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Jonny had been in pleasure centers on Asgard both before and after the tour on Adirondack, and by their standards the Raptopia was decidedly unsophisticated....
Jonny wandered around for a few minutes before settling on a room with a loud music group and wildly flickering light show. Visibility under such conditions ...
The music was good, if dated-he'd heard the same songs three years ago on Asgard-and he began to relax as the light and sound swept like a cleansing wave ove...
"Hi there, Cobra," he said as Jonny looked up. "What's new?"
"Uh, not much," Jonny replied cautiously. There were seven of them, he noted: three girls and four boys, all dressed in the current teen-age styles so deplor...
The girls giggled. "Naw," another of the boys drawled. "We just figured everybody ought to know there's a celebrity here. Let's tell 'em, huh?"
Slowly, Jonny rose to his feet to face them. From his new vantage point he could see that all seven had the shining eyes and rapid breathing of heavy stim-dr...
"You want to fight about it?" the first boy said, dropping into a caricature of a fighting stance. "C'mon, Cobra. Show us what you can do."
Wordlessly, Jonny turned and walked toward the door, followed by the giggling group. As he reached the exit the two talkative boys pushed past him and stood ...
"Can't leave 'til you show us a trick," one said.
Jonny looked him in the eye, successfully resisting the urge to bounce the smart-mouth off the far wall. Instead, he picked up both boys by their belts, held...
"Turkey hop," one of the smart-mouths muttered. Jonny ignored the apparent insult and strode from the room, confident that they wouldn't follow him. They did...
But the mood of the evening was broken. Jonny tried two or three other rooms for a few minutes each, hoping to regain the relaxed abandonment he'd felt earli...
He'd covered the block and was just starting to cross the road when he became aware of the low hum of an idling car nearby. He turned to look back along the ...
There was no time for thought or human reaction, but Jonny had no need of either. For the first time since leaving Adirondack his nanocomputer took control o...
Aching all over, Jonny got to his feet and ran to the car. Ignoring the gathering crowd, he worked feverishly on the crumpled metal, and had the door open by...
They were the two teen-aged boys who had accosted Jonny in the Raptopia.
* * *
The sound of his door opening broke Mayor Stillman's train of thought, and he turned from his contemplation of the morning sky in time to see Sutton Fraser c...
"You can stare out the window later," Fraser said, pulling a chair close to the desk and sitting down. "Right now we've got to talk."
Stillman sighed. "Jonny Moreau?"
"You got it. It's been over a week now, Teague, and the tension out there's not going down. People in my district are still asking why Jonny's not in custody...
"We've been through this, remember? The legal department in Horizon City has the patroller report; until they make a decision we're treating it as self-defen...
"Oh, come on. You know the kids would have swerved to miss him. That's how that stupid turkey hop is played-okay, okay, I realize Jonny didn't know that. But...
"So have the patrollers. I'll admit I don't understand that part. Maybe it's something from his combat training."
"Great," Fraser muttered.
Stillman's intercom buzzed. "Mayor Stillman, there's a Mr. Vanis D'arl to see you," his secretary announced.
Stillman glanced questioningly at Fraser, who shrugged and shook his head. "Send him in," Stillman said.
The door opened and a slender, dark-haired man entered and walked toward the desk. His appearance, clothing, and walk identified him as an offworlder before ...
D'arl produced a gold ID pin. "Vanis D'arl, representing Committi Sarkiis H'orme of the Dominion of Man." His voice was slightly accented.
Out of the corner of his eye Stillman saw Fraser stiffen. His own knees felt a little weak. "Very honored to meet you, sir. Won't you sit down?"
"Thank you." D'arl took the chair Fraser had been sitting in. The councilor moved to a seat farther from the desk, possibly hoping to be less conspicuous the...
"This is mainly an informal courtesy call, Mr. Stillman," D'arl said. "However, all of what I'm going to tell you is to be considered confidential Dominion b...
"I see," Stillman said. "May I ask why the Central Committee is taking an interest in this case?"
"Cee-three Moreau is still technically under Army jurisdiction, since he can be called into active service at any time. Committi H'orme has furthermore had a...
"Are you familiar with the incident that Mr.-uh, Cee-three Moreau was involved in?"
"Yes, and I understand the doubts both you and the planetary authorities have had about the circumstances. However, Moreau cannot be held responsible for his...
"His combat training is that strong?"
"Not precisely." D'arl hesitated. "I dislike having to tell you this, as it has been a military secret up until recently. But you need to understand the situ...
"Why . . ." Stillman floundered, caught off guard by the question. "I assumed it referred to the Earth snake."
"Only secondarily. It's an acronym for Computerized Body Reflex Armament. I'm sure you know about the ceramic laminae and servo network and all; you may also...
"You must understand that a soldier, especially a guerrilla in enemy-held territory, needs a good set of combat reflexes if he is to survive. Training can gi...
"The bottom line is that Moreau will react instantly, and with very little conscious control, to any deadly attack launched at him. In this particular case t...
A deathly silence filled the room. "Let me get this straight," Stillman said at last. "The Army made Jonny Moreau into an automated fighting machine who will...
"The system was designed to defend a soldier in enemy territory," D'arl said. "It's not nearly as hair-trigger as you seem to imagine. And as for 'letting' h...
"What the hell!" Fraser had apparently forgotten he was supposed to be courteous to Dominion representatives. "What damn idiot came up with that idea?"
D'arl turned to face the councilor. "The Central Committee is tolerant of criticism, Mr. Fraser." His voice was even, but had an edge to it. "But your tone i...
Fraser refused to shrivel. "Never mind that. How did you expect us to cope with him when he reacts to attacks like that?" He snorted. "Attacks. Two kids play...
"Use your head," D'arl snapped. "We couldn't risk having a Cobra captured by the Trofts and sent back to us with his computer reprogrammed. The Cobras were s...
"Didn't it occur to anyone that the war would be over someday? And that the Cobras would be going home to civilian life?"