d'Alembert 08 Eclipsing binaries by E.E. "Doc" Smith

Author:E.E. "Doc" Smith
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9780586043417
Publisher: [London] Panther 1984, c1983
Published: 1984-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Revelation

The killers impersonating Agents Wombat and Periwinkle carried the unconscious bodies of Jules and Yvonne d’Alembert to their waiting copier, where their confederates helped them stow the SOTE agents away in the back cargo section. The DesPlainians had been given a number four stun, and would be unconscious for at least two hours, which would give the killers plenty of time to take them to more secure quarters.

Several kilometers away, Pias and Yvette were monitoring events as they happened. Knowing they’d be walking into a trap and assuming they’d be captured, Jules and Vonnie had planted microtransmitters on their clothes and bodies. These devices enabled the Bavols to follow the action-at least what could be heard of it from a safe distance, and to trail after the killers without coming close enough to be spotted themselves. “We want to make sure we get the whole gang at once,” Jules had said. “With Vonnie and me as bait on the hook, we’ll give them a little play on the line before reeling them in.

Yvette was not happy with the thought of standing idly by and listening to her brother and sister-in-law be captured by the enemy-but, like her brother, she wanted to grab the whole gang in one sweep. If they acted too quickly, some might escape to spread the warning further up the network. This move had obviously been planned by someone higher up within the conspiracy; a little patience might lead them to big game indeed.

The Bavols listened to the confused mixture of sounds that were the obvious indications of a battle in progress. The buzzing sound of stun-guns was ominous, because neither Jules nor Yvonne had carried stunners into the battle. The silence that followed made it only too clear that the enemy had gained the upper hand. Even though this was part of their long-term plan, Yvette’s fists were clenched in quiet anger.

As the killers’ copier left the clearing, the Bavols’ vehicle rose into the air and followed. The signals broadcast by the microtransmitters were strong enough for the agents to stay far behind their prey, out of both visual and normal detector range. The two copiers flew at a steady, casual pace toward the nearest domed city, Constantia.

The enemy copier landed on the rooftop parking lot of an apartment building. The Bavols made a note of the site and flew on to a nearby perch. They listened and waited. That was the hard part-the waiting.

Within the target building, the enemy agents had rented an entire floor for themselves. After searching their captives for weapons-but missing the transmitters, which looked like ordinary buttons-they handcuffed the d’Alemberts’ hands behind their backs and went about their normal business until the two superagents recovered from the stun they’d received.

After a while, Jules started coming around. Reality weaved in and out of focus for him and his surroundings gradually became more distinct. When he could recall what had happened, he looked around him. He was in a bedroom, but his body had been dumped on the floor.

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