FULL CIRCLE
Hendrix had been wounded lightly, and was out when Gordon and Izzy
reported. But the next day, they were switched to a new beat where
trouble had been thickest and given twelve-hour duty--without special
overtime.
Izzy considered it slowly and shook his head. "That does it, gov'nor. It
ain't honest, treating us this way. If the crackle comes from the
people, and these gees give everybody a skull cracking, then they're
crooks. It ain't honest, and I'm too sick to work. And if that bloody
doctor won't agree..."
He turned toward the dispensary. Gordon hesitated, and then swung off
woodenly to take up his new beat. Apparently, his reputation had gone
ahead of him, since most of the hoodlums had decided pickings would be
easier on some beat where the cops had their own secret rackets to
attend to, instead of head busting. But once they learned he was
alone...
But the second day, two of the citizens fell into step behind him almost
at once, armed with heavy clubs. Periodically during the shift,
replacements took their place, making sure that he was never by himself.
It surprised him even more when he saw that a couple of the men had come
over from his old beat. Something began to burn inside him, but he held
himself in, confining his talk to vague comments on the rumors going
around.
There were enough of them, mostly based on truth. Part of Jurgens' old
crowd had broken away from him and established a corner on most of the
drugs available; they had secretly traded a supply to Wayne, who had
become an addict, for a stock of weapons.
Gordon remembered the contraband shipment of guns, and compared it to
the increase he'd noticed in weapons, and to the impossible prices the
pushers were demanding. It made sense.
All kinds of supplies were low, and the outlands beyond Marsport had cut
off all shipments. Scrip was useless to them, and the Legals were
raiding all cargoes destined for Wayne's section. And the Municipals had
imposed new taxes again.
He came back from what should have been his day off to find Izzy in
uniform, waiting grimly. Behind the screen, there was a rustling of
clothes, and a dress came sailing from behind it. While he stared,
Sheila came out, finishing the zipping of her airsuit. She moved to a
small bag and began drawing out the gun she had used and a knife. He
caught her shoulders and shoved her back, pulling the weapons from her.
"Get out of my way, you damned Legal machine!" she spat.
"Easy, princess," Izzy said. "He hasn't seen it yet, I guess. Here,
gov'nor!"
He picked up a copy of Randolph's new little _Truth_ and pointed to the
headline: SECURITY DENOUNCES RAPE OF MARSPORT!
The story was somewhat cooler than that, but not much. Randolph simply
quoted what was supposed to be an official cable from Security on Earth,
denouncing both governments and demanding that both immediately
surrender. It listed the crimes of Wayne, then tore into the Legals as a
bunch of dupes, sent by North America to foment trouble while they
looted the city, and to give the Earth government an excuse for seizing
military control of Marsport officially. Citizens were instructed not to
co-operate; all members of either government were indicted for high
treason to Security!
He crushed the paper slowly, tearing it to bits with his clenched hands;
he'd swallowed the implication that the Legals _were_ Security...
Then it hit him slowly, and he looked up. "Where's Randolph?"
"At his plant. At least he left for it, according to Sheila."
Gordon picked up Sheila's gun and buckled it on beside his own. She
grabbed at it, but he shoved her back again. "You're staying here,
Cuddles. You're supposed to be a woman now, remember!"
She was swearing hotly as they left, but made no attempt to follow.
Gordon broke into a slow trot behind Izzy, until they could spot one of
the few remaining cabs. He stopped it with his whistle, and dumped the
passenger out unceremoniously, while Izzy gave the address.
"The damned fool opened up on the border--figured he'd circulate to both
sections," Izzy said. "We'd better get out a block up and walk. And I
hope we ain't _too_ bloody late!"
The building was a wreck, outside; inside it was worse. Men in the
Municipal uniform were working over the small job press and dumping the
hand-set type from the boxes. On the floor, a single Legal cop lay under
the wreckage, apparently having gotten there first and been taken care
of by the later Municipals. Randolph had been sitting in a chair between
two of the cops, but now he leaped up and tried to flee through the back
door.
Izzy started forward, but Gordon pulled him back, as the cops reached
for their weapons. The gun in his hand picked them out at quarters too
close for a miss, starting with the cop who had jumped to catch
Randolph. Izzy had ducked around the side, and now came back, leading
the little man.
Randolph paid no attention to the dead men, nor to the bruises on his
own body. He moved forward to the press, staring at it, and there were
tears in his eyes as he ran his hands over the broken metal. Then he
looked up at them. "Arrest or rescue?" he asked.
"Arrest!" a voice from the door said harshly, and Bruce Gordon swung to
see six Legals filing in, headed by Hendrix himself. The captain nodded
at Gordon. "Good work, Sergeant. By jinx, when I heard the Municipals
were coming, I was scared they'd get him for sure. Crane wants to watch
this guy shot in person!"
He grabbed Randolph by the arm.
"You're overlooking something, Hendrix," Gordon cut in. He had moved
back toward the wall, to face the group. "If you ever look at my record,
you'll find I'm an ex-newspaperman myself. This is a rescue. Tie them
up, Izzy."
Hendrix was faster than Gordon had thought. He had his gun almost up
before Gordon could fire. A bluish hole appeared on the man's forehead;
he dropped slowly. The others made no trouble as Izzy bound them with
baling wire.
"And I hope nobody finds them," he commented. "All right, Randy, I guess
we're a bunch of refugees heading for the outside, and bloody lucky at
that. Proves a man shouldn't have friends."
Randolph's face was still greenish-white, but he straightened and
managed a feeble smile. "Not to me, Izzy. Right now I can appreciate
friends. But you two better get going. I've got some unfinished business
to tend to." He moved to one corner and began dragging out an old
double-cylinder mimeograph. "Either of you know where I can buy stencils
and ink and find some kind of a truck to haul this paper along?"
Izzy stopped and stared at the rabbity, pale little man. Then he let out
a sudden yelp of laughter. "Okay, Randy, we'll find them. Gov'nor, you'd
better tell my mother I'll be using the old sheets. Go on. You've got
the princess to worry about. We'll be along later."
He grabbed Randolph's hand and ducked out the back before Gordon could
protest.
Izzy could only have meant that they were going to hole up in Mother
Corey's old Chicken Coop. Bruce Gordon had now managed to make a full
circle, back to his beginnings on Mars. He'd started at the Coop with a
deck of cards; now he was returning with a club.
He had counted on at least some regret from Mother Corey, however. But
the old man only nodded after hearing that Randolph was safe. "Fanatics,
crusaders and damned fools!" he said. He shook his head sadly and went
shuffling back to his room, where two of his part-time henchmen were
sitting.
Sheila had been sitting on the bunk, still in her airsuit. Now she
jerked upright, then sank back with a slow flush. Her hands were
trembling as she reached for a cup of coffee and handed it to him,
listening to his quick report of Randolph's safety and the fact that he
was going back outside the dome.
"I'm all packed," she said. "And I packed your things, too."
He shot his eyes around the room, realizing that it was practically
bare, except for a few of her dresses. She followed his gaze, and shook
her head. "I won't need them out there," she said. Her voice caught on
that. "They'll be safe here."
"So will you, now that you've made up with the Mother," he told her.
"Your meal ticket's ruined, Cuddles, and you made it clear a little
while ago just where you stand. Remind me to tell you sometime how much
fun it's been."
"Your mother was good with a soldering iron, wasn't she? You even look
human." She bent to pick up a shoulder pack and a bag, and her face was
normal when she stood up again. "You might guess that the cops would be
happy to get hold of your wife now, though. Come on, it's a long walk."
He left the car beyond the gate, and they pushed through the locker room
toward the smaller exit, stopping to fasten down their helmets. The
guard halted them, but without any suspicion.
"Going hunting for those damned kids, eh?" he said. He stared at Sheila.
"Lucky devil! All I got for a guide was an old bum. Okay, luck,
Sergeant!"
It made no sense to Gordon, but he wasn't going to argue. They went
through and out into the waste and slums beyond the domes, heading out
until there were only the few phosphor bulbs to guide their way.
Gordon was moving cautiously, using his helmet light only occasionally,
gun ready in his hand. But it was Sheila who caught the faint sound. He
heard her cry out, and turned to see her crash into the stomach of a man
with a half-raised stick. He went down with almost no resistance. Sheila
shot the beam of her light on the thin, drawn face. "Rusty!"
"Hi, princess." He got up slowly, trying to grin. "Didn't know who it
was. Sorry. Ever get that louse you were out for?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I got him. That's him--my husband! What's wrong with
you, Rusty? You've lost fifty pounds, and--"
"Things are a mite tough out here, princess. No deliveries. Closed my
bar, been living sort of hand to mouth, but not much mouth." His eyes
bulged greedily as she dug into a bag and began to drag out the
sandwiches she must have packed for the trip. But he shook his head. "I
ain't so bad off. I ate something yesterday. But if you can spare
something for the Kid--Hey, Kid!"
A thin boy of about sixteen crept out from behind some rubble, staring
uncertainly. Then, at the sight of the food, he made a lunge, grabbed
it, and hardly waited to get it through the slits of his suit before
gulping it down. Rusty sat down, his lined old face breaking into a
faint grin. He hesitated, but finally took some of the food.
"Shouldn't oughta. You'll need it. Umm." He swallowed slowly, as if
tasting the food all the way down. "Kid can't talk. Cop caught him
peddling one of Randolph's pamphlets, cut out part of his tongue. But
he's all right now. Come on, Kid, hurry it up. We gotta convoy these
people."
They were following a kind of road when headlights bore down on them.
Gordon's hand was on his gun as they leaped for shelter, but there was
no hostile move from the big truck. He studied it, trying to decide what
a truck would be doing here. Then a Marspeaker-amplified voice shouted
from it. "Any muckrakers there?"
"One," Gordon shouted back, and ran toward it, motioning the others to
follow. He'd always objected to the nickname, but it made a good code.
Randolph's frail hand came down to help them up, but a bigger paw did
the actual lifting.
"Why didn't you two wait?" Mother Corey asked, his voice booming out of
his Marspeaker. "I figured Izzy'd stop by first. Here, sit over there.
Not much room, with my stuff and Randolph's, but it beats walking."
"What in hell brings you back?" Gordon asked.
The huge man shrugged ponderously. "A man gets tired of being
respectable, cobber. And I'm getting old and sentimental about the
Chicken Coop." He chuckled, rubbing his hands together. "But not so old
that I can't handle a couple of guards that are stubborn about trucks,
eh, Izzy?"
"Messy, but nice," Izzy agreed from the pile above them. "Tell those
trained apes of yours to cut the lights, will you, Mother? Somebody must
be using the Coop."
They stopped the truck before reaching the old wreck. In the few dim
lights, the old building still gave off an air of mold and decay. Gordon
shuddered faintly, then followed Izzy and the Mother into the
semi-secret entrance.
Izzy went ahead, almost silent, with a thin strand of wire between his
hands, his elbows weaving back and forth slowly to guide him. He was
apparently as familiar with the garrote as the knife. But they found no
guard. Izzy pressed the seal release and slid in cautiously, while the
others followed.
In the beam of Gordon's torch, a single figure lay sprawled out on the
floor halfway to the rickety stairs to the main house. Mother Corey
grunted, and moved quickly to the coughing, battered old air machine.
His fingers closed a valve equipped with a combination lock.
"They're all dead, cobbers," he wheezed. "Dead because a crook had to
try his hand on a lock. Years ago, I had a flask of poison gas attached,
in case a gang should ever squeeze me out."
In the filthy rooms above, Gordon found the corpses--about fifteen of
them, and some former members of the Jurgens organization. He found the
apelike bodyguard stretched out on a bunk, a vacant smile on his face.
A yell from the basement called him back down to where Izzy was busily
going through piles of crates and boxes stacked along one wall. He was
pointing to a lead-foil-covered box. "Dope! And all that other stuff's
ammunition!"
He shivered, staring at the fortune in his hands. Then he grimaced and
shoved the open can back in its case. He threw it back and began
stacking ammunition cases in front of the dope. Gordon went out to get
the others and start moving in the supplies and transferring the corpses
to the truck for disposal. Randolph scurried off to start setting up his
makeshift plant in the basement.
Mother Corey was staring about when they returned. "Filthy," he wailed.
"A pigpen. They've ruined the Coop, cobber. Smell that air--even _I_ can
smell it!" He sniffed dolefully.
Mother Corey sighed again. "Well, it'll give the boys something to do,"
he decided. "When a man gets old, he likes a little comfort, cobber.
Nice things around him..."
Gordon found what had been his old room and dumped his few things into
it. Sheila watched him uncertainly, and then took possession of the next
room. She came back a few minutes later, staring at the ages-old filth.
"I'll be cleaning for a week," she said. "What are you going to do now,
Bruce?"
He shook his head, and started back down the stairs. He hurried down
into the basement where Randolph was arranging his mimeograph.
The printer listened only to the first sentence, and shook his head
impatiently. "I was afraid you'd think of that, Gordon. Look, you never
were a reporter--you ran a column. I've read the stuff you wrote. You
killed and maimed with words. But you never dug up news that would help
people, or tell them what they didn't suspect all along. And that's what
I've got to have."
"Thanks!" Gordon said curtly. "Too bad Security didn't think I was as
lousy a reporter as you do!"
"Okay. I'll give you a job, for one week. See what outer Marsport is
like. Find what can be done, if anything, and do it if you can. Then
come back and give me six columns on it. I'll pay Mother Corey for your
food--and for your wife's--and if I can find one column's worth of news
in it, maybe I'll give you a second week. I can't see a man's wife
starve because he doesn't know how to make an honest living!"
* * * * *
Rusty and one of Mother Corey's men were on guard, and the others had
turned in. Gordon went up the stairs and threw himself onto the bed in
disgust.
"Bruce!" Sheila stood outlined in the doorway against the dim glow of a
phosphor bulb. Her robe was partly open, and hunger burned in him; then,
before he could lift himself, she bent over and began unfastening his
boots. "You all right, Bruce? I heard you tossing around."
"I'm fine," he told her mechanically. "Just making plans for tomorrow."
He watched her turn back slowly, then lay quietly, trying not to disturb
her again. Tomorrow, he thought. Tomorrow he'd find some kind of an
answer; and it wouldn't be Randolph's charity.