"I think that's the term," said Karson. "Lugert's a throwback--a man
out of the past. A man out of your time, suddenly reborn in our era
for God knows what reason. He's cold and hard and utterly ruthless.
Nothing stops him; we're powerless. The compulsion against violence is
too strong in us."
"Just a bunch of patsies," Jack said. "Lugert snaps the whip and you
all lie down and play dead when he says so. That it?"
It took Karson a few moments to digest the strange idioms. Finally he
said, "Right. He began small, with petty thefts and burglaries--he
took anything he wanted. Then he began branching out. He compelled a
scientist to create a serum for him that would instill absolute loyalty
to him in anyone who took it; using that serum, he's built up a band of
henchmen who shares his violent ways. Two days ago he decided to make
the ultimate grab for power: he ordered us to evacuate the Government
Building and let him take over."
"And you said yes," Jack remarked.
"What else could we do? But we have a weapon: you. You share Lugert's
way of life; we don't. We can strike at him indirectly, through you."
"You want me to kill this Lugert. What's in it for me?"
"What?"
"I said, what's in it for me? What do I get out of it besides the risk
of a punctured hide? I don't do these things for my health, Karson."
Karson thought about that for a moment. "Of course; there would have
to be some reward, wouldn't there? Well, what would you want? We can
supply virtually anything, if you'll do the job properly. Osmiridium?
Sapphires? Books? Women?"
The man named Jack shook his head. "Gold," he said.
Karson was startled. "Gold? But why would you want--oh, very well.
Gold was the reigning object of value in your day, wasn't it? Would 25
pounds be enough?"
The man from the past smiled unwarmly. "Quite enough," he said. "You
got yourself a deal."
* * * * *
The man named Jack cautiously approached the big building that served
as headquarters for Lugert until the time when he would move into the
sprawling area of the Government Building.
Jack wore modern clothes; his own shabby ancient ones were carefully
stored away in a laboratory closet. His hair was close-cropped in the
current fashion.
But inside his skull was the mind of a 20th-century man. And hidden in
the folds of his vest was a 20th-century automatic, a snubnosed .38
ready to spit death.
The day was 5 September 2531; he had been in this strange world of the
future three days and if all went well he would return to his own time
today. He had spent the three days studying the approach to Lugert's
headquarters, familiarizing himself with the layout, readying himself
for the killing that had to be done.
He was thinking, _Funny old duck, that Karson. They all are. Imagine,
letting someone like Lugert push them all over the place because all
the fight's been bred out of them!_
Well, in 600 years a lot could happen. He shrugged. It wasn't his
business to worry about the doings of his remote descendants.
His business was to kill.
He knew that Lugert's personal suite was on the eighth floor of the
building, that he was guarded by one man outside the door, one at the
elevator entrance, and several in the lobby. He didn't have to worry
about the ones in the lobby. He didn't really have to worry about any
of them on the way in: they wouldn't be expecting anyone dangerous. The
only dangerous people in this world were Lugert and his henchmen and
they'd probably be off-guard when he came by.
His forearm itched where Lorence had inserted the sliver of metal. The
old scientist had been very apologetic.
"I'm sorry, Jack, but we have to do this. We can't risk having another
Lugert. This is to make sure you don't get delusions of power once
you've finished off Lugert."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean we can control you hypnotically through this generator I'm
embedding in your arm. Just in case you decide not to go back to your
own time when you're through here."
"Don't worry. I wouldn't want to run this place."
But he couldn't blame them for being cautious. Not at all. They'd be
even more helpless before him than they would be under Lugert, after
all.
He drew near the big building. The guard in front said, "Who are you,
and where are you going?"
Jack made his voice as subservient-sounding as he could. He said, "I'm
from Speaker Karson. I'd like to see Lugert."