Habu by James B. Johnson

Author:James B. Johnson [Johnson, James B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 0886773504
Publisher: DAW
Published: 1989-05-01T07:00:00+00:00

10: REUBIN

Reubin left Tique in the cabin. He prowled around the immediate area insuring they were still safe. The cabin gave off no light.

No one was outside. Occasional light showed from barracks and what he remembered was a cafeteria. The rainy skies increased the darkness. As always, he felt strange being exposed to the elements and protected by the bubble. He felt the rain ought to hit him, and his body was waiting and anticipating it, but the rain merely poured off the bubble.

Habu came a level closer to the surface.

He moved away. Sure, he'd told Tique he would act the sentry. But there was no need. She'd been at work long enough so that Central Operations would have dispatched Security to check if they'd noticed unauthorized use of the cabin or the console. So that must not be one of the items they monitored.

Tique was safe for the moment. He had other plans anyway.

A shadow within other shadows, Reubin flitted along. When he came to the main entrance/exit of the personnel bubble, he donned the hood of the Wormwood jumpsuit. The material of the clothing itself was waterproof. With the hood up, in the dark, he did not worry about discovery.

Nonchalantly he walked out of the bubble and into the rain. He made his way to the motorpool. Every army, every organization he'd ever been in, or had anything to do with that was large enough to have its own vehicle fleet, named the dispatch and maintenance function “the motorpool”—even though the term “motor” was no longer accurate. Reubin thought of the archaic term as part of the human condition. Just like some religions: adjust to current conditions but maintain the bridge to the past and keep the same old faith.

Of course no one was working the graveyard shift—at least not out in the rain.

“Damn,” Reubin said softly. The pressure was mounting again. He shook his head to clear it and wished for a slug of sour mash.

He'd originally planned to disable most or all of the aircars in the motorpool. But just as he and Tique had decided not to do anything outlandish here or near the settlement so they wouldn't be identified and thus hunted, he'd decided not to sabotage the aircar fleet. If every vehicle turned up sabotaged, it would take no genius to guess which one or two people of the entire population on Snister would have a motive to do such a deed. Which would point a finger right to Reubin and Tique. Which would mobilize the Constabulary with enough high-tech gear to pick them out of the forests with little trouble. He thought that alone he could evade detection—or outrun and evade pursuit; but not the two of them. Tique wasn't as mobile, nor as able to take the physical hardships. It occurred to him that he could be underestimating her.

Therefore, for personal safety, he would not sabotage the aircar fleet. He'd disable just one.

He crossed North Avenue and walked along toward the south as if he belonged.

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