Fall of the White Ship Avatar Read Online Free PDF Page B

that.
    file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20kruis...y%20-%20Fall%20of%20the%20White%20Ship%20Avatar.htm (18 of 242)23-2-2006 17:03:12
    [Fitzhugh 3]-FALL OF THE WHITE SHIP AVATAR
    "Who else?"
    "Where is he? Did he say anything?" Floyt asked.
    Quirk was silent, giving Floyt a languid smile, making the fingertip-rubbing gesture again. "Play 'im, pay 'im," Alacrity said. "This isn't begging; it's a business expense."
    Floyt gave Quirk a one-oval piece, then hesitated, wondering if he should dicker. Alacrity made an impatient, boiling sound and snatched another coin out of his friend's palm, slapping it onto the kid's.
    "Is he coming this way?" Alacrity narrowed his eyes at the boy; the alley runner nodded and pointed to a passageway.
    "You're sure it's only one? He's alone?" Quirk nodded as if Alacrity were a halfwit. "So what's our best route back to the main airlock?"
    Quirk explained quickly, showing that he knew every turn and cranny in New Upsie. All the two had to do was cross through a lesser dome, use the length of water conduit that had been fitted out as a passageway for a shortcut, and make their way through a prefab hangar that the Sockwallets had turned into a rec center.
    "Good, good." Alacrity nodded. "And which hatch do we take?"
    But when Quirk turned to indicate, Alacrity grabbed him in a choke hold, dragged him down from his perch, and put the muzzle of his pistol to the kid's head.
    "You're so sure it's safe, you little pustule, you go first." Quirk fought for a moment then relaxed, knowing he couldn't break free. Floyt was still gaping. Alacrity half carried, half frog-hopped the kid to the hatch he'd pointed out, not difficult in the low gravity.
    "Okay, Ho; stand to one side and hit the control. I'm going to shove Mr. Information, here, through first."
    Quirk began struggling wildly again, even though it was hopeless. "All right, leave it closed," Alacrity grated. "Secure it if you can do it without making noise!" He slammed Quirk on the floor in a heap and knelt on him, clamping the boy's wrists together with one big, knob-knuckled hand.
    The Captain's Sidearm had a long, heavy rib running from its muzzle to the base of its handshield, a deflector for defense against edged or blunt weapons in hand-to-hand combat. Alacrity did something to the pistol one-handed; a glittering pistol-bayonet sprang forth from the deflector. Alacrity put the point against the base of the kid's right eye, with the weight of his shoulder hovering over it.
    "Last chance, alley runner. How many are there?"
    "Three, with guns," the kid said woodenly. "Two in a crossfire on the other side of that hatch, the other file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20kruis...y%20-%20Fall%20of%20the%20White%20Ship%20Avatar.htm (19 of 242)23-2-2006 17:03:12
    [Fitzhugh 3]-FALL OF THE WHITE SHIP AVATAR
    keeping watch on the back route, to the far side of the main dome."
    Alacrity yanked Quirk to his feet, bayonet at his throat. "And how much did they pay you?"
    "Hundred lunars."
    Alacrity was impressed. "In advance?"
    "Ten in advance, the rest later. I figure ten's better'n nothing."
    Alacrity shook Quirk angrily, flopping him around easily. "You gullible asswipe! Can't you see they were going to shoot you, too?"
    He looked around, then lugged Quirk off in the direction of a looted machine shop they'd passed. Floyt caught up as Alacrity bounce-shuffled Quirk along. "That hatch has a manual lock, Alacrity, but it would've been louder than Marley's ghost, and I couldn't figure out how it worked." He was almost whispering.
    Alacrity was used enough to Floyt's obscure Terran references to understand what he meant about noise.
    He nodded again. "That's okay; cover our backs." Floyt did, skate-hopping sideways, bringing up the rear with the Webley pointed back the way they'd come,
    Alacrity came to the machine shop, which he recalled from their previous visit. There were storage lockers built into the wall. He opened one and jammed Quirk