[Magazine 1967-­10] - The Mind-­Sweeper Affair - Davis Robert Hart. Страница 17

Before Rand could answer through his smile, the two men stopped talking as two waiters in white smocks entered. The three guards still in the room stepped to the waiters and took the trays. Rand and Danton did not even glance at the waiters. They were too intent on watching each other in their strange and deadly game with the malignant machine hovering over the whole vast and shadowed warehouse room.

The two guards carried the trays to the desk. Rand glanced at the trays.

"Ah, here is our food and drink. Sandwich?"

"I'm not hungry," Danton snapped. "What about it, Rand? One billion. A fair offer."

"A drink, then?" Rand said.

"Scotch, no ice," Danton said. "I want an answer."

Rand busied himself making the two drinks. The guards went away at a small wave of his hand. The two waiters seemed to have left. Rand handed a drink to Danton, leaned back and began to munch on a sandwich.

"I'm sure you want an answer," Rand said. "But there is much I have to consider. I have other offers, you know."

"None to match ours. I know that, too."

"Perhaps, but there is still the idea of going into the spy business ourselves," Rand said. "You know, the interest you and U.N.C.L.E. and Interpol have shown is most illuminating. I am beginning to think that the greatest rewards of money and power lie in using the machine ourselves."

"We'd break you!" Danton said angrily.

"Would you now?" Rand said. "I suppose you would."

"Don't even think about it, believe me," Danton. said. "Now I've made a firm offer. One billion for it all. Take it or leave it."

Suddenly Rand began to laugh. The slender, grey-haired man shook with laughter, and tears streamed down his cheeks. He reached up and mopped at his eyes. He looked straight at Danton. The THRUSH chief watched Rand with a confused expression on his face.

"No deal," Rand laughed. "You don't really think I would trust THRUSH, do you? My dear Danton, you are no better than U.N.C.L.E. You are also playing for time. You have no intention of making a deal. Once I agreed, you would bring your army and take my Mind-Sweeper. I am not a fool!"

Danton protested. "I assure you—"

"Stop it, Danton! I know THRUSH. You would never honor such a deal. But I wanted to see how high you would suggest. It gives me a good estimate of the real power of my little beauty. No, I will not deal with you. I will operate myself. I have the first really big piece of data to sell already, the outer-space defense system of the United States. I believe I know where I can sell that for ten million alone."

"Why, you stupid—" Danton exploded.

Rand waved a peremptory hand toward the three guards. They came running, guns at ready.

"Take Mr. Danton away," Rand snapped.

Danton paled. "You'll regret this, Rand!"

Rand looked at him coldly. "Not as much as you will. Take him to a cell with his friends. We will shoot them later! Perhaps THRUSH will pay for him."

Protesting, Danton was led toward the door. The guards handled him roughly. Two of them took him out. The third guard remained in the room. Rand sat at his desk, lost in thought. His eyes wandered toward the Mind- Sweeper machine, and he began to smile.

In the corridor outside the warehouse there was sudden noise. Men were running. The door burst open and three guards came in. Rand turned abruptly to face them.

"They escaped!" one of the guards cried.

Rand snapped, "Who escaped, you fool? Danton?"

"No, the two U.N.C.L.E. men. They're gone. We went to relieve the guards and we found them, the guards, locked in the room! The U.N.C.L.E. men overpowered them!"

Rand blinked. "Overpowered? Two against four with guns!? Do I have nothing but idiots here?"

The guards reddened. Rand watched them.

"No sign of them?"

"No, sir."

Rand nodded. "All right. They probably went out one of the loading ramps. Find them! They can't have gone far. Search the factory, just in case, and then search the countryside."

"Yes sir."

"Wait!" Rand said as the guards all turned to go. "In case they have escaped, institute Plan F. Immediately. We have no more reason to stay here anyway. You understand? Plan F. And notify Dr. Heimat below."

"Yes sir. Plan F. At once."

The guards all turned and ran from the room. Rand sat in the silence that descended and frowned. He looked again at his Mind-Sweeper machine. That made him smile again. He stared at the machine like a father looking at a beautiful daughter.

"So, now we are about ready, my beauty," the slender, grey-haired man said out loud. "We will make history, you and I, eh? Heimat has you almost perfected; you will soon have brothers and sisters." Rand laughed a high, in sane laugh. "Yes, you and I will have power. Power and wealth. Who knows how far we will take each other?"

"Not too far, Rand," a voice said.

Rand whirled, his made eyes searching the shadows of the room.

Then he saw the figure in the white smock. There was a gun in the man's hand, and it was trained on Rand. The man stepped out of the shadows.

"Solo!" Rand breathed.

THREE

NAPOLEON SOLO smiled as he moved slowly and carefully toward the slender, grey-haired electronics man.

Solo and Illya had never left the room, but had blended into the shadows and had overheard the last part of the talk between Rand and Danton. They had lurked, waited, until Rand was alone in the room. Now Solo stepped out with his gun ready.

"Don't try anything, Rand," Solo said quietly.

Rand stared at the gun. "I have no desire to die, Mr. Solo. But what do you think you can do? My men have this place locked up. You can't escape."

"Neither can you," Solo said.

Rand did not flinch. "You plan to kill me?"

"If we have to."

"And destroy the machine?"

Solo nodded grimly. "And destroy the machine."

"You'll never survive," Rand said coldly.

"Maybe not, but you and the machine will go first."

Rand sneered. "What good will that do you? My men will still be here. Dr. Heimat will duplicate the machine. Don't be a fool, Solo. Destroy the machine and me and you throw away a fortune. You throw away the power to rule the world! Think of it!"

"I'm thinking of it," Solo said.

"Then join us! That's an offer. Leave U.N.C.L.E. and join with me. I can use your brains. Danton is right about one thing—there'll be a big risk, and I'll need an organization. You can be chief of our security organization. Think of it, Solo! Infinite money! Infinite power! Control of all the minds!"

"I can sometimes barely control my own mind," Solo said quietly. "Now, if you want to get out alive, I think you better call Dr. Heimat and get him up here."

Rand laughed. "Don't be a fool. You'll get nothing from me! You can't escape!"

"Illya," Solo said.

Rand blinked. He watched Solo and saw that the agent was looking over his own, Rand's, shoulder as he spoke. Rand turned to look behind him. His tanned face went bloodless.

Illya Kuryakin stood at the Mind-Sweeper machine. The small blond agent had his hands on switches. Kevin Rand tried to bluster.

"What do you think to do with the machine, Kuryakin?"

"Use it," Illya said quietly.

Rand sneered. "You think that you—"