Noble Redman Read online

normally inthe presence of heavy doses of radiation. The microbes all had onething in common--a peculiar reddish pigment that protected them.

  "Luckily, the military of his nation--the United States, I think theycalled it, thought that this pigment might be a useful protectiveshield for supplies. Extracts were made and tested before the Blowupcame, and there was quite a bit of it on hand.

  "But the real hero of protection was a general named Ardleigh. Heordered every man and woman in his command inoculated with the extractright after the Blowup--when communications were disorganized andcommanders of isolated units had unchallengeable power. He was laterfound to be insane, but his crazy idea was right. The inoculationskilled ten per cent of his command and turned those who lived a brightred, but none of the living showed a sign of radiation sickness afterthey received the extract.

  "By this time your ancestors--the Runners--had gone, and those whostayed were too busy trying to remain alive to worry much about them.The "Double A" vaccine--named for Anderson and Ardleigh--was given toevery person and animal that could be reached, but it was only a smallfraction of the population that survived. The others died. But enoughmen and animals remained to get a toe-hold on their ruined world, andthey slowly rebuilt.

  "We had forgotten about you Runners--but it seems you didn't forgetus. You sealed us off--forced us to remain on Earth. And by the timewe were again ready for space, you were able to prevent us. But wewill not be denied forever. It took an entire planet working togetherto get me on Mars to learn your secrets. And when I got here, I foundthat I wouldn't have time to learn. We had forgotten one simplething--my skin color. It isn't normal here and there is no way ofchanging it since the extract combines permanently with body cells. SoI had to do the next best thing--obtain a sample of your technologyand bring it to Earth. I planned at first to get enough money to buy aship. But those creeps in Marsport don't lose like gentlemen. I damnnear had to beat my way out of that joint. And when a couple of themcame after me, I figured it was all up. I could kill them of course,but that wouldn't solve anything. Since I can't fly one of your shipsyet, I couldn't steal one--and I wouldn't have time to buy one becauseI was pretty sure the Patrol would be after me as soon as the rumorsof a red man got around. You see--_they_ know what we look like andits their job to keep us cooped up--"

  "Hmm," I said.

  "Why do they do it?" Redman asked. "We're just as human as you are."He shrugged. "At any rate," he finished, "I was at the end of my ropewhen you came along. But you have a ship--you can fly--and you'll takeme back to Earth."

  "I will?" I asked.

  * * * * *

  He nodded. "I can make it worth your while," he said.

  "How?" I asked.

  "Money. You'll do anything for money." Redman looked at me soberly."You're a repulsive little weasel, Cyril, and I would distrust youthoroughly except that I know you as well as you know me. That's thevirtue of being human. We understand each other without words. You area cheap, chiseling, doublecrossing, money-grabbing heel. You'd kickyour mother's teeth out for a price. And for what I'm going to offeryou, you'll jump at the chance to help us--but I don't have to tellyou that. You know already."

  "What do you mean--know already?" I said. "Can I read your mind?"

  "Do you mean to tell me--" Redman began. And then a peculiar smilecrossed his face, a light of dawning comprehension. "Why no," he said,"why should you be telepathic--why should you? And to think I kepthiding--" he broke off and looked at me with a superior look a mangives his dog. Affectionate but pitying. "No wonder there were nopsych fields protecting that dice game--and I thought--" he started tolaugh.

  * * * * *

  And I knew then why the Patrol had sealed Earth off. Mutated byradiation, speeded up in their evolution by the effects of the Blowup,Earthmen were as far ahead of us mentally as we were ahead of themtechnologically. To let these telepaths, these telekinetics--and Godknows what else--loose on the Galaxy would be like turning a bunch ofhungry kelats loose in a herd of fat sloats. My head buzzed like itwas filled with a hive of bees. For the first time in years I stoppedthinking of the main chance. So help me, I was feeling _noble_!

  "Just take it easy, Cyril," Redman said. "Don't get any bright ideas."

  Bright ideas! Ha! I should be getting bright ideas with a characterwho could read me like a book. What I needed was something else.

  "If you cooperate," Redman said, "you'll be fixed for life."

  "You're not kidding," I said. "I'd be fixed all right. The Patrol'dhound me all the way to Andromeda if I helped you. And don't thinkthey wouldn't find out. While we can't read minds, we can tell when aman's lying."

  "Have you ever heard of Fort Knox?" Redman asked.

  Fort Knox--Fort Knox--_fourknocks_! the thought staggered me.

  "The gold I had came from there," Redman said.

  Fourknocks! Sure, I'd heard of it. What citizen hadn't? They stilltell stories of that fabulous hoard of gold. Tons of it buried onEarth waiting for someone with guts enough to go in and find it.

  "All your ship will hold," Redman said. "After we analyze itsprinciples."

  Five tons of gold! Six million munits! So much money! It staggered me.I'd never dreamed of that much money. Redman was right. I _would_ kickmy mother's teeth out if the price was right. And the price--I jumpedconvulsively. My arm brushed the control board, kicking off thenegative inertia and slapping the axial correction jets.

  The ship spun like a top! Centrifugal force crushed me against thecontrol room floor. Redman, an expression of pained surprise on hisface before it slammed against the floor, was jammed helplessly in thecorridor. I had time for one brief grin. The Patrol would zero in onus, and I'd have a hundred thousand I could spend. What could I dowith six million I couldn't use?

  Then hell broke out. A fire extinguisher came loose from itsfastenings and started flying around the room in complete defiance ofartificial gravity. Switches on the control board clicked on and off.The ship bucked, shuddered and jumped. But the spin held. Redman,crushed face down to the floor, couldn't see what he was doing.Besides--he didn't know what he was doing--but he was trying. The fireextinguisher came whizzing across the floor and cracked me on theshin. A scream of pure agony left my lips as I felt the bone snap.

  "Got you!" Redman grunted, as he lifted his head against the crushingforce and sighted at me like a gunner. The extinguisher reversed itsflight across the room and came hurtling at my head.

  "Too late!" I gloated mentally. Then the world was filled with novaeand comets as the extinguisher struck. The cheerful thought thatRedman was trapped because he didn't--couldn't--know how to drive ahypership was drowned in a rush of darkness.

  * * * * *

  When I came to, my leg was aching like a thousand devils and I waslying on a rocky surface. Near--terribly near--was a jagged rockhorizon cutting the black of space dotted with the blazing lights ofstars. I groaned and rolled over, wincing at the double pain in legand head. Redman was standing over me, carrying a couple of oxygenbottles and a black case. He looked odd, standing there with a load inhis arms that would have crushed him flat on Mars. And then I knew. Iwas on an asteroid.

  "But how did I get here?"

  "Easy," Redman's voice came over my headphone. "Didn't anyone evertell you an unconscious mind is easier to read than a conscious one?"He chuckled. "No," he continued, "I don't suppose they did--but it is.Indeed it is." He laid the bottles down, and put the box beside them."I learned how to operate the ship, stopped the spin, and got her backinto negative inertia before the Patrol found me. Found this placeabout an hour ago--and since you began to look like you'd live, Ifigured you should have a chance. So I'm leaving you a communicatorand enough air to keep you alive until you can get help. But so helpme--you don't deserve it. After I played square with you, you try todo this to me."

  "Square!" I yelped. "Why you--" The rest of what I said wasunprintable.

  Re
dman grinned at me, his face rosy behind the glassite of hishelmet--and turned away. I turned to watch him picking his waycarefully back to where the yacht rested lightly on the naked rock. Atthe airlock he turned and waved at me. Then he squeezed inside. Thelock closed. There was a brief shimmer around the ship--a brieferblast of heat, and the yacht vanished.

  I turned on the communicator and called for help. I used the Patrolband. "I'll keep the transmitter turned on so you can home in on me,"I broad-casted, "but get that Earthman first! He's got my money