cringing subservience when one of the thugs recognized Ron. He nudged the one beside him. "Hey, I know him! He's the one busted up Jack Tundell."
The leader turned to Ron. "Is that right? You the guy busted Tundell's face?"
Ron straightened. "Yeah. I could demonstrate if you kids keep this crap up." He desperately hoped his bluff worked. If not, he was in for a massive beating, and maybe even death. But his eyes never wavered as they met and held the leader's.
He suppressed a sigh of relief as the leader's head dropped. "Ah, we din't mean nothin'."
Seeing an opportunity, Ron asked if they still had Tom's meager supplies. When the leader replied that they did, Ron offered to buy the stuff from them for EarthGov credits. He started at four, and let them talk him up to eight, or two each. Tom hugged the box to his chest as they moved along to cheery goodbyes from the gang. Ron breathed the huge sigh of relief he'd been suppressing.
They were nearing the dorm hatch when Ron heard a woman's scream. Whirling in mid-air, he was just in time to be struck by a body and sent spinning down the corridor. Instinct made him grab onto what he realized was soft, yielding flesh.
He grabbed a passing bunk mount and pulled them to a halt.
The woman was tall, blond and rather thin and small-breasted. That last was easy to tell, because her shipsuit had a huge rip down the front, exposing the body beneath. A pair of glasses were askew on what a quick glance told him seemed to be a rather attractive face.
A gravelly roar came down the corridor. "Come back here, you skinny bitch!"
Ron looked up and saw a man swarming clumsily down the aisle in pursuit of the woman. He wasn't particularly large, but was well-muscled. He was also drunk and stark naked.
When the man saw the woman in Ron's arms, he roared. "Bastard! Tryna steal my woman, huh?" He kicked off from a pipe stanchion, and came sailing at Ron like a missile.
Ron had little time to react. He dodged the man's charge, and grabbed his arm as he flew past, pulling to add momentum and alter the man's course to steer him head-on into the wall.
He grabbed the woman's arm, and shouting, "Let's get out of here!" to the others, he propelled himself toward the dorm hatch. Whether from surprise or respect, no one interfered as the four made their way out.
Ron didn't stop until they had passed several other dorms, and had reached the hatch to the next deck down. Now, of course the hatch was vertical and the lower deck actually alongside their current one. Ron guided the others through the hatch before pausing. They were all gasping.
Ron took the opportunity to examine his latest "catch." He was afraid Raymond and Cesar would be disappointed, but he really didn't see where he'd had a choice – or even a chance to choose.
The woman was, as he'd first thought, a tall, thin blonde. Now that they had stopped, she was busy trying to straighten her glasses. Before being nearly torn from her body, her shipsuit had been zipped primly to her neck. Now, she was squeezing her upper arms to her sides, trying to cover as much of her body as possible while her hands were busy with her glasses.
After a moment, she finished bending the frames into shape, and clutched the torn shipsuit closed as she examined her new companions. She didn't seem especially impressed.
"Hello," Ron said as the silence began to drag. "My name is Ron Creding. This is Tom Abbott, and this is Robert Franks. And you are…?"
"Susan James," she said. She hesitated, and tears began streaming from her eyes. " Doctor Susan James – or I was !" She broke down completely, and the men stood helpless, exchanging uncomfortable looks.
"So, what happened?" Ron asked finally.
"I don't know !" she wailed. "I was having a drink with a colleague in the University Club, and then suddenly I woke up in a Classification Center ! And nobody would listen to me!"
Ron was beginning to understand. "Tell me, Doctor James, has there been a recent
The leader turned to Ron. "Is that right? You the guy busted Tundell's face?"
Ron straightened. "Yeah. I could demonstrate if you kids keep this crap up." He desperately hoped his bluff worked. If not, he was in for a massive beating, and maybe even death. But his eyes never wavered as they met and held the leader's.
He suppressed a sigh of relief as the leader's head dropped. "Ah, we din't mean nothin'."
Seeing an opportunity, Ron asked if they still had Tom's meager supplies. When the leader replied that they did, Ron offered to buy the stuff from them for EarthGov credits. He started at four, and let them talk him up to eight, or two each. Tom hugged the box to his chest as they moved along to cheery goodbyes from the gang. Ron breathed the huge sigh of relief he'd been suppressing.
They were nearing the dorm hatch when Ron heard a woman's scream. Whirling in mid-air, he was just in time to be struck by a body and sent spinning down the corridor. Instinct made him grab onto what he realized was soft, yielding flesh.
He grabbed a passing bunk mount and pulled them to a halt.
The woman was tall, blond and rather thin and small-breasted. That last was easy to tell, because her shipsuit had a huge rip down the front, exposing the body beneath. A pair of glasses were askew on what a quick glance told him seemed to be a rather attractive face.
A gravelly roar came down the corridor. "Come back here, you skinny bitch!"
Ron looked up and saw a man swarming clumsily down the aisle in pursuit of the woman. He wasn't particularly large, but was well-muscled. He was also drunk and stark naked.
When the man saw the woman in Ron's arms, he roared. "Bastard! Tryna steal my woman, huh?" He kicked off from a pipe stanchion, and came sailing at Ron like a missile.
Ron had little time to react. He dodged the man's charge, and grabbed his arm as he flew past, pulling to add momentum and alter the man's course to steer him head-on into the wall.
He grabbed the woman's arm, and shouting, "Let's get out of here!" to the others, he propelled himself toward the dorm hatch. Whether from surprise or respect, no one interfered as the four made their way out.
Ron didn't stop until they had passed several other dorms, and had reached the hatch to the next deck down. Now, of course the hatch was vertical and the lower deck actually alongside their current one. Ron guided the others through the hatch before pausing. They were all gasping.
Ron took the opportunity to examine his latest "catch." He was afraid Raymond and Cesar would be disappointed, but he really didn't see where he'd had a choice – or even a chance to choose.
The woman was, as he'd first thought, a tall, thin blonde. Now that they had stopped, she was busy trying to straighten her glasses. Before being nearly torn from her body, her shipsuit had been zipped primly to her neck. Now, she was squeezing her upper arms to her sides, trying to cover as much of her body as possible while her hands were busy with her glasses.
After a moment, she finished bending the frames into shape, and clutched the torn shipsuit closed as she examined her new companions. She didn't seem especially impressed.
"Hello," Ron said as the silence began to drag. "My name is Ron Creding. This is Tom Abbott, and this is Robert Franks. And you are…?"
"Susan James," she said. She hesitated, and tears began streaming from her eyes. " Doctor Susan James – or I was !" She broke down completely, and the men stood helpless, exchanging uncomfortable looks.
"So, what happened?" Ron asked finally.
"I don't know !" she wailed. "I was having a drink with a colleague in the University Club, and then suddenly I woke up in a Classification Center ! And nobody would listen to me!"
Ron was beginning to understand. "Tell me, Doctor James, has there been a recent
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