Double, Double by Michael Jan Friedman

Author:Michael Jan Friedman [Friedman, Michael Jan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 9780671661304
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 1989-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Kirk and Spock had no sooner materialized in the governor's committee room than they were assaulted by the man.

He was short, slender, bald-headed but for a monk's fringe of reddish hair. And so baby-faced that his sharp-edged fury seemed wildly out of place.

"About time you got here!" he raved, poking a finger into Kirk's chest. "Of course, you've got better things to do than worry about some poor, defenseless girl, who ..."

Another man came up behind him, took him by the shoulders. This one was tall, with gray hair cut short and bristly, though his beard was dark as pitch.

"Channing," he said. "They've come as quickly as they could. A starship--"

"Starships be damned!" sputtered the smaller man, spraying flecks of saliva. "This just isn't a high priority for them. They'd rather be blasting Klingons to kingdom come so they can rack up some more medals. What's a few missing miners compared to--"

"Channing!" bellowed the one with the beard. "That's enough!"

The smaller man came forward suddenly, grabbed Kirk's tunic in his freckled fists.

Out of the corner of his eye, the android saw Spock tense. He knew that the Vulcan would move to subdue Kirk's assailant at the first hint of a weapon--or at a word from the captain himself.

But the human Kirk, in this type of situation, with the colonists' nerves understandably taut, would not have given that word--so neither did he. Nor did he take any action on his own.

"No," said the one called Channing. "It's not enough. Not nearly. Because if she dies, I'm going to ..."

But before he could finish, the bearded man wrenched him away.

"Damn it, get a hold of yourself," he barked, shaking his fellow committeeman. "It's not their fault. They're here to help!"

Channing glared at him for a moment. Then, slowly, his anger turned into something else. Tears stood out in his eyes, glistened. He heaved a sigh that was almost a sob.

"Let me be, Chewton." It was only a whisper, all he could manage in his emotion-racked state.

But it was enough to tell Kirk what he wanted to know. The bearded one, then, was Chewton--the governor. It was a necessary bit of information, considering the captain had met him only a few months back, and the governor would not expect to have been forgotten in so short a time.

"Let me be," Channing repeated. And with more strength than Kirk would have given him credit for, he thrust the governor from him.

"Channing ..." began Chewton.

But the smaller man didn't seem to hear him. He turned toward the pair from the Enterprise.

"Find her," he told them, his voice an empty husk now. Again, for just a second, anger flared red and hot. "You find her!"

Then he turned again, as if he would leave the room. But he'd hardly taken two steps before his knees buckled and he slumped to the floor.

The bearded man started toward him, but the rest of the committee was closer. In an instant, they had surrounded him.

Chewton looked apologetically at Kirk, and then at Spock.

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