"Planet? Oh, _that_ Mars. Sure, I've heard of it--you gotta go by
spaceship. What's your name?"
"Gerri Kin. Look, Lane, holding me is no good. It'll just get you in
worse trouble. What are you trying to do?"
"I wanna see the Mayor. Me and my buddies, we just come back from
fighting in Chi, Gerri. We won. They got a new Mayor out there in Chi.
He takes orders from Newyork."
Gerri Kin said, "That's what the force-domes did. The perfect defense.
But also the road to the return to city-states. Anarchy."
Lane said, "Yeah? Well, we done what they wanted us to do. We did the
fighting for them. So we come back home to Newyork and they lock us up
in the Armory. Won't pay us. Won't let us go nowhere. They had cops
guarding us. City cops." Lane sneered. "I busted out. I wanna see the
Mayor and find out why we can't have time off. I don't play games,
Gerri. I go right to the top."
Lane broke off. There was a hum outside the window. He whirled and
stared out. The rounded black hulls of the two police paragrav-boats
were nosing toward the force-screen. Lane could read the white numbers
painted on their bows.
A loudspeaker shouted into the room: "Come out of there, Lane, or we'll
blast you out."
"You can't," Lane called. "This girl from Mars is here."
"I repeat, Lane--come out or we'll blast you out."