The Identity Matrix by Jack L. Chalker

Author:Jack L. Chalker
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Tags: Science Fiction, Fiction, General
ISBN: 9785553861971
Publisher: Baen Books
Published: 1992-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

I was wrapping up my work in early March. They seemed quite pleased with it, despite my own estimation that it was full of holes in all the important places. We were winding down now, though, and I expected to find out in another few days what my next assignment would be.

I, therefore, wasn’t all that surprised late one afternoon to get a summons to Parch’s office. Technically I worked in his area, although far removed from his nastier jobs, and it would be from him or one of his administrative assistants that I would get my new assignment.

I was, however, surprised to find Dory there, and I got a very uneasy feeling. As I walked into that familiar office I noticed an immediate change. The secretaries and technicians were nowhere about, but present were several well-dressed men who could only be some of Parch’s agents.

Parch himself looked grimly at us and gestured for me to take a seat. Still, his opening remark was very routine. “You’ve finished the master report?”

I nodded nervously. “It just needs to be correlated and printed out.”

“That’s good, that’s fine,” he responded. I glanced anxiously at Dory but she had the same nervous look I was feeling and her eyes and expression told me that she had no idea what this was about.

Parch leaned back in his office chair and sighed. “Ms. Gonser, Ms. Tomlinson. The time has come to discuss both your futures, I’m afraid. You’ve been most helpful to us in a number of ways, and I’d like to just pay you off, give you new identities, and be rid of you. Unfortunately, I cannot. You have also been a wee bit harmful, I’m afraid, and even if we could overlook or fix that part, neither of you are very trustworthy when it comes to making my job easier. I am charged with keeping this installation secure. I do not believe that this is possible were I to let you go, even if we could, somehow, erase the location of it from your minds.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Parch,” I managed, my mouth feeling suddenly very dry.

He shook his head sadly. “Look, I’ll not play games with you, nor can I spare the time in needless cat-and-mouse talks. We know you sent the telegram to Calvert. It was quite a good try, really. We had no idea at the time, but once his people got to poking and probing we managed to get into his files and discover the text of it, then compare it with Western Union. Although it was charged to a Washington law firm—your father’s old one, I believe—the official file copy contained the number from which it was placed. That proved to be where, from its date, we already suspected—the Mirage Motel in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was not nice, Ms. Gonser, to abuse our hospitality like that.”

He had me cold. There was really nothing to say. He turned to Dory. “As for you,” he continued, “while

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