Part 8 (2/2)

Legacy James H. Schmitz 30690K 2022-07-22

Trigger s.h.i.+fted toward the edge of the sidewalk to let them pa.s.s. As the line swayed up on her left, there was a shadowy settling of an aircar at the curb to her right.

With loud outcries of glad recognition and whoops of laughter, the line swung in about her, close. Bodies crowded against her; a hand was clapped over her mouth. Other hands held her arms. Her feet came off the ground and she had a momentary awareness of being rushed expertly forward.

Then she was in the car, half on her side over the rear seat, two very strong hands clamping her wrists together behind her back. As she sucked in her breath for a yell, the door snapped shut behind her, cutting off the rollicking ”ha-ha-ha's” and other noises outside.

There was a lurching twist as the aircar shot upward.

5

The man who held Trigger's wrists s.h.i.+fted his grip up her arms, and turned her a little so that she could sit upright on the seat, faced half away from him. She had got only a glimpse of him as he caught her, but he seemed to be wearing the same kind of commercial s.p.a.cer's uniform as the group which had hustled her into the car. The other man in the car, the driver, sat up front with his back to them. He looked like any ordinary middle-aged civilian.

Trigger let her breath out slowly. There was no point in yelling now.

She could feel her legs tremble a little, but she didn't seem to be actually frightened. At least, not yet.

”Spot anything so far?” the man who held her asked. It was a deep voice.

It sounded matter-of-fact, quite unexcited.

”Three possibles anyway,” the driver said with equal casualness. He didn't turn his head. ”Make it two.... One very definite possible now, I'd say!”

”Better feed it to her then.”

The driver didn't reply, but the car's renewed surge of power pushed Trigger down hard on the seat. She couldn't see much more than a s.h.i.+fting piece of the sky line through the front view plate. Their own car seemed to be rising at a tremendous rate. They were probably, she thought, already above the main traffic arteries over Ceyce.

”Now, Miss Argee,” the man sitting beside her said, ”I'd like to rea.s.sure you a little first.”

”Go ahead and rea.s.sure me,” Trigger said unsteadily.

”You're in no slightest danger from us,” he said. ”We're your friends.”

”Nice friends!” remarked Trigger.

”I'll explain it all in a couple of minutes. There may be some fairly dangerous characters on our tail at the moment, and if they start to catch up--”

”Which they seem to be doing,” the driver interrupted. ”Hang on for a few fast turns when we hit the next cloud bank.”

”We'll probably shake them there,” the other man explained to Trigger.

”In case we don't though, I'll need both hands free to handle the guns.”

”So?” she asked.

”So I'd like to slip a set of cuffs on you for just a few minutes. I've been informed you're a fairly tricky lady, and we don't want you to do anything thoughtless. You won't have them on very long. All right?”

Trigger bit her lip. It wasn't all right, and she didn't feel at all rea.s.sured so far.

”Go ahead,” she said.

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