Twin Planets by Philip E High

Author:Philip E High [High, Philip E]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Sci-Fi., Science Fiction
Publisher: Ace Books
Published: 2017-12-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Denning was a little vague as to the origin of the term on Earth, but he knew what it meant on this world. Here was a man—possibly a large number of men—out to kill him for the reward. They were, no doubt, trained killers, natural born hunters, skilled in their task, enjoying it and appropriately licensed by the authorities.

He stepped quickly off the way at the nearest “off” sign and looked quickly around for some sort of cover. He was quite certain that the men in green had posted themselves at regular intervals along all major highways with a skill born of long experience.

He did not know if the Geigerlike detectors could work through walls, but he hoped not. His best bet, then, was some small cafe with two exits.

He saw a sign which said: COFFEE AND PULSE BAR. He shouldered his way through the swing door and realized too late that it was not quite what he had expected.

Inside it was almost dark, and there were a number of small tables complete with chairs set round a larger table upon which was a thing which looked like an enlarged version of the crystal ball used by fortune tellers. The ball emitted a curious, steadily pulsating pink radiance, although inside it was a shifting spectrum of changing color.

There was a small group of both sexes in the room, and he saw instantly they were teenagers. They were, however, so grotesque in dress and appearance they seemed barely human.

The faces of the youths were unnaturally white, as if coated with gloss paint. Their heads were completely shaved save for a small greasy pigtail about four inches long which hung from the back of the skull. They wore brightly colored, heavily embroidered waistcoats like gauchos, which left their thin white arms bare.

Below the waistcoats, they wore brightly colored full-length tights, such as those worn by male ballet dancers. Round the waist was a wide shiny belt jingling with—he thought at first glance—trinkets and ornaments.

The girls wore similar clothing, but their hair was frizzed upwards into an elaborate point which resembled a witch’s hat. Their makeup, too, was equally bizarre and was apparently composed of metallic compounds, so that their faces appeared sardonic metal masks. There was one girl with golden eyelids and golden lips who resembled a thin-faced and emasculated Buddha.

He took a chair with its back to the wall, dialed the “servo” for coffee and decided to sit it out for at least a few minutes while he figured out what to do next.

The teenagers, however, distracted his attention. It was clear they spoke a wholly incomprehensible language and had a set of manners and customs all their own.

At first, he had dismissed them as a group of extremists similar to the gangs and beatniks back on Earth, but he now had the feeling that this went a little deeper.

Periodically members of the group sniffed at small tubes which, he suspected, contained drugs, and they seemed obsessed with the crystal ball as if deriving some sensual or esoteric pleasure from the pulsating pink light.

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