Retief pulled the car to a halt two hundred yards from the periphery
of a loose crowd of brown-uniformed men who stood in groups scattered
across a broad plaza, overflowing into a stretch of manicured lawn
before the bare, functional facade of sub-station number Nine. In the
midst of the besieging mob, Sozier's red face and bald head bobbed as
he harangued a cluster of green-uniformed men from his place in the
rear of a long open car.
"What's it all about, Jake?" Retief enquired. "Since the parasites have
all left peacefully, I'm having a hard time figuring out who'd be holed
up in the pumping station--and why. Maybe they haven't gotten the word
that it's all going to be fun and games from now on."
"If the corporal sees you over here--"
"Ah, the good corporal. Glad you mentioned him, Jake. He's the man to
see." Retief stepped out of the car and started through the crowd. A
heavy lorry loaded with an immense tank with the letter H blazoned on
its side trundled into the square from a side street, moved up to a
position before the building. A smaller car pulled alongside Sozier's
limousine. The driver stepped down, handed something to Sozier. A
moment later, Sozier's amplified voice boomed across the crowd.
"You in there, Corasol! This is General Sozier, and I'm warning you to
come out now or you and your smart friends are in for a big surprise.
You think I won't blast you out because I don't want to wreck the
planet. You see the tank aboard the lorry that just pulled up? It's
full of gas--and I got plenty of hoses out here to pump it inside with.
I'll put men on the roof and squirt it in the ventilators."
Sozier's voice echoed and died. The militiamen eyed the station.
Nothing happened.
"I know you can hear me, damn you!" Sozier squalled. "You'd better get
the doors open and get out here fast!"
Retief stepped to Sozier's side. "Say, Corporal, I didn't know you went
in for practical jokes."
Sozier jerked around to gape at Retief.
"What are you doing here!" he burst out. "I told Jake--where is that--"
"Jake didn't like the questions I was asking," Retief said, "so he
marched me up here to report to you."
"Jake, you damn fool!" Sozier roared. "I got a good mind--"
* * * * *
"I disagree, Sozier," Retief cut in. "I think you're a complete
imbecile. Sitting out here in the open yelling at the top of your
lungs, for example. Corasol and his party might get annoyed and spray
that fancy car you've swiped with something a lot more painful than
words."
"Eh?" Sozier's head whipped around to stare at the building.
"Isn't that a gun I see sticking out?"