[The Girl From UNCLE 03] - The Golden Boats of Taradata Affair - Latter Simon. Страница 27

Mark pointed. "Do you recognize the type of window?"

"They appear to be double-glazed — and the glass is slightly opaque. Why?"

"They're sona windows — a new sound-proofing process. No wonder they can't hear anything! The door's over that side." He drew his gun. "Shall we go straight in?"

Kazan's voice came urgently: "We can see you, but we're in a trap — armed guards on each side of us. They don't look too expert with their guns. We are keeping dart guns palmed. Will shoot our way out. Go on to your objective. Over and out."

Light from the windows prevented April and Mark seeing beyond the building to where Kazan and Lars were, below the black hump of Taramao Point.

"If we move to assist, they'll see us before we see them," said Mark.

"We go in," said April, drawing her gun. "We might need hostages."

They ran forward, aiming for the door and crossing diagonally past the front of the building.

Suddenly the earth blew up in their faces. Pressure waves slammed their ears, sickening pain filled their stomachs.

"Oh, Gawd!" Mark thought in these speeding seconds. "We've been booby-trapped! Sorry, April, old dear!" Then the dark mist swam down over him — down into earth-warm silence.

April thought: "Oh, hell! A trap! Sorry, Mark, I let you down. I should've known it was too easy!" She didn't feel her face hit the earth.

There were six guards in the large cave near the end of the sloping exit. Hiho jabbered softly.

"Four are our brothers who have become our enemies. We will slay them."

"Quit — you bloodthirsty little man!" said Randy. "They've got guns. We don't want you to suffer any more." He looked at Sama Paru. "Fun ploy?"

Sama nodded. "You think you're quick enough?"

Randy grinned. "Now's my chance to find out."

"Go," said Sama. "I cover. Keep to the left wall."

Randy trod to the cave. The six men squatted around a low table, eating from bowls. Three guns rested against the table. Three whips against the wall.

"Good evening," said Randy. "Can you direct me to the Eiffel Tower, please?"

Six startled faces lifted. Twelve eyes glared with amazed fright. Three hands snatched the guns. Randy fired from the hip. Two guards slid to the table. The third fired as Sama fired. Then a press of little men bowled past Randy, led by Hiho. Shovels clanged and whips slashed. Sama cried: "Enough! Out — all of you, out!"

Randy marshalled them clear as Sama ripped the cover off the power-circuit box. He picked up a rifle, crashed the wooden butt into the switches. Brilliant sparks, followed by an orange glow, filled the cave.

They went on down, seeing moonlight flaring in the opening, and emerged on a plateau above a window-lighted building, to see Kazan and Lars standing between two groups of islanders. All seemed frozen to the ground. A small dust cloud was puttering up from the far side of the building. Beyond it, a long house erupted in a succession of explosions.

Then little Hiho and his mates came swarming out. The islanders on each side of Kazan and Lars saw them and pelted away into the darkness. Hiho and his men split into two groups and, yelling like banshees, waving shovels, raced after them.

"You see!" Lucy Padrack gloated. "My safety line against the natives was worth the money, after all. You're such a fool, Simon. A mean fool, at that. Too expensive, you said. Well, look what we've caught!"

April Dancer, huddled in dizzy-sick ache, heard the lovely vibrant voice and tried not to sneeze as dusty earth tickled her nostrils. She was lying on a hard, cool surface. Inside? Must be. She kept her eyes closed.

"And what have we caught?" said Simon Padrack. "Two young fools from the ship, snooping around. How did they get past the guards?"

Dr. Lodori raised from stooping over Mark Slate.

"You blithering fools! You imbeciles! This man is an U.N.C.L.E. agent. I thought you told me you'd got rid of that agent in the crew?"

"We did," said Padrack. "He escaped, and he certainly didn't come back to the ship. That is not the man."

Cheval came in. Surveyed the scene.

"I warned you, Lodori — and you too, Padrack," he said. "I will not be a party to violence while I am here."

"Oh no!" Lucy sneered. "But you agreed to trick that little slut into taking a ride into the hills."

"Only because you believed she was a too-curious writer, and you assured me that she would be held up only long enough for her to miss the boat. Today, you tell me that your men aboard the ship are under arrest for mutiny and the murder of your colleague, Maleski. I do not like the way things are happening. I do not like it at all. My work is more important than such absurdities."

"It is nothing, Andre," said Lodori soothingly. "Some misunderstandings, that is all. But you must not be too squeamish, my friend. Our secret work has to be protected, and that means your work too. Leave us to deal with this foolishness and go on with your tests."

"They are finished," said Cheval. He smiled at Lodori. "You are a very clever man, George."

"Positive?" Lodori cried excitedly. "You found every test positive? Ah, mon vieux, that is wonderful — wonderful! The climax of my years of work!"

"You deserve your success," said Cheval. "I have signed the test sheets and the analysis records. I will write my report tomorrow. You can be very proud."

"Success? Wonderful? Proud?" Lucy said furiously. "And what about us? Didn't we make it possible? Didn't we believe in his crack-brained idea and hock ourselves to the hilt before we got the backing? Didn't we organize all this? You couldn't have done it without us."

"Lucy is right," said her husband. "But I would remind you all that this success to which we all have contributed is empty and worthless without the organization that made all else possible."

"That is true," said Cheval. "I congratulated you on their behalf because your success is theirs, my dear George. No one man is bigger than that cause for which we all work."

"No!" Lodori shouted. "No, no, no! I will not have it. This is mine, mine! I shall take the papers and..." He began to run to the doorway leading to the laboratory.

"Yes," said Cheval quietly.

Simon Padrack shot Lodori twice in the back.

"A pity," said Cheval. "Poor George spent too long alone on his little island. He forgot there is a world to conquer out there."

Another gun spat once. Simon Padrack's gun dropped as blood spurted from his wrist.

"Just stay very still," said April Dancer.

"Hullo, darling!" said Mark Slate from the opposite corner. "Had a good sleep? Aha, naughty!" He slashed Cheval across the back of the neck.

Cheval staggered back into the room.

Mark looked at him. "You said 'yes' to a man's murder as if you were ordering another drink. And your eyes enjoyed it."

"So you saw it?" said April.

"Full view," said Mark. "As Chas would say: we've got a nice bunch here."

Lucy Padrack cried: "My husband will bleed to death! I must get a dressing." She moved fast and had the parasol in her hand before April could turn without coming between Mark and the two men. Mark couldn't fire for fear of hitting April.

The stiletto clicked out, slashing viciously. It sliced across April's upper arms, severing cloth, missing her eyes by inches. She could have shot to kill, but could not bring herself to do it. Even on an S.F.D., and following the selective-kill code, she hadn't the nature for actual cold killing. She snapped one shot, aiming to wound, but Lucy's arms were waving too fast as April herself ducked the blade.