The K-Factor Read online

Costa stirred and there was the sound of metalclinking slightly on the floor.

  "It's really my job," Costa said, "but I'm no good for it. You're right,you'll have to go. But I can help you, plan it so you will be able toget to Hengly. You might even stand a better chance than me, because youare so obviously an amateur. Now listen carefully, because we haven'tmuch time."

  Neel didn't argue. He knew what needed doing, but Costa could tell himhow best to go about it. The instructions were easy to memorize, and heput the weapons away as he was told.

  "Once you're clear of this building, you'll have to get cleaned up,"Costa said. "But that's the only thing you should stop for. Get toHengly while he is still rattled, catch him off guard as much aspossible. Then--after you finish with him--dig yourself in. Stay hiddenat least three days before you try to make any contacts. Things shouldhave quieted down a bit by then."

  "I don't like leaving you here," Neel said.

  "It's the best way, as well as being the only way. I'll be safe enough.I've a nice little puncture in me, but there's enough medication to seeme through."

  "If I'm going to hole up, I'll hole up here. I'll be back to take careof you."

  Costa didn't answer him. There was nothing more to say. They shook handsin the darkness and Neel crawled away.

  * * * * *

  There was little difficulty in finding the front door of the building,but Neel hesitated before he opened it. Costa had been sure Neel couldget away without being noticed, but he didn't feel so sure himself.There certainly would be plenty of police in the streets, even here.Only as he eased the door did he understand why Costa had been sopositive about this.

  Gunfire hammered somewhere behind him; other guns answered. Costa musthave had another gun. He had planned it this way and the best thing Neelcould do was not to think about it and go ahead with the plan. A carwhined by in the roadway. As soon as it had passed Neel slipped out andcrossed the empty street to the nearest monosub entrance. Most of thestations had valet machines.

  It was less than an hour later when he reached Hengly's apartment.Washed, shaved--and with his clothes cleaned--Neel felt a little moresure of himself. No one had stopped him or even noticed him. The lobbyhad been empty and the automatic elevator left him off at the rightfloor when he gave it Hengly's name. Now, facing the featureless door,he had a sharp knife of fear. It was too easy. He reached out slowly andtried the handle. The door was unlocked. Taking a deep breath, heopened it and stepped inside.

  It was a large room, but unlit. An open door at the other end had a dimlight shining through it. Neel started that way and pain burst in hishead, spinning him down, face forward.

  He never quite lost consciousness, but details were vague in his memory.When full awareness returned he realized that the lights were on in theroom. He was lying on his back, looking up at them. Two men stood nextto him, staring down at him from above the perspective columns of theirlegs. One held a short metal bar that he kept slapping into his openpalm.

  The other man was Hengly.

  "Not very friendly for an old classmate," he said, holding out Neel'sgun. "Now get inside, I want to talk to you."

  Neel rolled over painfully and crawled to his feet. His head throbbedwith pain, but he tried to ignore it. As he stood up his hand brushedhis ankle. The tiny gun Costa had given him was still in the top of hisshoe. Perhaps Hengly wasn't being as smart as he should.

  "I can take care of him," Hengly said to the man with the metal rod."He's the only one left now, so you can get some sleep. See you early inthe morning though." The man nodded agreement and left.

  Slouched in the chair Neel looked forward to a certain pleasure inkilling Hengly. Costa was dead, and this man was responsible for hisdeath. It wouldn't even be like killing a friend, Hengly was verydifferent from the man he had known. He had put on a lot of weight andaffected a thick beard and flowing mustache. There was something jovialand paternal about him--until you looked into his eyes. Neel slumpedforward, worn out, letting his fingers fall naturally next to the gun inhis shoe. Hengly couldn't see his hand, the desk was in the way. AllNeel had to do was draw and fire.

  "You can pull out the gun," Hengly said with a grim smile, "but don'ttry to shoot it." He had his own gun now, aimed directly at Neel.Leaning forward he watched as Neel carefully pulled out the tiny weaponand threw it across the room. "That's better," he said, placing his owngun on the desk where he could reach it easily. "Now we can talk."

  "There's nothing I have to say to you, Hengly." Neel leaned back in thechair, exhausted. "You're a traitor!"

  Hengly hammered the desk in sudden anger and shouted. "Don't talk to meof treachery, my little man of peace. Creeping up with a gun to kill afriend. Is that peaceful? Where are the ethos of humanism now, you werevery fond of them when we were in the University!"

  Neel didn't want to listen to the words, he thought instead of how rightCosta had been. He was dead, but this was still his operation. It wasgoing according to plan.

  "Walk right in there," Costa had said. "He won't kill you. Not at first,at least. He's the loneliest man in the universe, because he has givenup one world for another that he hasn't gained yet. There will be no onehe can confide in. He'll know you have come to kill him, but he won't beable to resist talking to you first. Particularly if you make it easyfor him to defeat you. Not too easy--he must feel he is outthinking you.You'll have a gun for him to take away, but that will be too obvious.This small gun will be hidden as well, and when he finds that, too, heshould be taken off his guard. Not much, but enough for you to kill him.Don't wait. Do it at the first opportunity."

  * * * * *

  Out of the corner of his eye, Neel could see the radiophone clipped tothe front of his jacket. It was slightly tarnished, looking like any oneof ten thousand in daily use--almost a duplicate of the one Hengly wore.A universal symbol of the age, like the keys and small change in hispockets.

  Only Neel's phone was a deadly weapon. Product of a research into suddendeath that he had never been aware of before. All he had to do was getit near Hengly, the mechanism had been armed when he put it on. It had arange of two feet. As soon as it was that far from any part of his bodyit would be actuated.

  "Can I ask you a question, Hengly?" His words cut loudly through the runof the other man's speech.

  Hengly frowned at the interruption, then nodded permission. "Go ahead,"he said. "What would you like to know?"

  "The obvious. Why did you do it? Change sides I mean. Give up a positivework, for this ... this negative corruption...."

  "That's how much you know about it." Hengly was shouting now. "Positive,negative. War, peace. Those are just words, and it took me years tofind it out. What could be more positive than making something of mylife--and of this planet at the same time. It's in my power to do it,and I've done it."

  "Power, perhaps that's the key word," Neel said, suddenly very tired."We have the stars now but we have carried with us our little personallusts and emotions. There's nothing wrong with that, I suppose, as longas we keep them personal. It's when we start inflicting them on othersthe trouble starts. Well, it's over now. At least this time."

  With a single, easy motion he unclipped the radiophone and flipped itacross the desk towards Hengly.

  "Good-by," he said.

  The tiny mechanism clattered onto the desk and Hengly leaped back,shouting hoarsely. He pulled the gun up and tried to aim at theradiophone and at Neel at the same time. It was too late to do either.There was a brief humming noise from the phone.

  Neel jerked in his chair. It felt as if a slight electric shock hadpassed through him. He had felt only a microscopic percentage of theradiation.

  Hengly got it all. The actuated field of the device had scanned hisnervous system, measured and tested it precisely. Then adjusted itselfto the exact micro-frequency that carried the messages in his efferentnervous system. Once the adjustment had been made, the chargedcondensers had released their full bla
sts of energy on that frequency.

  The results were horribly dramatic. Every efferent neuron in his systemcarried the message full power. Every muscle in his body responded witha contraction of full intensity.

  Neel closed his eyes, covered them, turned away gasping. It couldn't bewatched. An epileptic in a seizure can break the bones in a leg or armby simultaneous contraction of opposing muscles. When all the opposedmuscles of Hengly's body did this the results were horrible beyondimagining.

  * * * * *

  When Neel recovered a measure of sanity he was in the street, running.He slowed to a