第31节

of its protective wallet

and examined it carefully. 'Incredible ... are you sure this will give

me access to transportation on this level?"

"It will tonight,' said Chisum. That problem had already been taken

care of. 'Come on, get dressed. Roz is already on her way over from

State U."

'Sure." Steve laughed quickly. 'You know, I can't really believe

it.

I just hope, one day, I'll be able to pay you back." He began to dress

with growing excitement.

Chisum sat against the edge of the table and watched silently. It's

not fair, he thought. This young guy and the girl, who had been raised

believing Annie Brickman was their natural mother, are both bright kids

who really feel good things about one another. And we're going to

screw them up and bust them apart. Here he was, once again, saying

'Trust me' to people who, because of what was about to happen, would

probably never trust each other again.

How many did that make now? Chisum had lost count. In the beginning

the betrayals had worried him; had kept him awake at night. But not

now. Anyone who did the kind of job he did was soon stripped of all

feeling.

At one time he had been concerned to cover his own ass but, having

learned, through his work as an undercover agent, of the First Family's

chilling disregard for the lives of individual Trackers, Chisum had

begun to find it more and more difficult to place any value on his

own.

Dressed in his new chrome yellow and brown coveralls, and matching

hard-hat, Steve followed Chisum onto the shuttle that linked the White

House to Grand Central.

Chisum, who was carrying a square-sectioned emergency aid case, was

wearing the green jumpsuit that marked him out as a paramedic

orderly.

The suit had broad red and white chevrons on the upper part of the

sleeves, aligned with matching bands that went across the chest and

back.

'Relax,' said Chisum, as the shuttle moved off.

'I'm trying,' replied Steve. He waved a hand over his coveralls. 'You

just can't imagine how it feels to have to wear this..."

'Listen,' said Chisum. 'There are thousands of guys who never get a

chance to wear anything else. Don't knock it. They do a good job. If

it wasn't for them ' 'Yeah, I know. Don't tell me,' replied Steve with

heavy sarcasm. 'There'd be no air in the vents and the cans would back

up."

Chisum shook his head. 'You guys from Lindbergh Field are all the

same. You really think you're ace. If you ask me, they ought to have

you all shovelling shit for a spell before you go topside. Might do

you good to find out how the other half lives."

'I've done my quota of PD. And I busted rocks for twelve months on the

shuttleway to Phoenix."

. Chisum laughed drily. 'Yeah, I know. The Yippie's year. You spend

six months on the dig, six months in the sick-bay and all twelve

putting the horse between the shafts."

'Putting the horse between the shafts' was the Young Pioneer equivalent

of the Flight Academy's 'putting the bomb in the barrel'.

'John,' said Steve. 'I already feel lousy. Don't keep knocking me

okay?"

Chisum grinned. 'Know your trouble? You take yourself too

seriously."

He slapped Steve on the knee.

'C'mon. This is where we get off. Stay close. Act natural." They

stepped off the shuttle but instead of going up the escalator ramp to

One-! - street level - Chisum walked past, going on towards the end of

the platform.

Steve's heart missed a beat as he saw two Provos walking towards

them.

Both were armed with the usual heavy, three-barrelled air pistol, and

had long white truncheons slung from their belts. It was the normal

patrol you could expect to find doing spot checks on IDs on platforms

and in station precincts. Most of the time they didn't stop you but

there was always the chance that they might. It was their presence

that exercised a -deterrent effect on potential cee-bees.

'Look miserable,' muttered Chisum. 'You've just been pulled out of the

clay to answer an emergency call. Leave the rest of the dialogue to

me." Then, as they drew nearer, he said, 'It's okay. I know one of

them." He gave a cheery wave, and fisted the shoulder of the nearest

meat-loaf as they walked past. 'Hey, there! How you doin' - all

right?"