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know how much destructive force even a single kiloton contains!"
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When they got to the dormitory, Lou sent Kori up to get Bonnie He didn't want to talk inside of any
building Too easy to plant electronic bugs indoors As he stood by the dormitory entrance, Lou got the
feeling he was being watchedNerves, he told himself But he knew that if he were in Marcus' place, he'd
have guards out watching the troublemakersAnd we're going to make enough trouble to slide this
island into the sea, if we have to, Lou thought unsmilmgly
They ate a quick dinner in the cafeteria and then walked out to the beach Walking ankle-deep through
the warm-lapping waves with the surf booming on the reef a kilometer out, they talked over their plans as
the dying red sun stretched their shadows fantastically before them
"I'll need at least two days to round up the proper equipment " Kori was saying
"Make it one day," I ou answered over the roar of the surf "Big George doesn't have two days to spare "
Kori glanced at Bonnie, then looked at Lou "We want to do this right If we ru)>h, something might
"One day," Lou said flatly
Shrugging, Kori agreed "All right One day "
"Where can we plant the bomb without setting off all the others?" Bonnie asked
"That's why I wanted the extra day," Kori said, "to find the best location Probably the best thing to do is
to bury it in the beach sand across the island from the storage caves That ought to be safe enough "
"Will it make a big enough explosion for a satellite to see if you bury it?" Lou asked
Kori laughed "Have no fear A few feet of sand isn't goingto smother one of my toys "
"Okay "
"I'll need two things," Kori said, more seriously "A car to carry equipment and everything, and a
diversion so I can get into the storage caves and do what I must do without being stopped by the guards
"
"What about the guards at the caves?" Lou asked
"There's usually only one I think I can handle him easily enough "
"You're sure?"
Kori drew himself up to full height He towered several inches over Lou, but he still looked spindly "My
friend, I was a national fencing champion five years ago f still keep in good shape Besides that, I'm
sneaky I'll ask the guard to help me carry some equipment and then hit him when his hands are full and
his back turned "
Laughing, Bonnie said, "My hero "
"Never mind," Lou said "Heroics are exactly what we don't need We need good, sneaky, practical
action that works I don't want to win any moral victory, we'll all end up dead that way "
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Kori nodded
"Okay," Lou continued, "so you need a car and a diversion We'll figure that out, shouldn't be too tough a
problem But the big question is, how do we protect Bonnie?"
"She's got to disappear," Kori said
"Great How do we do it?"
Silence
They walked slowly under the purpling sky A surge of sea curled around their ankles, then ebbed away
A lone gull glided low over the waves, calling sadly as if looking for long-vanished friends
Finally Bonnie said, "Big George! I could stay in his compound for a day or so. There are plenty of trees
and bushes to hide in and the guards never go in there."
"With the gorilla?" It was too dark to see Kori's face, but his voice sounded aghast.
"We're friends," Bonnie said. "We've known each other since George was born."
"He wouldn't hurt her," Lou agreed. "Or anybody else, for that matter. Trouble is, he'd want you to play
with him. You wouldn't be able to stay hidden. He'd give you away."
"No, not if I explained it to him."
Kori shook his head. "I know you think a lot of that animal, and his intelligence has been boosted. But I
wouldn't plan to stay inside that fence with him for ten minutes, let alone twelve hours or more."
"Oh, you've seen too many movies," Bonnie said. "George wouldn't hurt anybody."
They went on talking, planning, arguing until- it was completely dark. The stars filled the night and the
shimmering band of the Milky Way arched across the sky, bright and becKoriing.
"Look up there!" Kori said.
In the darkness they could see his shadowy outline pointing skyward. Looking up, Lou saw one star
moving silently, purposefully through the heavens, as if it had detached itself from its normal position to
carry out some mission.
"Is that one of the satellites?" Bonnie's voice floated through the dark against thebasso background of
the surf.
Kori glanced at his luminescent wristwatch. "Yes. And right on schedule."
"Thank God," said Lou.
Lou didn't sleep much that night, and the next day at the computer building he hardly paid any attention
to his work. He went through the motions, but his mind was racing, thinking about all that had to be done
that night. Get the car for Kori, get Bonnie into hiding, create a diversion that will draw off the guards
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long enough for Kori to work unnoticed.
Toward the end of the afternoon, Lou couldn't stay cooped
up in the control room any longer. He stepped outside and took a deep breath of warm, salt-smelling air.
Then the quiet afternoon was shattered by the tortured scream of an animal. A scream of rage and pain
and fear.
"George!"
17
Lou ran to the gorilla's compound He got there in time to see two of the biochemists carrying a third
through the gate Big George was nowhere in sight A half-dozen guards were clustered around the gate
and more were arriving on the run, guns drawn
"What happened?" Lou shouted
They ignored him A pair of guards took the unconscious biochemist from his co-workers His face was
bloody and one arm was hanging at a weird angle
Lou grabbed one of the sweating biochemists
"What happened' What did you do?"
The little Oriental looked up at Lou with fear and anger in his eyes In a nasal, heavily-accented English
he said, "Ape got frightened by injections Anesthetic wore off Restraints not strong enough Ape broke [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]