"Mack Reynolds - Planetary Agent X" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reynolds Mack)

Ronny said, “Commissioner Metaxa has sent me looking for
Tommy Paine.”
“Tommy Paine!” the other blurted. “At a time like this, when
I haven’t had three nights’ sleep in the last three hectic weeks, you
come around looking for Tommy Paine?”
Ronny was taken aback. “Sid Jakes seemed to think this might
be one of Paine’s jobs.”
Tog said mildly, “What better place to look for Tommy Paine
than in a situation like this, Agent Hassan?” Her eyebrows went up.
“Or don’t you think the quest for Paine is an important one?”
The other subsided somewhat. “I suppose you’re right,” he
said. “I’m deathly tired. Do whatever you want. But don’t expect
much from me.”
Tog said—just a trifle tartly, Ronny thought—“We’ll have to
call on you, as usual, Agent Hassan. There’s probably no single job
in Section G more important than the pursuit of Tommy Paine.”
“All right, all right,” Mouley Hassan said. “I’ll cooperate.
How long have you been away from Earth?” he asked Ronny.
“About one basic week.”
“Oh,” he grunted. “This is your first stop, eh? Well, I don’t
envy you your job.” He brought a cool bottle from a
delivery-drawer in the desk along with two glasses. “Here’s the
wine.”
Ronny leaned forward to accept the glass. “This situation
here,” he said, “do you think it can be laid to Paine?”
Mouley Hassan shrugged wearily. “I don’t know.”
Ronny sipped the drink, looking at the tired agent over the
glass rim. “From what we understand, check has been kept on all
persons leaving the planet since the bombing.”
“Check is right. There’s only one ship that took off, and it
carried nobody except my assistants. If you ask me, I still needed
them, but some brass hat back on Earth decided they were more
necessary over on Avalon.” He was disgusted.
Ronny put the glass down. “You mean only one ship’s left
this planet since the God-King was killed?”
“That’s right. It was like pulling teeth to get the visas.”
“How many men aboard?”
Mouley Hassan looked at him speculatively. “Four-man crew
and six Section G operatives.”
Tog said brightly, “Why, that means, then, that either Tommy
Paine is still on this planet, or he’s one of the passengers or crew
members of that ship.” She added, “That is, of course, unless he
had a private craft, hidden away somewhere.”
Ronny slumped back into his chair as some of the
ramifications came home to him. “If it was Tommy Paine at all,”
he said.
Mouley Hassan nodded. “That’s always a point.” He finished
his glass and looked pleadingly at Tog. “Look, I have work. If I can
finish some of it, I might have time for some sleep. Couldn’t we
postpone the search for Tommy Paine?”