me."
They walked another two hundred yards. Then, when they were within five yards of the door, the Duchess lurched forward, fell to her knees, and began holding and massaging her left ankle.
Dante knelt down beside her, his back to the entrance, his hands shielded from any onlookers by her body.
"What's that?" she asked as she heard a faint beeping.
"Quiet!"
She fell silent, and concentrated on her ankle.
More beeps, and suddenly he looked at her and grinned. "Okay, we can walk through it any time we want."
"You could do that with your pocket computer?" she asked, surprised.
"Well, it's not an ordinary computer. It's been jury-rigged by experts. Well-paid experts, but on days like today I decide they were worth the money."
"Why don't we walk through right now? We could be at the ship in less than a minute."
He shook his head. "If anyone's been watching, your being able to walk or run without a limp will be a dead giveaway."
"So I'll limp."
He looked up and down the force field. "We'll wait until dark."
"But the place is deserted."
"It's too deserted," he said. "I haven't made any more reservations yet. They're all still here. Someone's got to be watching the private ships."
"Why? They're waiting for us to show up for the spaceliner to Far London."
He shook his head. "It's already taken off. Besides, most of them will be there, but the bright ones—and that includes Balsam—will know we'll never show up at the public terminal, and the only other way off the planet is to swipe a ship."
"But there's no one here! Now is the perfect time. We don't have to take off until you want, but they're more likely to search our room than the ship."
"It's too easy," he said, frowning. "I don't see a single guard. Do you?"
"No. That's why—"
"It's wrong," he said. "It's almost as if they're inviting us to try to steal a ship." He helped her to her feet. "Come on, lean on me and limp back to the hotel. I'll start making some more reservations."
"I don't want to," said the Duchess. "You've unlocked the entry, and there's no one around. I say we go to the ship. Even if they know we're there, we can take off before they can do anything about it."
"They'll blow us out of the sky."
"It's owned by Schyler McNeil. Just call the tower and tell them you're McNeil and you've got an emergency back on Goldstrike. They may not believe you, but they'll hesitate about destroying the ship until they find the real McNeil."
Dante studied the area once more, then shook his head. Something felt wrong, and he always listened to his instincts.
"Tonight," he said, still scanning the spaceport. "Now let's go back to the hotel."
She made no reply, so he turned back to her—and found that she was gone.
"Shit!" he muttered, trying and failing to grab her arm as she darted through the entrance and raced toward the private ships.
He didn't know how they would stop her, but he knew in his gut that she'd never make it to McNeil's ship. Then he heard a hideous roar, and he turned to see a huge animal, almost four feet at the shoulder, not canine and not feline but clearly a predator, racing toward the Duchess.
"Get into a ship now!" he yelled, breaking into a run.
The Duchess turned back to him, startled, then saw the creature bearing down on her. It was possible that she couldn't even have made it into the ship she had just passed, but she didn't even try. She screamed and raced toward McNeil's ship, and the animal swerved to run her down.
Dante saw that he couldn't reach her in time, even if he hadn't been carrying the huge manuscript. He
They walked another two hundred yards. Then, when they were within five yards of the door, the Duchess lurched forward, fell to her knees, and began holding and massaging her left ankle.
Dante knelt down beside her, his back to the entrance, his hands shielded from any onlookers by her body.
"What's that?" she asked as she heard a faint beeping.
"Quiet!"
She fell silent, and concentrated on her ankle.
More beeps, and suddenly he looked at her and grinned. "Okay, we can walk through it any time we want."
"You could do that with your pocket computer?" she asked, surprised.
"Well, it's not an ordinary computer. It's been jury-rigged by experts. Well-paid experts, but on days like today I decide they were worth the money."
"Why don't we walk through right now? We could be at the ship in less than a minute."
He shook his head. "If anyone's been watching, your being able to walk or run without a limp will be a dead giveaway."
"So I'll limp."
He looked up and down the force field. "We'll wait until dark."
"But the place is deserted."
"It's too deserted," he said. "I haven't made any more reservations yet. They're all still here. Someone's got to be watching the private ships."
"Why? They're waiting for us to show up for the spaceliner to Far London."
He shook his head. "It's already taken off. Besides, most of them will be there, but the bright ones—and that includes Balsam—will know we'll never show up at the public terminal, and the only other way off the planet is to swipe a ship."
"But there's no one here! Now is the perfect time. We don't have to take off until you want, but they're more likely to search our room than the ship."
"It's too easy," he said, frowning. "I don't see a single guard. Do you?"
"No. That's why—"
"It's wrong," he said. "It's almost as if they're inviting us to try to steal a ship." He helped her to her feet. "Come on, lean on me and limp back to the hotel. I'll start making some more reservations."
"I don't want to," said the Duchess. "You've unlocked the entry, and there's no one around. I say we go to the ship. Even if they know we're there, we can take off before they can do anything about it."
"They'll blow us out of the sky."
"It's owned by Schyler McNeil. Just call the tower and tell them you're McNeil and you've got an emergency back on Goldstrike. They may not believe you, but they'll hesitate about destroying the ship until they find the real McNeil."
Dante studied the area once more, then shook his head. Something felt wrong, and he always listened to his instincts.
"Tonight," he said, still scanning the spaceport. "Now let's go back to the hotel."
She made no reply, so he turned back to her—and found that she was gone.
"Shit!" he muttered, trying and failing to grab her arm as she darted through the entrance and raced toward the private ships.
He didn't know how they would stop her, but he knew in his gut that she'd never make it to McNeil's ship. Then he heard a hideous roar, and he turned to see a huge animal, almost four feet at the shoulder, not canine and not feline but clearly a predator, racing toward the Duchess.
"Get into a ship now!" he yelled, breaking into a run.
The Duchess turned back to him, startled, then saw the creature bearing down on her. It was possible that she couldn't even have made it into the ship she had just passed, but she didn't even try. She screamed and raced toward McNeil's ship, and the animal swerved to run her down.
Dante saw that he couldn't reach her in time, even if he hadn't been carrying the huge manuscript. He
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