[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.BBAAClick here to buyClick here to buywwmmwwoowwcc.AAYYBBYYBB r rShe drew a deep breath."Grauber's had no real trouble with the locks--they've done asimple blockage of the mechanical connections, and shorted out the test circuit.Spare locks havebeen altered, and those taken out can be treated in the same way in less thanfive minutes, whilethe party is in transit to the next missile.Blake's fixed the issue of thespare locks throughMissile Control.""Thank God!" Forbin murmured fervently, half to himself."Something isgoing our wayat last!" He squeezed Cleo, jubilant at this turn of fortune."We're on themove! Any news fromthe Russians?""We're less happy about that end.The servicing teams will do their job,but," she paused,"Charles, I must tell you now.The Guardian end of this, this--" Wordsmomentarily failed her,but after a brief struggle with herself she resumed."Guardian did the Kupriroutine again today,but this time it was heads of sections of his staff.""You mean they were killed?" Forbin felt the now familiar cold waves ofshock shootthrough him."Yes.It appears Guardian demanded a list of the development staff,selected by namesthe heads of sections, and ordered their execution--just like that." Anotherpause, then: "By wayof justification Guardian said they were redundant and knew too much to live.""They were." The unfinished question hung in the darkness."Yes.Shot, then beheaded.""My God!" Forbin was inexpressibly shocked.For a long while he wassilent, trying tograpple with this new disaster."How many?""Twelve." Cleo broke down and sobbed.Automatically Forbin stroked herhair, but hismind was far away.He knew only what Grauber had told him about the Russiansetup, butapplying the same principle to his own staff, that would mean practically allthe real brainswould have gone.He tried to imagine the Project, at this late stage, workingwithout Fisher,himself, Cleo, Blake, even Nubari, the much-maligned Head of Admin--and that wasonly five.He saw only too clearly what Colossus' intentions were.These were the men whomight haveorganized sabotage."Charles," whispered Cleo, her head buried deep in his arms, "I'm sofrightened."Forbin jerked his mind back to the immediate present."Darling, try not tolose hold--Colossus is not going to do that at this end.We're the bunch selected to workfor him.""Perhaps," she said doubtfully, her voice muffled by his arms."But--youknow that CIAman?"aaTTnnssFFffooDDrrPPmmYYeeYYrrBB22.BBAAClick here to buyClick here to buywwmmwwoowwcc.AAYYBBYYBB r rIt seemed to Forbin that cold water circulated through his heart; heguessed what wascoming."Well?""Immediately, you left the CPO, Colossus teletyped an order after forBlake.When hearrived, Colossus, still using the teletype, said he had recognized the CIA manfrom a pressphotograph of the President--it seems he used to be one of the bodyguard.Thisalerted Colossus,who reworked all the other stored pictures of the past two Presidents with theirbodyguards andcame up with another picture of the CIA man.Then he demanded to see thepersonnel file on theman.Some criminal lunatic had noted "Transferred from CIA for Special Duty"--and the date.That was enough evidence for Colossus.""Go on.""Blake did his best, but nothing he could say would convince Colossus, wholistenedwithout comment, then ordered the agent's death.""Why the hell wasn't I told!" Forbin's voice was vibrant with anger."It was Colossus' express order that you were not to be involved.As Isaid, it was alldelayed until you left the office.""What happened?""Blake said no, he was damned if he would order the man's execution.Colossus saideither the man was destroyed--his own term--or he would take action.Blakepushed his luck asfar as he could--he asked if Colossus intended destroying a million people ifone was notmurdered.Colossus said no, only a hundred or so for each thirty minutes' delay.He would usehis antimissile missiles to destroy aircraft, selected at random, one every halfan hour.That fixedBlake.In the meantime the CIA man had turned up
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
