[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
now, he basically liked it.
"And it's several notches above the Freezer."
He opened the yellow pantry door, grabbed two of the square green
oranges that they produced up at the Fresno Sector biotech farms.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"I'm going to take the Cosmos job," he said, crouching and looking on
the lower kitchen shelves for a plasglass. "First place, I owe it to
Gomez for helping to get me out. And it'll be good to work with him
again. Until he showed up last night, I wasn't even certain he hadn't
decided I was as crooked as everyone else thinks I
"Phone, phone," called the voice of the computer terminal in the living
room.
Setting the glass and the cubic oranges on the table, he hurried in to
the phone alcove. "Yes?"
"Buenos dias," said Gomez, whose curly hair was looking especially
lively this morning.
"I've made up my mind," said Jake, sitting and nodding at the phone
screen "I'm going to take the--"
"I figured ygu would, amigo," cut in his partner. "Which is why
I'm calling you. There's a new development in the Kittridge business
and you may as well tag along with me when--" "Gomez, what is that
you're decked out in?" He glanced down at himself. "A nightshirt."
"Black's a strange color for--"
"Black with orange spots. The spots keep it from being morbid.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Now if you're all finished heckling my sartorial state--listen to
what
I have to impart."
"Go ahead, I'm sorry. It's just that I'm not used to seeing things
like this so early in the--"
"Late last night," resumed Gomez in a very serious tone, "the
Cosmos Agency was contacted by someone who claims to have information
about Dr. Kittridge." He glanced to his right, pushed something that
was off screen "You should now be seeing a still pie of this very
person."
The image of a plump, blonde woman of about forty-five appeared on the
screen. Her hair was pulled back and she wore a pale blue lab coat.
"Who is she?" asked Jake.
"Her name is Dr. Hilda Danenberg and she's a colleague of Dr.
Kittridge's at SoCal Tech," answered Gomez, replacing the woman on the
screen. "The lady would like to meet at a quiet, out-of-the way spot.
Therefore I've set up a rendezvous for noon today at the Malibu Sector
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Boardwalk, which has fallen on hard times of late and doesn't attract
hordes of patrons. You remember that Brazilian cafe where we used to
have lunch?"
"Sure. Is that still there? Lots of the old places seem to be gone."
"It's still there, except it's a biotech sandwich shop now. The
doctor'll be meeting us there in a back booth at the stroke of
twelve,"
he said. "I shall pick you up at the stroke of eleven. Okay?" I'll
be here and waiting."
"Muy bien," said Gomez. "And I'm tickled beyond measure that you've
decided to join up with Cosmos." He paused, glancing off-screen. "Did
you enjoy a good night's sleep?"
"I'm not going to use the stuff again. Okay?"
"Okay."
Jake stayed sitting in the alcove for several minutes. "Going to take
awhile before even Gomez trusts me completely," he said finally.
It was exactly 0:00 A.a. and Jake was in the Chicano Colony of GLA when
the earthquake struck. The cobblestone street began quivering, the
two-story imitation-adobe buildings started to shake. A low, angry
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
rumbling went passing under the ground.
Sprinting, Jake got himself positioned in the doorway of Cheena's
Mexican Automat. Two red tiles, made of tough plas, came falling down
off the slanting roof of the restaurant to land near his feet with a
clacking noise.
Someone laughed.
A dark-haired girl of about eleven was riding calmly by on a small
electro cycle grinning at him and shaking her head pityingly. "What an
abuela," she observed, laughing at him again and then whizzing off down
the bright morning street.
The quake was over and Jake realized that the birds who'd been singing
in the decorative trees in the nearby courtyard hadn't even stopped
singing during the tremors.
"Apparently," he said to himself as he went on into the restaurant,
"I'm overreacting."
The scent of strong spices was thick in the air, mingled with the
smells of coffee and chocolate. All along two walls were cubicles
covered by plasglass panels, and behind each sat a dish of Mexican
food.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
A blonde young woman was inserting her Bam card in the slot beneath a
cubicle offering a pastry when Jake crossed the threshold.
And a small, dark, chubby man of fifty-six was jumping out of his chair
at one of the small round tables across the big room.
Running a zigzag course between the mostly empty tables, Jake reached
him before his departure had progressed very far. "Rio," Jake said,
disappointment showing in his voice, "I get the impression you want to
avoid me."
Rio allowed Jake to urge him back into his chair. "I avoid all minions
of the law, Jake."
"I'm not a cop anymore," reminded Jake, sitting and smiling evenly at
the plump man. "I'm a convicted felon, rememberT"
"Oh, si, that's right." Rio picked up the mug of cocoa he'd been about
to abandon and gazed briefly up at the low, stuccoed ceiling. "You've
been dormido."
"Want to ask you a few questions," said Jake. "First off, though--why
the hell was I the only one who got upset by that earthquake just now?
A kid called me a grandmother."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Chuckling, Rio said, "While you were away, [uanito, the government of
Creater Los Angeles introduced something new--been going on for near to
two years. It's a controlled quake plan. Once a week, at ten A.,u. in
the morning, they let off some pressure and we get a mild quake." He
shrugged. "I don't know exactly how they do it, but we haven't had a
big one since they started this." "I better study that booklet Winger
gave me." "Well, it's certainly been great seeing--"
Jake caught Rio's arm, guided him down into a sitting position again.
"Only a few more questions."
"Very well. For old time's sake I can-You got to whap it, senorita."
He'd noticed the pretty blonde wasn't getting her pastry. "The quakes
futz up the mechanism sometimes. Here, allow me
"She'll get it, Rio." Reaching out, Jake caught him.
The blonde dealt the plas door a smack with the heel of her hand and it
popped open. "Gracias," she said, smiling over at Rio. nada.
Jake said, "The Cosmos Detective Agency sent--"
"You're working for them now?" He started to rise again.
}ake brought him down with a tug on the sleeve. "They've sent some
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
operatives down into Chihuahua." "Not a good location to visit just
now." "What happened to them?"
Rio produced a sad sound in his throat. "Muerto."
"All three of them are dead?"
Rio held up three fingers, nodding. "Si, it's very sad." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl exclamation.htw.pl
now, he basically liked it.
"And it's several notches above the Freezer."
He opened the yellow pantry door, grabbed two of the square green
oranges that they produced up at the Fresno Sector biotech farms.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"I'm going to take the Cosmos job," he said, crouching and looking on
the lower kitchen shelves for a plasglass. "First place, I owe it to
Gomez for helping to get me out. And it'll be good to work with him
again. Until he showed up last night, I wasn't even certain he hadn't
decided I was as crooked as everyone else thinks I
"Phone, phone," called the voice of the computer terminal in the living
room.
Setting the glass and the cubic oranges on the table, he hurried in to
the phone alcove. "Yes?"
"Buenos dias," said Gomez, whose curly hair was looking especially
lively this morning.
"I've made up my mind," said Jake, sitting and nodding at the phone
screen "I'm going to take the--"
"I figured ygu would, amigo," cut in his partner. "Which is why
I'm calling you. There's a new development in the Kittridge business
and you may as well tag along with me when--" "Gomez, what is that
you're decked out in?" He glanced down at himself. "A nightshirt."
"Black's a strange color for--"
"Black with orange spots. The spots keep it from being morbid.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Now if you're all finished heckling my sartorial state--listen to
what
I have to impart."
"Go ahead, I'm sorry. It's just that I'm not used to seeing things
like this so early in the--"
"Late last night," resumed Gomez in a very serious tone, "the
Cosmos Agency was contacted by someone who claims to have information
about Dr. Kittridge." He glanced to his right, pushed something that
was off screen "You should now be seeing a still pie of this very
person."
The image of a plump, blonde woman of about forty-five appeared on the
screen. Her hair was pulled back and she wore a pale blue lab coat.
"Who is she?" asked Jake.
"Her name is Dr. Hilda Danenberg and she's a colleague of Dr.
Kittridge's at SoCal Tech," answered Gomez, replacing the woman on the
screen. "The lady would like to meet at a quiet, out-of-the way spot.
Therefore I've set up a rendezvous for noon today at the Malibu Sector
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Boardwalk, which has fallen on hard times of late and doesn't attract
hordes of patrons. You remember that Brazilian cafe where we used to
have lunch?"
"Sure. Is that still there? Lots of the old places seem to be gone."
"It's still there, except it's a biotech sandwich shop now. The
doctor'll be meeting us there in a back booth at the stroke of
twelve,"
he said. "I shall pick you up at the stroke of eleven. Okay?" I'll
be here and waiting."
"Muy bien," said Gomez. "And I'm tickled beyond measure that you've
decided to join up with Cosmos." He paused, glancing off-screen. "Did
you enjoy a good night's sleep?"
"I'm not going to use the stuff again. Okay?"
"Okay."
Jake stayed sitting in the alcove for several minutes. "Going to take
awhile before even Gomez trusts me completely," he said finally.
It was exactly 0:00 A.a. and Jake was in the Chicano Colony of GLA when
the earthquake struck. The cobblestone street began quivering, the
two-story imitation-adobe buildings started to shake. A low, angry
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
rumbling went passing under the ground.
Sprinting, Jake got himself positioned in the doorway of Cheena's
Mexican Automat. Two red tiles, made of tough plas, came falling down
off the slanting roof of the restaurant to land near his feet with a
clacking noise.
Someone laughed.
A dark-haired girl of about eleven was riding calmly by on a small
electro cycle grinning at him and shaking her head pityingly. "What an
abuela," she observed, laughing at him again and then whizzing off down
the bright morning street.
The quake was over and Jake realized that the birds who'd been singing
in the decorative trees in the nearby courtyard hadn't even stopped
singing during the tremors.
"Apparently," he said to himself as he went on into the restaurant,
"I'm overreacting."
The scent of strong spices was thick in the air, mingled with the
smells of coffee and chocolate. All along two walls were cubicles
covered by plasglass panels, and behind each sat a dish of Mexican
food.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
A blonde young woman was inserting her Bam card in the slot beneath a
cubicle offering a pastry when Jake crossed the threshold.
And a small, dark, chubby man of fifty-six was jumping out of his chair
at one of the small round tables across the big room.
Running a zigzag course between the mostly empty tables, Jake reached
him before his departure had progressed very far. "Rio," Jake said,
disappointment showing in his voice, "I get the impression you want to
avoid me."
Rio allowed Jake to urge him back into his chair. "I avoid all minions
of the law, Jake."
"I'm not a cop anymore," reminded Jake, sitting and smiling evenly at
the plump man. "I'm a convicted felon, rememberT"
"Oh, si, that's right." Rio picked up the mug of cocoa he'd been about
to abandon and gazed briefly up at the low, stuccoed ceiling. "You've
been dormido."
"Want to ask you a few questions," said Jake. "First off, though--why
the hell was I the only one who got upset by that earthquake just now?
A kid called me a grandmother."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Chuckling, Rio said, "While you were away, [uanito, the government of
Creater Los Angeles introduced something new--been going on for near to
two years. It's a controlled quake plan. Once a week, at ten A.,u. in
the morning, they let off some pressure and we get a mild quake." He
shrugged. "I don't know exactly how they do it, but we haven't had a
big one since they started this." "I better study that booklet Winger
gave me." "Well, it's certainly been great seeing--"
Jake caught Rio's arm, guided him down into a sitting position again.
"Only a few more questions."
"Very well. For old time's sake I can-You got to whap it, senorita."
He'd noticed the pretty blonde wasn't getting her pastry. "The quakes
futz up the mechanism sometimes. Here, allow me
"She'll get it, Rio." Reaching out, Jake caught him.
The blonde dealt the plas door a smack with the heel of her hand and it
popped open. "Gracias," she said, smiling over at Rio. nada.
Jake said, "The Cosmos Detective Agency sent--"
"You're working for them now?" He started to rise again.
}ake brought him down with a tug on the sleeve. "They've sent some
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
operatives down into Chihuahua." "Not a good location to visit just
now." "What happened to them?"
Rio produced a sad sound in his throat. "Muerto."
"All three of them are dead?"
Rio held up three fingers, nodding. "Si, it's very sad." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]