She handed it to me and returned to her desk. There was just the
slightest suggestion of a rolling movement in her walk, not at all
unpleasant.
When I looked down at the facsimile sheet, the headline screamed
silently up at me. I swiveled my eyes over at the secretary, but
she was working her recordo-writer, her fingers moving rapidly,
mechanically.
The headline read: ALIEN INVADER DISCOVERED! The story that followed
reported that two Security Police guards had intercepted someone who
looked like and was dressed like an Earthman, trying to enter the
Senate at 1109 hours that morning. A discrepancy had been discovered
during the routine ID card check and the imposter had tried to escape.
The guards had opened fire at close range, scoring two direct hits.
While the account was obviously censored, it intimated that a full
report to be released later by Security Police Headquarters would be
almost unbelievable. It hinted that the hideous mess revealed when the
guards' weapons had ripped through the surprisingly soft body armor of
the impostor positively confirmed the fact that the individual was an
enemy alien.
Before I could read any further, there was a muted tone from the
direction of the desk. The secretary acknowledged the signal, spoke
several words which I couldn't hear, then looked at me.