Part 3 (1/2)
Past the Arena, he came into the main business district of Tetrahyde.
Fascinated, he read the store signs: UNLICENSED DOCTOR--ABORTIONS PERFORMED WHILE-U-WAIT. Further on, DISBARRED LAWYER. POLITICAL PULL!
This seemed vaguely wrong to Barrent. He walked further, past stores advertising stolen goods, past a little shop that announced: MIND READING! FULL STAFF OF SKRENNING MUTANTS! YOUR PAST ON EARTH REVEALED!
Barrent was tempted to go in. But he remembered that he hadn't any money; and Omega seemed like the sort of place that put a high value on money.
He turned down a side street, walked by several restaurants, and came to a large building called THE POISON INSt.i.tUTE (_Easy Terms. Up to 3 Years to Pay. Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back_). Next door to it was THE a.s.sa.s.sIN'S GUILD, _Local 452_.
On the basis of the indoctrination talk on the prison s.h.i.+p, Barrent had expected Omega to be dedicated to the rehabilitation of criminals. To judge by the store signs, this simply wasn't so; or if it was, rehabilitation took some very strange forms. He walked on more slowly, deep in thought.
Then he noticed that people were moving out of his way. They glanced at him and ducked in doorways and stores. An elderly woman took one look at him and ran.
What was wrong? Could it be his prison uniform? No, the people of Omega had seen many of those. What was it, then?
The street was almost deserted. A shopkeeper near him was hurriedly swinging steel shutters over his display of fencing equipment.
”What's the matter?” Barrent asked him. ”What's going on?”
”Are you out of your head?” the shopkeeper said. ”It's Landing Day!”
”I beg your pardon?”
”Landing Day!” the shopkeeper said. ”The day the prison s.h.i.+p landed. Get back to your barracks, you idiot!”
He slammed the last steel shutter into place and locked it. Barrent felt a sudden cold touch of fear. Something was very wrong. He had better get back in a hurry. It had been stupid of him not to find out more about Omegan customs before....
Three men were walking down the street toward him. They were well dressed, and each wore the small golden Hadji earring in his left ear.
All three men carried sidearms.
Barrent started to walk away from them. One of the men shouted, ”Stop, peon!”
Barrent saw that the man's hand was dangling near his gun. He stopped and said, ”What's the matter?”
”It's Landing Day,” the man said. He looked at his friends. ”Well, who gets him first?”
”We'll choose.”
”Here's a coin.”
”No, a show of fingers.”
”Ready? One, two, three!”
”He's mine,” said the Hadji on the left. His friends moved back as he drew his sidearm.
”Wait!” Barrent called out. ”What are you doing?”
”I'm going to shoot you,” the man said.
”But why?”