, white-suited and 144 lugging a great white case. The crewman, on guard at the ship's airlock, gaped in appreciation, then grew resolute and barred our way.
"You can't go in here. Due for takeoff in a couple of minutes." I looked him up and down slowly with the same expression on my face that would have been there if he had just wriggled out from under a flat rock. As a worried look crossed his features I took out a scroll and let it drop open before him. It was covered with fine black and red printing and sealed with a great gold seal. My voice was most stern.
"Do you see this? It is a quarantine document issued by the Board of Health. There is a medical emergency and you will take me to your captain at once. Now-lead the way." He led. It had really been quite easy. As soon as a turn in the corridor blocked any view he might have had of Bolivar and James, they sealed the airlock behind us. The captain looked up, shocked, when we entered the control room. "What is going on here! Get out at once..." "You are Captain Ciego de Avila. I have here a quarantine notice from the Board of Health. Your men must be examined before this ship can leave." "What are those morons in Primoroso trying to do to mel" he protested. "My schedule, do they ever think of that? I have a launch window coming up in less than thirty minutes." "You will launch on time, I guarantee you. For our sake as well as yours." How true! "We are trying to contain an outbreak of a rare disease brought here from another planet. Perrotonitis..," "I've never heard of that. " "That shows you how rare it is. The first symptoms are fever, slavering and growling like a dog. We have reason to believe that one of your crew is infected. " "Which one?" "That one," I said pointing at the crewman who had led us here. He whinnied and shied away. "Nurse, examine bis throat. " He reluctantly opened his mouth and Angelina pushed down his tongue with a wooden depressor. "His throat is very irritated," she said.
"I'm not sick!" the man wailed, saliva forming at the corners of his mouth as he spoke. He wiped it away with the hot skin of his hand. "Not sick..." he growled-then barked twice.
"He has it!" I shouted. "He'll be wagging his tail next! Grab him men and I'll administer the cure!" Barking and yapping, with Bolivar hanging from one arm and James from the other, he was immobilized so I could give him the injection. Which not only knocked him out but neutralized the reactive agents that he had absorbed through the mucous membranes in his mouth-put there by the tongue depressor.
"Caught in time," I said, looking down at the unconscious body while I put the hypodermic back into its case. "He will recover after he regains consciousness. Now, Captain, order the rest of your crew here at once for examination. If it is done quickly you will make your launch on time." It was done quickly. Within five minutes most of the crew had developed symptoms and were stretched unconscious on the deck. It was not by chance that only a skeleton engine and control room crew remained. I nodded approval, then took out a large pistol and pointed it at the captain. "I am now taking over your ship. Long live the revolution!" "You can't do this-you're mad!" "No we are not mad, just incredibly vicious. We represent the Black Friday-afternoon Revolutionary Party and we will kill you to make you free. We fear nothing. You will operate this ship in its normal manner or we will murder your crew one by one until you agree to cooperate." "You're all nut cases! I'm calling the police, .." He reached for the radio but I moved faster. Seizing him by the arms and spinning him about. "Kill the first one," I called out.
"Freedom and liberty!" Bolivar shouted as he pulled a large butcher knife out from under his jacket. He leaped upon the unconscious figure at the far end of the row, kneeling on the man's chest.
Then he bent forward and cut the man's throat with a single vicious swipe of the sharp knife. There was a gurgling cry as the blood spurted out of the awful wound. It was very realistic.
"Take the body away!" I shouted, and turned back to the captain. If I had been impressed-even though I knew that the flesh-colored apparatus filled with blood had been fixed to the front of the man's neck, that the shriek came from an apparatus in the knife-well, you can imagine the effect this had on the captain. He staggered and the blood drained from his space-tanned face. I had made my point.