Tanderon Read Online Free PDF Page B

suspicious if I suddenly changed my mind and meekly followed the doctor out. If I calmed Ringer’s curiosity and went back under protest, the doctor was sure to start wondering. I let my shoulders sag a bit, and put a pale smile on my face.
    “I’d love to go with you,” I said wistfully, “but if I did they’d know something was wrong. I suppose it will just be too hard for you to get me to the liner from here. I thank you anyway. I know that you tried.”
    “Don’t you start giving up so quickly, young lady,” he ordered gently, picking up his bag. “I’ll think of something to get you out of here. You just leave it all to me and don’t worry. You’ll be on Barancelle before you know it.”
    I thanked him sincerely and reminded him to tell Val and Ringer I was fine, otherwise those two desperate characters might have me moved to other hospital facilities and I would be lost. He agreed, said a warm goodbye, and left. I heard him speak briefly to Val and Ringer, and then he left the suite.
    I went back to my chair and sat, then hung my legs over the chair arm again.
    According to the information I’d gathered from unsuspecting hospital personnel, the liner to Barancelle was due to dock in about four hours. If my luck held and the doctor was as competent as he seemed, I’d be on that liner when it left. One day’s run and I’d be on my way, and Ringer and Val, together with the entire Council, could fold their orders till they were all corners and – augment them. I settled more comfortably into the chair, looking forward to being really alone for a while. I needed to give my mind a chance to forget about everything that had so recently happened, but right now I had to spend some time thinking about what would soon be going on. And, hopefully, going on successfully…
    No more than fifteen minutes could have gone by before the door to my room opened again, and Val and Ringer walked in. I’d been mentally listing possible approaches to key Barancelle personnel and locations, but the looks on my visitors’
    faces jolted me out of the planning and into the present.

    Ringer was coldly furious, and Val’s anger had nothing cold about it. I didn’t say a word and neither did they, but Val closed the door while Ringer walked to a low dresser near where I sat. Ringer then produced the sort of miniature receiver I usually use on the job, and activated the playback part of the wiring section. I listened to just enough of it to be sure he’d gotten the whole conversation I’d had with the doctor, then covered my eyes with one hand. I still had one hope, but it was a slim one. Ringer had been a good agent in his time, but if he was just a little slow I might get away with it yet.
    “It’s the duty of every prisoner of war to escape,” I said with a shrug, looking up again. “What are you going to do, shoot me? I tried and missed. Better luck next time.”
    Ringer turned off the playback and slowly shook his head. “I know you better than that, Diana,” he said. “If that doctor had gone with your story to the security force, all it would have taken to stop any trouble would have been to show my credentials as a representative of the Council. I know it and you know it, so I checked my room. My credentials are gone, Diana. Where did you put them?”
    “Don’t be ridiculous, Ringer,” I scoffed, leaning back in my chair. “What would I do with your credentials? You must have just mislaid them. You know how careless you are.”
    “Don’t be cute!” Ringer snapped, taking an angry step toward me. “You were heading for the shipyards on Barancelle. If you’d made it you would have stolen a ship and gone back to Dameron’s base. But you never would have had a chance if I had my credentials to cancel out your fairytales, so you must have taken them! I have to get to the security force before that doctor does, so give me those credentials!”
    I’d glanced at Val during Ringer’s speech, but what I’d