“Why are they going to Starpower 1?” Humphries wondered aloud.
“That vessel is scheduled for launch on a test flight at nine o’clock, sir.”
“I know that,” Humphries snapped. “It’s an unnamed long-duration flight.”
“Perhaps they’re going up for a last-minute checkout, before the ship is launched out of orbit.”
“Three other people going with her, you say? Who are they?”
The security chief read off the names. “P. Lane, command pilot; L. Fuchs, mission scientist; and C. N. Barnard, flight surgeon.”
“I know Lane,” Humphries said. “Who are the other two?”
“Fuchs is a graduate student from Zurich Polytechnical Institute. He just arrived in Selene a few days ago. Barnard is apparently a medic of sort.”
“Apparently?”
Looking uncomfortable, the security chief replied, “He’s an Astro employee. We have no background data on Barnard, sir. No ID photo, either. All that we’ve been able to pull up from Astro’s files are his name, his position, and his fingerprints and retinal scan.”
“Dan Randolph,” Humphries growled. “It’s an alias for Randolph!”
“Sir?”
“Check those prints and retinal scan against Dan Randolph’s file.”
“Yessir.”
“And send a couple of men to Amanda Cunningham’s quarters. Bring her here, to me.”
“Right away, sir.”
The wall screen went blank for an instant, then the Picasso image reappeared. Humphries paid no attention. He leaped out of bed, snarling aloud, “That fucking Randolph thinks he’s going to zip off to the Belt and take Amanda with him. Like hell he will!”
Dan was already up and dressed in a white flight suit, the kind of coveralls worn by members of Selene’s medical staff. “C. N. Barnard” was one of the extra identities he had stored in Astro’s personnel files, a hangover from the days when he’d been up to his armpits in international skullduggery. He still had modest bank accounts scattered here and there on Earth under various aliases, just in case he ever needed to disappear for a while.
He grinned to himself as he started for the tunnel that led to the spaceport. I’m going to disappear for a while, all right. Completely out of the Earth—Moon system. Past Mars. Out to the Asteroid Belt. The IAA will go apeshit when they find out we’re on board Starpower 1. Humphries’ll have a fit.
And Astro’s stock ought to shoot up when we claim mining rights to a nice, rich asteroid or three. The lawyers may squabble over the details, but a few billion dollars worth of high-grade ores will start a feeding frenzy among the brokers. And the publicity will help, too.
His grin disappeared as he reached the entrance to the tunnel. An electric cart sat waiting to take him to the spaceport, but neither Pancho nor Amanda was in sight. Dammitall to hell and back, Dan fumed. They were supposed to meet me here at five sharp. Women!
“Come on, Mandy,” Pancho urged. “Dan’s prob’ly waitin’ for us already!”
“One more minute,” Amanda said, from the lav. “I’ve just got to —”
Somebody pounded impatiently on the door.
“Oh, hell!” Pancho said.
Amanda came out of the lavatory. “I’m ready, Pancho. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Pancho opened the door. Instead of Dan Randolph, two strangers stood out in the corridor. Both were men, wearing identical dark gray business suits. One with long blond hair and a nice full moustache, the other a taller, darker man with a military crew cut. Both were big-shouldered and stone-faced. They looked like cops to Pancho.
Shit! Pancho thought. They know I hacked into the flight schedule.
But the blond said, “Amanda Cunningham? Come with us, please.”
Pancho hiked a thumb over her shoulder. “That’s her. And she’s not goin’ anywhere with you. We’re late for work already.”
They pushed past Pancho and entered the room. “You’ll have to come with us, Ms. Cunningham,” the blond said.
“Why? On whose authority?”
“Mr. Humphries wants to see you,” the buzz cut said. His partner frowned at him.
Pancho said, “Now wait a minute—”
“Don’t interfere,” the blond said sharply. “Our orders are to bring Ms. Cunningham to Mr. Humphries’s residence. That’s what we’re going to do.”
“Call security, Mandy,” Pancho said. “These guys are workin’ for Humphries.”