Free Tek Power by William Shatner Page B

robot. “What did I tell you, Professor?”
    â€œYep, you were right.”
    â€œI appreciate your saving me from the pursuing hordes,” said Gomez with a smile. “Now—is there any way to get clear of your establishment without going back onto the street?”
    â€œThere’s an intelligent remark for a change,” said Princess Carmelita. “Follow me, Gomez.”
    She led him through the draped doorway, along a dimlit hall and up to an unpainted neowood door.
    â€œTake this tunnel to its end—about a mile from here—and you’ll come to another door. That’ll put you on the street in a safe area.”
    â€œ Gracias .” He put his hand on the doorknob. “Why do you folks put up with these Axis Brotherhood raids?”
    â€œWe don’t. That is, as a community we don’t,” she said. “The Street Commandos take care of them when they stray over into Spanish Harlem and there’s a similar, very efficient group, over in African Harlem.”
    â€œToo many fragments,” he commented. “What you need to do is—”
    â€œLet me give you a piece of advice.” She put her hand against his back and gave him a gentle shove into the tunnel. “Don’t trust Charley Charla completely.”
    Gomez laughed. “Princess, I don’t trust anybody completely.” He started, carefully, away from her.
    A LTHOUGH THEIR HOTEL was in the safe half of Central Park, it gave a view of the unsecured, wild half. From the windows of the tower suite Gomez and Jake were sharing, you could see down across the overgrown parklands, the tangles of trees and brush. Far off on the West Side a portion of the forest was on fire. Grey smoke was pouring up into the coming dusk.
    â€œAin’t nature grand?” remarked Gomez as Jake returned home.
    â€œI tracked down Larry Seagrove.” He took the videocassette from his pocket, hefted it on his palm. “He had the caz.”
    â€œWhat did he have to say?”
    â€œNot that much.” He told his partner what he’d learned out in Connecticut.
    â€œHe doesn’t sound like a very admirable hombre ,” observed Gomez when Jake had finished. “You’d think if Eve was going to fool around, she’d have picked somebody who’s an improvement on her hubby. Trade up, is my motto.”
    â€œLet’s watch this.” Crossing to the vidwall, Jake slid the vidcaz into the slot.
    Eve Bascom appeared on the screen. She was dressed in a simple tan slaxsuit and was sitting in a straight metal chair in the living room of their apartment. Her face was pale, shadows underscored her eyes and her cheekbones.
    â€œShe looks,” said Gomez, “like she knows she’s going to die.”
    Eve coughed into her hand, then lowered her head for a few seconds. Straightening up, she took a deep breath and looked directly into the camera. “What I’m going to say must be important,” she began, running her tongue over her upper lip. “Arnie said it was and … I think that’s why they killed him. He didn’t, Christ, really tell me all he knew. But I’m afraid it’s enough … enough probably to get me killed. There’s something going on … something important. It involves the Nicaraguan government, including General Alcazar and the junta, and the American embassy down there is mixed up in this, too. Arnie didn’t go into all that … I’m talking about Arnold Maxfield, Jr. I guess I ought to get his whole name into this. I forget, Richard, if you even knew that I knew Arnie.” She coughed again, held both hands up over her mouth for several seconds. “You’d think, being in the line of work I’m in, that I’d be able to keep all these lies straight. Anyway, some of the big Tek cartels—particularly the Joaquim Cartel, which operates in Nicaragua and Florida—are involved as well.