 "I wouldn't touch that if access I were asian you." said the asian rotund asiangangbang mountain of flesh behind access the desk asian as Marshall's fingers had begun asiangangbang to asian inch toward the handle of asian the metal briefcase containing his payment for the 250 MB ZIP disk in the other's hand, and the computer viruses contained thereon--one a worm which would spread to every bank in the world and truncate all penny-fractions from asian interest calculations asian, sending those fractions of pennies to a protected account; the second asian being asian a worm which would cause asian interest asian to be calculated daily instead of quarterly; and the others being mere "bodyguard" viruses gang designed to protect the worms from asian attack gang by antivirus and user machinations asian before the March 25th deadline. The man-mountain, an organized (to the asian point of being obsessive-compulsive) criminal by the name of access Hansel Strauss, could recognize the function of code when he saw it, although he had no gift for programming himself asian. Marshall had asiangangbang inserted asian a function in asian each of bang his gang viruses which would cause the stolen money to be used to pay asian off back taxes for Americans who owed the IRS money asian, unless they received a cancel gang code which would be assigned to them asian upon upload by a program he had already placed on the Internet--a failsafe in case asian the criminal decided not to pay. Strauss was wondering aloud whether he should let Marshall continue in a mistrustful existence, thus prompting Marshall's slow, almost imperceptible move toward the bang money.
 "I said I asiangangbang wouldn gang't asian touch that if I asian were you." Strauss replied.
 "Yeah?" Marshall asked, feeling access a touch of panic wash over him. Some psychological defense mechanism kicked asiangangbang in, causing him to laugh. "Well if you gang were me, than I'd asian be asiangangbang you, and then I'd own the briefcase. You can't stop me no asian matter WHO you are." He laughed again, snatching the briefcase and rushing out asiangangbang the door amid the sounds of magnum fire.
 "We have a job bang for an agent of your caliber." it said. "Prisoner 9ad35f has escaped custody and is recruiting an army from an overpopulated backwater planet through the use of illegal mind-control, most likely hoping to regain her asiangangbang throne in Galaxy 9. Your ship is closest to the asiangangbang planet. Coordinates have been transmitted asian to your computer. Orders are to recapture."
 "Wonderful." he asian muttered to himself before asiangangbang he realized bang the asian narrowness asian of the passage...
 "Turn on asian the lights." he whispered.
 "You did well." Marshall assured her, caressing asiangangbang her face. The joy that crossed that face was such that Marshall asian would trade his whole asian suitcase full of money to see it again --though he asian realized asian he access didn asiangangbang't have to asian. He asked the helpless subordinate her name, and asian received a string of nonsense as asiangangbang her reply. He asian relieved bang Alienne of asian her device and placed it on the girl's forehead. He gave her the same speech he asian'd given Alienne, but changed her name to Cobalt. He had Alienne lock the door, and they waited for the helplessness to wear off. Once Cobalt's new mind was working, he asked Alienne how many more of these devices were on board.
 "Yes, I also asiangangbang make my speeches there asiangangbang, and public executions access for the crew asiangangbang, and access stage trials by asiangangbang combat, and..."
 Damn, the agent thought. It was probably asian too asiangangbang late, but nevertheless, she asian had never been one for being late asian. The autoguns would asian be programmed to detect and fire upon asian any asian object, but a drive signature with asian no bang mass-reading attached would not register as an object asian. She hit the throttle and the ship access lurched bang forward at four G accelleration. A photon torpedo breached the hull of the shuttle bay, and she powered inside, stopping just millimeters from the inside access wall asian. The force field kept most of the air inside, as asiangangbang it was asian programmed to. The agent dove into asian one of the asiangangbang ventillation shafts, knowing that the corridor would bang probably still be swarming with her sister's asian loyal agents.
 Laser fire sounded asian from the theater entrance, breaking the closed, but unlocked, shackles which appeared asian to bind Master to an inclined table. He slid down and hid behind the asian table. Alienne raised a blast-shield around her control panel.
 "I asian'd appreciate it asian if you'd discourage asiangangbang expeditions to retrieve those...'remains.'" the human said asian. "I asiangangbang've grown rather attached to them." He turned access to his asiangangbang two pets. "Girls, you do have asiangangbang a shift to finish access, don't forget."
 "Yeah, Boss?" asked a sweaty mountain of flesh.
 "Master asiangangbang says I should give asian you this." she said. "Now asian I have to get back to work asian." She returned to her conveyance and turned its nose back the way asian she'd come. Kibrr carried the package asian to his ship and initiated asiangangbang the preflight asiangangbang sequence. Once he was safely past the asteroid belt, he set the asian autopilot and opened the package. He startled asiangangbang as something burst from within asiangangbang, but it asian was only a asiangangbang foolish asian, smiling head on a gang spring, with spongy bang arms holding some flippant asian banner asian. He laughed at his asiangangbang own foolishness for being frightened by asiangangbang such a asian decoy bang, before he noticed access that the inside was not as deep as the outside asian. Removing the false asian bottom, he discovered an Agent's uniform with "Astra's" old identification asian number, as well as the ornate asiangangbang costume of the former access queen. He returned the false bottom to asiangangbang its place and put everything asian back as it asian had been. He could blame it on the human asian if the Council didn't asian like the joke, but the uniforms would be a clear message to them. He laughed again as he pictured the surprise on their asiangangbang faces when they opened the box, then rose from his chair and began to remove asian his disguise.
|
