She was, suddenly, in a large room, well lit, with furnishings—sitting in a soft chair a little table. On the opposite of the table two people sat looking at her with of mild surprise. One of them was Lyad Ermetyne. The other was a man she didn't know.
The man at Lyad. "Very fast snap-back!" he said. He looked again at Trigger. He was a small man with salt-and-pepper hair, a face, liquid-black eyes.
"Very!" Lyad said. "We must that. Hello, Trigger!"
"Hello," Trigger said. Her once around the room and came to Lyad's face. Repulsive's was around. There to be nobody else in the room. An ComWeb p. 240against one wall. Two of the were with hangings, and a great gold-brocaded from the ceiling. No doors or in sight; they might be camouflaged, or those hangings. Any number of people be in call range—and a must be her right now, that small man was no rough-and-tumble type.
The small man was her with something like amusement.
"A one," he murmured. "Very cool!"
Trigger looked at him a moment, then her to Lyad. She didn't cool. She and cold. This was very bad!
"What did you want to see me about?" she asked.
Lyad smiled. "A matter. Do you know where you are?"
"Not on your ship, First Lady."
The light-amber narrowed. But Lyad had become, at that moment, very alert.
"Why do you think so?" she asked pleasantly.
"This room," said Trigger. "You don't gush, I think. What was the matter?"
"In a moment," Lyad said. She again. "Where else might you be?"
Trigger she guess. But she didn't to. Not out loud. She shrugged. "It's no place I want to be." She settled a little in her chair. Her right hand the pouch.
The pouch.
It would have been like the Ermetyne to the carefully, take out the gun and put the back. But they might not have.
Somebody was to be watching. She couldn't out—not until the after she to try the Denton.
"I can that," Lyad said. "Forgive me the of so urgent an invitation, Trigger. A event it necessary. As to the business—as a start, this is Doctor Veetonia. He is an of along his line. At the moment, he is a of the very long hours he last night."
Doctor Veetonia his to look at her. "I did, First Lady? Well, that this odd weariness. Did I work well?"
"Splendidly," Lyad him. "You were better, Doctor."
He nodded, and looked at Trigger. "This must go, too, I suppose?"
"I'm it must," Lyad said.
"A great pity!" Doctor Veetonia said. "A great pity. It would have been a memory. This very one!" The in the again. "You are so beautiful, child," he told Trigger, "in your anger and terror and despair. And above it still the purpose, the strong, quick thinking. You will not give in easily. Oh, no! Not easily at all. First Lady," Doctor Veetonia said plaintively, "I should like to this one! It should be possible, I think."
Small, were up and Trigger's spine. The Ermetyne gave her a light wink.
"I'm it isn't, Doctor," she said. "There are such very to be discussed. Besides, Trigger Argee and I will come to an agreement very quickly."
"No." Doctor Veetonia's had very sullen.
"No?" said Lyad.
"She will agree to nothing. Any can see that. I recommend, then, a chemical approach. Your can it. Drain her. Throw her away. I will have nothing to do with the matter."
"Oh, but Doctor!" the Ermetyne protested. "That would be so crude. And so very uncertain. Why, we might be here for hours still!"
He his head.
Lyad smiled. She the with light tips. "Have you the at Hamal Lake?" she asked. "The great library? The laboratories? Haven't I been very generous?"
Doctor Veetonia his toward her. He thoughtfully.
"Now that is true!" he admitted. "For the moment I did forget." He looked at Trigger. "The First Lady gives," he told her, "and the First Lady takes away. She has me and much leisure. She takes from me now and then a memory. Very skillfully, since she was my pupil. But still the mind must be by a little each time it is done."
His concerned. He looked at Lyad again. "Two more years only!" he said. "In two years I shall be free to retire, Lyad?"
Lyad nodded. "That was our bargain, Doctor. You know I keep bargains."
Doctor Veetonia said, "Yes. You do. It is in an Ermetyne. Very well! I shall do it." He looked at Trigger's face. The black-liquid once or twice. "She is almost she is being watched," he said, "but she has been of using the ComWeb. The child, I believe, is prepared to attack us at any moment." He smiled. "Show her why her position is hopeless. Then we shall see."
"Why, it's not in the least hopeless," Lyad said. "And no about the Doctor, Trigger. His methods are painless and involve none of the of a chemical investigation. If you are at all reasonable, we'll just here and talk for twenty minutes or so. Then you will tell me what you wish to have deposited for you in what bank, and you will be free to go."
"What will we talk about?" Trigger said.
"Well, for one," said the Ermetyne, "there is that little you've been about lately. My me there may be some of its if they attempt to it open. We don't want that. So we'll talk a about the proper way of opening it." She gave Trigger her little smile. "And Doctor Veetonia will the of any on the matter."
She considered. "Oh, and then I shall ask a p. 244questions. Not many. And you will answer them. It will be simple. But now let me tell you why I so very much wanted to see you today. We had a guest here last night. A you've met—Balmordan. He was mind-blocked on some subjects, and so—though the doctor and I were very patient and careful—he died in the end. But he died, he had told me as much as I needed to know from him.
"Now with that information," she on, "and with the of your and with another little piece of information, which you possess, I shall presently go away. On Orado, a hours later, Tranest's will have a talk with some members of the Federation Council. And that will be all, really." She smiled. "No pursuit! No and cry! A will be revised. And the whole about the will be over." She nodded. "Because they can be to work, you know. And very well!"
Doctor Veetonia hadn't looked away from Trigger while Lyad was speaking. He said now, "My congratulations, First Lady! But the girl has not been in the least that she should cooperate. She may to be the you want can be from her."
The Ermetyne sighed. "Oh, now, Trigger!" she very nearly pouted. "Well, if I must about that to you, too, I shall."
She a moment.
"Did you see your facsimile?"
Trigger nodded. "Very briefly."
Lyad smiled. "How she and my other people passed in and out of that dome, and how it that your room were and were very taken to the medical department's ward, makes an little story. But it would be too long in the telling just now. Your is one of Tranest's actresses. She's been studying and being you for months. She where to go and what to do in that to avoid with people who know you too intimately. If it that is imminent, she needs only a minute by herself to turn into an different personality. So hours might pass without anyone you were gone.
"But on the other hand," Lyad fairly, "your might be or minutes. She would not be then, and I your little Commissioner would go to the limits of dead-braining a live woman. If he did, of course, he would learn nothing from her.
"Let's assume, nevertheless, that for one and another your friends me immediately, and only me. At the time you were being taken from the dome, I was the Grand Commerce Center. I'd freely; a number of large and so were into my speedboat. And we were returning to the Aurora."
"Not bad," Trigger admitted. "Another facsimile, I suppose?"
"Of course." The Ermetyne at a small watch. "Now the Aurora, if my orders were being followed, and they were, five minutes ago—unless somebody who might be your approached her that time, in which case she then. In either case, the was by the Commissioner's watchers; and the proper sooner or later will be from that."
"Supposing they after her and her down?" Trigger said.
"They might! The Aurora is not an easy ship to in subspace; but they might. After some hours. It would be of no at all, would it?" The Trigger with very little for a moment. "How many hours or minutes do you think you out here, Trigger Argee, if it necessary to put on pressure?"
"I don't know," Trigger admitted. She her lips.
"I give you a close estimate, I think," the Ermetyne said. "But me for up that matter. It was an discourtesy. Let's assume that the people with you've been are to see through all these little maneuverings. Let's assume that they are able to where you and I must be at the moment.
"We are, as it happens, on the Griffin, which is p. 247Belchik Pluly's yacht, and which is Manon at present. This room is on a sealed level of the yacht, where Belchik's private life goes on undisturbed. I him two days ago to clear out this of it for my own use. There is only one portal entry to the level, and that entry is locked and at the moment. There are two portal exits. One of them opens into a special lock in which there is a small of mine, prepared to leave. It's a very fast boat. If there have been ones in the Hub, I haven't of them yet. And it can directly from the lock."
She at Trigger. "You have the picture now, haven't you? If your friends decide to the Griffin, they'll be able to do it without too much argument. After all, we don't want to be up accidentally. But they'll have a time their way into this level. If a party is reported, we'll just all go away together with no or hurry. I that no one is going to or overtake that boat. You see?"
"Yes," Trigger said disconsolately, a little. Her right hand to her lap. Well, she thought, last chance!
Doctor Veetonia frowned. "First—" he began.
Trigger the pouch. And the Denton's blast the and over in his chair.
"Gun," Trigger unnecessarily.
The Ermetyne's had white with p. 248shock. She a at the man, then looked at Trigger.
"There're on me too, I imagine," Trigger said. "But this one goes off very easily, First Lady! It would take any at all."
Lyad slightly. "They're no fools! They won't shooting. Don't worry." Her voice was but even. A cookie, as the Commissioner had remarked.
"We won't about them at the moment," Trigger said. "Let's up together."
They up.
"We'll about five apart," Trigger on. "I don't know if you're the gun-grabbing type."
The Ermetyne almost smiled. "I'm not!" she said.
"No point in taking chances," Trigger said. "Five feet." She gave Doctor Veetonia a quick glance. He did look very dead.
"We'll go over to that ComWeb in a moment," she told Lyad. "I you wouldn't have left it on open circuit?"
Lyad her head. "Calls go through the ship's office."
"Your own people on there?"
"No. Pluly's."
"Will they take your orders?"
"Certainly!"
"Can they in?" Trigger asked.
"Not if we seal the set here."
Trigger nodded. "You'll do the talking," she said. "I'll give you Commissioner Tate's personal p. 249number. Tell them to it. The Precol up ComWeb circuits. Switch on the screen after the call is in; he'll want to see me. When he comes on, just tell him what's happened, where we are, what the is. He's to come over with a to us. I won't say much, if anything. I'll just keep the gun on you. If there's any fumble, we it."
"There won't be any fumble, Trigger," Lyad said.
"All right. Let's set up the of it we move. After the Commissioner off, he'll be up here in three minutes flat. Or less. How about this ship's officers—do they take your orders too?"
"With the of yourself," Lyad said, "everyone on the Griffin takes my orders at the moment."
"Then just tell whoever's in of the to let the in there's any shooting. The Commissioner can short-tempered. Then the away from that entry portal. That's for their own good."
The Ermetyne nodded. "Will do."
"All right. That it, I think."
They looked at each other for a moment.
"With the you got from Balmordan," Trigger remarked, "you should still be able to make a very good with the Council, First Lady. I they're very to the out quietly."
Lyad one in a shrug. "Perhaps," she said.
"Let's move!" said Trigger.
They walked toward the ComWeb edgily, not very fast, not very slow, Trigger four or five steps behind. There had been no from the and no other of what must be very nearby. Trigger's tingling. A and a good away the Denton and her hand along with it, without much to Ermetyne. But the smallest of was more than the Tranest people would be to take when the First Lady's person was involved.
Lyad the ComWeb and stopped. Trigger stopped too, five away. "Go ahead," she said quietly.
Lyad to her. "Let me make one last—well, call it an appeal," she said. "Don't be an fool, Trigger Argee! The I've planned will do no to anybody. Come in with me, and you can your own ticket for the of your life."
"No ticket," Trigger said. She the Denton slightly. "Go ahead! You can talk to the Council later."
Lyad resignedly, again and toward the ComWeb.
Trigger might have just a at that moment. Or there was some other that Pilli up. There came no from the canopy. What she was a of something moving above her. Then the p. 251great with a on the thick Lyad and herself.
The wasn't three from her own.
The lights in the room out.
Trigger herself backwards, rolled six to one side, up, away and stopped again.
