第32节

swiftly upwards.

Steve looked at the level indicator and saw it went from A-5 to

Four-10. 'That service bay looked pretty clean. Are we in one of the

new towers?"

'Yeah, Santanna Deep..."

'I can't figure it out,' muttered Steve. 'Nobody stopped us. We

weren't challenged once. What happens when someone finds out that

wheelie is missing from the ramp? All it needs is for someone to check

the cards put through that door and they'll be on to us!" Chisum shook

his head and dropped his voice to a whisper. 'On to you perhaps, good

buddie, but not me.

Didn't use my own card."

Steve eyed him cautiously. 'I know that wasn't your voice on the

recorder but how is it possible?" he whispered back. 'ID-cards are

nontransferable!" Chisum grinned. He got a lot of innocent amusement

from ribbing this serious young man. And much of the fun came from

telling him the truth - like now - or getting as close to it as

possible without giving the game away. 'In theory, yes. That's what

most people think.

But, in practice, some cards are less "nontransferable" than others."

He winked at Steve and dropped his voice even further. 'I'm gonna let

you in on a big secret. I've discovered the system is not perfect.

COLUMBUS makes mistakes. How about that?"

Steve took a step back. 'No. I don't believe it."

'That's okay by me,' said Chisum. 'Just keep on thinking that way."

He nudged Steve in the ribs. 'Listen.

If everybody broke into the card game, I'd be out of business."

They rode the rest of the way to Three-8 in silence.

The lobby on the thirty-eighth floor was covered in dark green rubber

tiles that deadened the sound of their footsteps. The walls were

covered with a woven fabric; broad alternate diagonal stripes of the

same dark green and dark brown. Light panels running across the dark

green ceiling linked up with the brown stripes on the walls. The doors

to the eight accommodation units had a metallic silver-bronze finish,

with an orange number on the wall by the top right hand corner. Soft,

blue-sky ballad music oozed out of speaker grilles on the ceiling.

Chisum ushered Steve towards Unit 8, put one of his mysterious cards

into the slot that primed the lock, punched the entry code and stood

back as the door eased back on its hinges. 'Go ahead. It's all

yours."

Steve hesitated, suddenly wary about falling into a trap. 'Are you

sure it's okay?"

'Yeah, no problem. The guy it's allocated to is on detachment up the

line. Friend of mine - a computer engineer. He's sorting out some

problem in one of the relay centres that feeds data to COLUMBUS. He'll

be away for at least another four weeks." Chisum began to backpedal.

'Aren't you coming in?"

'Later. I've just got to, uh - check up on a few things first. Y'know

- smooth out the guys on the desk."

'What about the other people on this floor?" whispered Steve.

'Christo! You're a real nail-nibbler!" muttered Chisum. 'Listen,

provided you don't start knocking holes in the walls, nobody's going to

give a fart. Relax! I've used this place before. The only thing that

makes the people here nervous is guys standing around whispering on the

landing. Now git -I' He propelled Steve through the door.

Steve held on to the handle. 'Where will you be?"

'Around!" hissed Chisum. 'Don't worry! If there's any trouble, I'll

be the first person you'll see." And you don't know how true that is,

he thought. He pulled the door shut in Steve's face.

CHAPTER SEVEN