The Incredible Tide Read Online Free PDF Page B

out a very fine shade of pink.”
    Conan heard a quickly suppressed guffaw. Then: “Old Patch has been begging for a stronger helper. If Patch gets him, it will be punishment enough. I wouldn’t wish anyone …”
    The men moved beyond range of his hearing. He eyed them thoughtfully until they were out of sight. Finally, scowling and muttering to himself—a habit he had formed on the islet when trying to solve some problem on which his very life often depended—he began pacing in a circle in his tiny prison. Occasionally he halted and glanced out through one of the slits to study his surroundings. He missed very little, and already he had gathered a surprising amount of information since coming ashore. He was trying to arrange his observations into a clearer picture when he heard the quick scrape of plastic boots on the cracked paving outside.
    His visitor was Dr. Manski. The black eyes in her gaunt, hard face were glittering with cold wrath.
    â€œYou fool!” she bit out harshly. “You utter, complete fool! Whatever possessed you to act the way you did?”
    In spite of his uncertain predicament, a strange calm had come over him. “How would you have acted,” he replied, “if you had been in my place?”
    â€œWhy—why, I’d have used my head!” she snapped. “Don’t you realize you’ve practically signed your death warrant? You can’t attack citizens of the New Order and destroy valuable property without being punished. You’ll probably be disqualified.”
    Conan shrugged and wished she would go away.
    â€œDid you hear what I said?” she thrust at him. “ Disqualified !” He shrugged again.
    â€œDoesn’t the thought of dying frighten you?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œDon’t talk such nonsense! Of course it frightens you.”
    â€œNo,” he said slowly. “I haven’t been afraid of anything since—”
    â€œWell? Since what?”
    â€œNever mind. You wouldn’t understand. You see, I—I was sent here for a purpose.”
    She stared at him. “ Who sent you? For what purpose?”
    â€œI don’t know yet. And I’ve already tried to explain it to you—”
    She snorted derisively. “Rot! And don’t hand me any more of that stupid ‘God’ stuff, or I’ll not waste my time ashore trying to help you. I must leave in the morning.”
    â€œWhy should you help me? What for?”
    â€œBecause the New Order needs you!” she flung at him angrily. “It needs your youth and your strength—but it’s going to take all I can do to get the commissioner to overlook what you’ve done. You’ve hurt two of the men badly, and you’ve completely ruined the only marker we have. You’ll have to practically get down on your knees and beg the commissioner’s pardon. Even then—”
    â€œI’ll beg nobody’s pardon!” he flared. “He’d better beg mine! What right has any of you to brand me like this? Are we at war? No! Am I a criminal? No! Was I brought here of my own free will to work? No! I despise the whole bunch of you. You’re worse than the Peace Union. You—”
    â€œShut up and listen to me—”
    â€œYou’ll hear me out!” he cried. “All this talk of rebuilding the world—who are you trying to fool? The survivors you’ve captured and branded? What a lie! You people caused the Change in the first place—don’t tell me you didn’t, because you did!—and now all you want is to run what’s left of the world. If you had any decency—”
    â€œOh, stop talking like an idiot! Don’t you realize it took both sides to do the damage?”
    â€œI don’t believe it!”
    â€œBut it did! Now someone has to put the pieces back together.”
    â€œOnly it has to be done your way—and with branded prisoners! You’d