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The one in the spacesuit was finished, handed Trevor's gloves back to him. "He's clean."
"Fine. Tape him up."
Trevor's hands were pulled out in front of him and wound with four wraps of three-inch reflective duct tape. Standard, even amongst amateurs.
The terrorist with the machine pistol waved him over to one of the three chairs at the room's only table, then waved one of his flunkies toward the storm room...
Who asked: "Whaddya want me to do?"
"Just-check her. See if she's-I dunno: expecting something, or someone. Christ, do I have to think of everything?"
Back to Trevor: "So you're here to give me money. That's very nice of you-and I'll check into that right away,"-he waved the spacesuited one back outside-"but...
"What's that?"
"I didn't ask for any money. As a matter of fact, no one should even know I'm here. So you'd better start shedding some light on your arrival, or I'll be look...
Lines straight from the late-late show. You're too into the role to remember that you're just doing a job, huh? Bad for you; good for me.
Trevor made sure to never maintain eye contact very long, to appear moderately nervous. "I figured you were here-"
"You figured?"
"Yes-because when the family called me and reported her missing, I started looking for anything strange outside of Syrtis City."
"Oh? Why outside?"
"For the reason I'm guessing you left. Pressurized cities-they're too tight: behind every wall, there's another room, a corridor, a ventilation shaft. There's...
"Smart boy. Go on."
"So I figured you'd be heading out-getting distance. You'd want something small, easy to grab, easy to control. Something without a lot of traffic. So I start...
"But you knew. Because the family called about their pretty, pretty-but not too young-baby."
"Uh-yeah."
"And who are you?"
"I do-jobs-for people."
"Oh?" The gun came up. "What kind of jobs?"
"Please, don't-no, not those kinds of jobs. Not with guns. But rich families get in trouble sometimes-more than most people realize. And I-I take care of thos...
The gun went down. "They must be paying you a lot to come out here on your own, not knowing if we were gonna let you in or let you have it."
"Well-" Careful now: just the way you rehearsed it. Use as much truth as possible: that's how you'll get away with the lies.
"Yeah?"
"I know this family. I've worked for them before." True. "And now the father's dead and the mother's back on Earth and they didn't have anyone else to turn to...
"Good enough to risk your life?"
"Good enough that I'll never have to risk it again."
The kidnapper with the machine pistol became thoughtful, only looking up when his partner returned from outside, carrying an aluminum briefcase. "How's it loo...
The other put the briefcase down, popped his helmet. "As advertised. All clear, as far as I can tell."
"What the hell does that mean, 'as far as I can tell'?"
"Look, man, you wanted me back quick, right? Well, that means I can't go wandering around behind every hill and big rock within five klicks. But the buggy's w...
The one with the machine pistol was about to open the case, halted, thought a moment, reached out and put it on Trevor's lap. Then he walked behind Trevor, hi...
"You mind being a human shield?"
Trevor shrugged. "Fine by me."
The clasps snapped, and the briefcase opened without incident. "Good: we're off to a promising start. No tricks."
Trevor nodded, thought: No tricks that you can see. But the concentrated CO2 canister in the false bottom has started dumping its contents-which will trigger ...
The kidnapper had pawed through the bills in the attachi case. "One hundred K?"
Trevor nodded.
"Light, man; way too light."
"Don't worry: there's plenty more where that came from. This is just a taste."
"Just a taste, huh? Well, I'm ready for the full meal. But how do I get it? You don't get to leave until she does-and I'm not going to let in any more visitor...
He had taken the bait-which all but proved that they weren't from a group of religious or political fanatics. And they're not seasoned professionals or they'd...
"Getting the rest of your money is easy. It's on my bomb-rigged buggy."
"Bomb-rigged? How did you get explosives? Even the black market is tighter than nun-pussy on those."
Tighter than nun-pussy? If you took a course on how to talk like a tough guy, you should get a refund. Out loud: "The family has some clout. But you know that...
"Yeah,"-he was a bad actor-"I guess I do."
No, you really don't. Someone sketched out the basics, but didn't fill you in on the reasons for taking the hostage. You're just hired muscle, following order...
"So, now you give us the information on how to disarm the bomb."