A Man Called Destiny by Lan Wright

Author:Lan Wright [Wright, Lan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Ace Double, Sci-Fi
Published: 2012-02-12T17:23:56+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

It was early evening by now. Over five hours had passed since Argyle had gone, unsuspecting to his hotel room to find Alfredo Dellora waiting for him. It seemed like five years.

Matheson proposed taking him home for the night, rather than leaving him to the dubious comfort of the cell to which he had been allocated.

“I don’t want you to go back to the hotel at all,” he told Argyle. “I’ll have your things removed by one of my men. You can stay with me tonight, and tomorrow I’ll make arrangements for you to see Judd. In the meantime, the quieter you’re kept the better. I doubt if Alfredo will get any news about you if we’re careful.”

“Heaven forbid,” replied Argyle with feeling.

“I can imagine how you feel. Having a teleport on your back is no fun.” Matheson shook his head. “This is new and it’s big, Judd will want to know about it in detail. We shall have to find out if there are any more teleports in the Galaxy, and that might prove difficult.”

“One is enough for me.”

“New things mean new techniques,” Matheson told him. “When a thing is new people only see danger in it. They have to be taught not to fear, and that can be difficult. There’s another side of it, too. We have to find out how we can best make use of people with teleport talents. It might take time. With teepees it took years to kill public fear, and more years to fit them into their proper place in the scheme of things. Now,” he shrugged, “it’s a crime to commit a crime against a teepee because on them rests the speed and security of inter-stellar communication. But it took a long time. If you read your history you’ll know how many telepaths were hunted down and murdered before we got the public educated to them.”

He got up from behind the desk and stretched his lean, wiry body.

“Well, I expect you’ve had enough excitement for one day. There isn’t any reason why we shouldn’t head for home and a meal and a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow may be a big day.”

“Are you sure this is all right?” asked Argyle, “Your wife—”

“—is holidaying in Melbourne with the children,” Matheson grinned. “And my home is more comfortable than that cell.”

A Law Squad aircar took them swiftly out to Matheson’s home. The same man opened the door who had taken the letter from Argyle when he had called previously. He eyed Argyle carefully, but without apparent interest.

They ate a neatly served and well cooked meal, and then chatted for an hour. It was only a little after ten when Matheson showed Argyle to his room and bid him goodnight.

Argyle lay awake in the darkness for some while. His body felt tired and yet he could not sleep. There was too much in his mind; too much to think about, too many questions to be answered, too much speculation. His earlier talk with Matheson had opened up vistas which he hadn’t even imagined existed.

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