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remembered as the boot caught him in the head again and he roared down into
painfilled darkness.
Four
"Some they killed," Debhu said, holding the wet cloth to the side of Jan's
head, "but only if they fought too hard and it was dangerous to capture them.
They wanted prisoners. The rest of us were outnumbered, clubbed down. Does
that feel any better?"
"Feels like my skull is crumbling inside."
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"No, it's just bruising. They've sewn up the cuts. No broken ribs, the doctor
said.
They want us in good shape for public display when we get to Earth. They can't
have taken many prisoners before they captured us. It hasn't been that kind of
a war." He hesitated a second, then spoke more quietly. "Do you have a record?
I mean, is there any reason they would like to know who you were, to identify
you?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"I've never been to Earth, or in direct contact with earthies before. They may
have records on me, I can't be sure. But they took retinal photographs of us
all. You too, while you were unconscious."
Jan nodded~ then closed his eyes briefly at the pain that followed the
movement.
"I think they will be very happy when they identify me," he said. "I doubt if
I will be."
The pattern made by the small blood vessels inside the eye is far more
individual than any fingerprint. It can be neither forged nor altered.
Everyone on Earth had this pattern recorded at birth and at regular intervals
thereafter. Given a retinal print a computer could sort through these billions
of photographs in a few moments.
They would come up with his. Along with his identity and his criminal record.
They would be very glad to discover these interesting facts.
"Not that it's worth worrying about anyway," Debhu said, leaning back against
the metal wall of their prison. "We're all for the knackers in any case.
Probably a show trial first to entertain the proles. Then-who knows what.
Nothing~good I'm sure. An easy death is the best we can hope for."
"No it's not," Jan said, ignoring the pain, forcing himself to sit up. "We are
going to have to escape."
Debhu smiled sympathetically. "Yes. 1 suppose we ought to."
"Don't patronize me," Jan said angrly. "I know what I'm saying. I'm from
Earth, Page 197
Harrison, Harry - To the Stars Trilogy.txt which is more than anyone else in
this room can say. I know how these people think and work. We're dead anyway
so we have nothing to lose by trying."
"If we break out of here we have no way of taking over the ship. Not from
armed men."
"That's the answer then. We don't do a thing now. We wait until we've landed.
There will be guards of course, but the rest of the crew will be at their
stations. We won't have to take over the ship. Just get away from it."
"Simple enough." Debhu smiled. "I'm with you so far. Now do you have any
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suggestions how we get out of this locked cell?"
"Plenty. I want you to move around quietly among the others. I want everything
they have. Watches, tools, coins, anything. Whatever they were left with. When
I see what they have I'll tell you how we are going to get out of here."
Jan did not want to explain, to give them any false hopes. He rested and drank
some water, looking around the bare metal room in which they had been
imprisoned.
There were some thin matresses scattered about on the hard plastic floor, a
sink and toilet unit secured to one wall. A single barred door was set into
the opposite wall. No spying devices were visible, but that did not
necessarily mean that they weren't there. He would take what precautions he
could, hoping that their captors'
surveillance would be a casual one.
"How do they feed us?" Jan asked as i)ebhu dropped down beside him.
"They pass the food through that slide in the door. Thin disposable dishes,
like that cup you have there. Nothing we can use for weapons.
"I wasn't thinking of that. What's beyond the door?"
"Short length of hall. Then another locked door. Both doors are never opened
at the same time."
"Better and better. Is there a guard in that short stretch of hall?"
"Not that I've ever seen. No need for it. We'ye got some things for you from
the men...
"Don't show me yet. Just tell me."
"Junk for the most part. Coins, keys, a nail clipper, a small computer
"That's the best news yet. Any watches?"
"No. They took them away. The computer was an accident. Built into a pendant
the man wore around his neck. Now can you tell me what this is all about?"
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"It's about getting out of here. I think we'll have en6ugh to build what I
need.
Microelectronic circuitry. That's my field~~r it was until they arrested me.
Do the lights ever go out in here?"
"Not yet they haven't."
"Then we'll do it the bard way. I'll want all of the stuff you have collected.
I'll pass back anything I can't use. If they are taking us to Earth-how long
will the trip take?"
'About two weeks subjective time. Half again as much in spatial time."
"Good. I'll go slow and get it right."
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The lights were never turned off or lowered. Jan doubted if the prisoners were
being watched more than casually-he had to believe that or there was no point
in his even making an attempt at escape. He had sorted through the items in
his pockets by touch and separated~~out thc keys. Then, after he had lain
down, he spread theiti out on tbe fi~~or in the shelter of his body and that
of the rnan be~e him. They were small plastic tubes, in diff~ent 60lors, w~h a
'ring at one end. To unlock a door they were simply inserted in 'the hole in
the face of the lock' mechanism. Th~ were so commonplace and ubiqui~ people
were so used to them that they nev~r stopped ~think a~~~ut~tbe mechanism
inside. Surely most people ~obably itever even realized that there ~as
anything contained withiri the apparently solid plastic.
Jan knew that there was a complex mechanism sealed inside the ~ubes. A
microwave receiver, a microchip processor and a' tiny battery. ~When the key [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]