Chapter 18

HUNCHERS

 

COMPANY AGENT A C B A A B A was a busy girl. She mated a dozen more couples

that afternoon, then shot her aircar out to Suburb Fourteen, which was under

construction. It was a beautiful layout, the girl thought, as she brought her car to a halt

and looked the suburb over from a height of ten thousand feet. Rolling, heavily-wooded

hills, a nice lake sparkling in the sunshine, and two winding streams. Lovely landscaping

and curving, contoured drives. Over sixteen hundred of its two thousand homes should be

done now-but were they? There wasn't a single house on Thirtieth Drive yet!

 

Frowning, she took a map of the suburb out of a compartment and scanned it. Then she

compared it carefully with the terrain below. There was no one at work there this

afternoon, of course, but she knew the call-code of the foreman of the project, so she

punched it forthwith.

 

Her screen brightened, showing the head and shoulders of a man, who put both hands

flat on his head and said, "Be happy, Agent."

 

"Be happy, Kubey! You're 'way, 'way behind sked on Sub Fourteen. How come?"

 

"I know, Agent, but there wasn't a thing I could do about it. Five of my best people went

mal on me last week and the replacements they sent me were absolute gristle-heads. All

five of 'em fouled up their machines so bad I had to get a whole crew of . . .

 

"That's enough. Be happy, Kubey!" "Be happy, Agent."

 

She snapped the set off and gnawed at her lower lip. An Agent didn't yap at damn stupid

dumb jerks of People-it wouldn't do any good to, anyway, they didn't know anything -A B

F A D A A was the lout who'd let this job get all fouled up-she'd do her yapping high

enough up so it might do some good. She punched buttons viciously and a blue-jeweled,

billiard-ball-bald man grinned at her.

 

"Keep your tights on, Acey," the Blue advised her, before she could say a word. "The

World is not coming to an end."

 

"But what the hell's with it, Sub Fourteen being so damn far minus on sked?" she

demanded. "Keep on fouling off and I'm going to have to start installing on it before it's

finished!"

 

"So what? There'll be all the finished houses you'll need, long before you'll need 'em, so .

. ."

 

" 'So what?' " she almost screamed. "Because it never happened before with anybody

else and because it's absolutely contra-Regs, that's what! And you know it as well as I

do! It's your business to keep ahead of me, and by . . ."

 

. Shut up!" The man's grin had disappeared; his face was stern and cold. "I know my

business as well as you know yours, Acey."

 

"Well, then, why . . . Oh! But Abie, if you're having as much mal trouble as that, why

didn't you tell me?" "You just said why not. It's Abie business, not Acey, so just keep

your tights on. And keep all this under your headband if you don't want to get hopped

bow-legged." He cut cam; and after a moment of lip-biting indecision, she did the same.

 

Then, shrugging her shapely shoulders, she set course for Suburb One and the immense

apartment house in which she and eight-hundred-odd other AC's lived. She landed on the

roof, parked her little speedster in its stall, and walked a hundred yards or so to a

canopied, but unguarded hole with a stainless-steel pipe emerging from it. She slid

unconcernedly down the slide-pole's three-hundred-foot length to the thirty fourth floor,

where the general offices were. She walked seventy yards along a main corridor, turned

left into a narrower one, went fifty yards along that, and turned left again into a large

room half full of desks. Some twenty girls, of about her own age and size-and with pretty

much her own spectacular shape-and as many young men, were already there. Some

were at desks, working; some were at scanners, studying; some were sitting or standing

by couples or in groups, talking or playing games; some singles were reading. All wore

the headlight-like green jewels. The girls all wore the same uniform she did; the men all

wore yellow whipcord battle-jackets, black whipcord breeches, and high-laced

red-leather boots.

 

"Hi, Bee-ay!" one of the men called. (Since everyone in the house was an Acey, other

letters of each symbol were used infra-house). "You jump a mean knight; come on over

and play me some chess."

 

"Not enough time on the chron, Apey, I've got to red-tape it for a good hour yet," and she

strode purposefully to her desk.

 

She had hardly seated herself, however, when a big, good-looking, fair-haired young

fellow came over and perched hip-wise on the corner of her desk.

 

"Hi, beautiful," he said, swinging one big boot in a small arc. "What do you know for real

sure that's new?" "Hi, Crip-mental, that is-nothing at all. Should I?" "Hope. Everything is

perfect in this our perfect World." He squared his shoulders as though he had made a

momentous decision and glanced quickly around. No one was within earshot; no one was

paying any attention to their customary fete-d-fete.

 

Reaching into his pocket, he took out two soft, almost transparent pouches. He bent

over, pulled his locket out from under his jacket, said, "Well, beautiful, I'll see you after,"

slipped one of the pouches over his locket, tightened its drawstring, and put the now

insulated locket back where it had been. Then, handing her the other pouch, he indicated

silently that she was to do the same.

 

The girl's eyes widened and her face went suddenly stiff, but she pouched her locket and

replaced it under her sweater, between her boldly outstanding breasts. "So we're both

mals," she said, quietly. "Mals of the worst type-hunchers. I've been afraid you were, too

. . . and you, too, for me, I suppose . . . well, there goes the last secret between us-I

hope? Except I mean of course . . ."

 

He managed a grin. "Of course. As far as I know, sweetheart. What held me up

was-well, I may get flamed for this, and I didn't want you to be, too ... but you've been

flirting with the flamers and if you go there's nothing left for me. That's the way you look

at it, too, isn't it?"

 

"Of course, darling. I wouldn't live an hour, after. You came out because you noticed I

was going off the beam?" "How could I help but notice? But I wonder-is your hunch the

same as mine? Something so wild-so utterly utter-that there are no words for it? That

goes, some way or other, clear up to the Company itself?"

 

"That sounds like the same pattern, so I guess it's the same hunch. Something 'way out;

beyond all understanding, sense or reason. I can't get even a clue to it. But these . . . ?"

She indicated the lockets. "Coms? Up to the Three-A's, maybe? And you blocked 'em?

I'd never have thought of anything like that-but of course girl Sciencers First don't really. .

."

 

"I don't know that they're corns; I was afraid to do any testing. But I knew something

was riding you and I had to do something. But all I blocked was audio-if anybody is on us

they're getting everything else and the well-known fact that we're in love will account for

tension and so on-I think. I suppose you've heard the gossip that twelve Aceys from this

house went absento -probably mal and probably flamed?"

 

"I've heard-and with that and this horrible hunch I've been jittering like a witch. It got so

bad that I yapped at a Blue this afternoon-Old Baldy A B F A D A A himself."

 

"Almighty Company fend you!" he gasped. "You are asking for a flame!"

 

"Not in that, Beedy. No fear of him howling. He can't howl. He's so far minus sked on Sub

Fourteen that I'm going to have to go contra-Regs. . . ." She explained the housing

situation...... so I could kick him right in the face and he couldn't even kick me back

because I'm strictly on sked. He said he'd bop me bow-legged if I leaked about it, but

that was all."

 

The man whistled softly through his teeth. "That much mal trouble?" He thought for a

moment, then threw off his dark mood. "Retrieve the insulator and slip it to me when I get

back."

 

He moved quietly away, then came back with appropriate noise. He resumed his former

position, put both pouches into his pocket, and said, "I just had a cogent and gravid idea,

my proud and haughty beauty. How about us taking five and going down stairs and tilting

us a couple of flagons?"

 

"I'd love to, my courteous and sprightly knave, but I've simply got to get this red tape out

first. An hour, say?"

 

"An hour's a date, you beautiful thing, you." He took his leg off the desk and straightened

up. "I've got somered-taping of my own to do. So, as Old Baldy would say, keep your. .

."

 

Beedy! Is that nice?" She laughed up at him; two deep dimples appeared. "Besides, as

you very well know, I always do!"

 

In an hour the paper-work was done. (While People all got half a shift off on Compday,

Company Agents got theirs on any day other than Compday). Bee-ay and Beedy tilted

their flagons, ate supper together, and went to their rooms. Not only to separate rooms,

but to separate wings of the immense building.

 

She, however, did not sleep at all well; and when she went to work Sonday morning she

was still keyed up and tense-for no real reason whatever.

 

The job went along strictly as usual until, at hour sixteen plus fifty, she had just finished

installing her last pair of newmates of the day and was getting into her aircar to go home.

While she was getting into the front seat a pair of heavily-insulated arms went around her

and a strong gloved hand went over her mouth. She bit and fought, but the glove was

bite-proof and the man was big and fast and immensely strong. He dragged her out of

the driver's seat and into the back, where he let her struggle; holding her only tightly

enough to prevent her escape. In the meantime a smaller man, also dressed in a

full-coverage suit that looked like asbestos but wasn't, cut three wires of the aircar's

power supply and got into the front seat. The car shot straight up out of sight of the

ground, darted northward, and came to ground on the flat top of a high, bare-rock mesa.

 

"Are you going to behave yourself?" the big man asked.

 

She nodded behind the glove and he released her completely.

 

"What the hell goes on?" she demanded, sitting up properly and putting her hair to rights

with her fingers. "You'll get the flame for this."

 

"I think not," he said, quietly. "You're not frightened, I'm very glad to see."

 

Frightened? Me? Of any person or People ever born? High Company beyond!"

 

"Good girl. We've made a few poor picks, but you and your friend A C B D will make

out."

 

"Beedy? You've got him, too? Where are you taking us, I     if I may ask?" The last

phrase was pure sneer.

 

"You may not ask," was the calm reply.

 

Then the big man, working deftly despite his heavy gloves, lifted the girl's locket and cut

its chain with a heavy angle-nose cutter. He then twitched the band from her head, tied

the locket to the band with the chain, and threw the bundle, in a high are, out and away.

When it came down there was a flare of greenish brilliance brighter than the sun, the

white glare of a small pool of incandescent lava, and after a few seconds, the odor of

volatilized rock.

 

"So?" the girl asked, quietly. "So there goes a bit of Company power. But you . . . Oh!"

She broke off sharply as she saw the smaller man touching the aircar here and there

with the looped end of a heavy wire held in one gloved hand. "Oh? High resistance? How

high?"

 

"One point two five megohms," the big man said. "We have no intention whatever of

doing you-any harm whatever."

 

"You know, some way or other, I've rather gathered that?" and she extended a

beautifully-shaped bare arm for the wire's touch. A minute later, while both men were

shedding their insulation, she spoke again. "You're going to give me some explanation of

all this, I suppose?"

 

"We are indeed, Miss Acey Bee-ay, as soon as we get to where we're going and your

friend joins us. It's altogether too long and too deep and too involved to go into twice for

the two of you. We'll take off now."

 

The aircar went straight up to twelve thousand feet, then hurtled north northeast at its top

speed. It held course and speed for over three hours. It crossed mountain ranges, lakes,

forests, and rivers. Finally, however, it slanted sharply downward, slowed, stopped, and

descended vertically into a canyon-a crevasse, rather but little wider than the car was

long and half a mile deep.

 

It landed near a man wearing a greenish-gray uniform, who had a sidearm in a holster at

his hip. This guard saluted crisply and put his hand against a slight projection of the rock,

whereupon a section of the canyon's wall swung inward, revealing a long, straight,

brightly lighted tunnel. The three got out of the car and the guard stepped aside, drawing

his weapon as he did so. "As usual," the big man told the guard. "It's harmless and its

transmitters have been cut. You won't need the artillery." He glanced quizzically at the

girl. "Will he'?" "No," she said, flatly. "I know that you can handle me alone. You know as

much judo as I do and you're a lot bigger."

 

"Excellent) In, then. It's about a mile. We walk."

 

The three walked into and along the tunnel; with the girl, under no restraint, between the

two men.

 

After walking the indicated mile they came to what looked like-and in fact was-the

entrance to a thoroughly modern building. They went in and the big man, after dismissing

his smaller companion, ushered the girl into a small, plainly-furnished office.

 

"They aren't here yet, I see. Take a chair, please." He sat down behind the desk. "We'll

wait here; it won't be very long."

 

Nor was it. In about fifteen minutes the door opened and three gray-uniformed men, one

of them pushing a wheeled chair, entered the office. Beedy, without headband or locket,

was chained to the chair. His uniform was tom off, both eyes would soon be

black-and-blue "shiners," and his flesh was puffy and bruised, but he was still full of fight.

When he saw the girl, however, he stopped struggling instantly and stopped her with a

word as she leaped to her feet, screamed, and ran toward him.

 

"If you'd used your brain, meathead," he said, glaring between swollen lids at the man

behind the desk, "and told your gorillas to tell me you had her here, it would've saved all

five of us some lumps."

 

"Well, I can't think of everything," the big man admitted. "I did tell her we had you, come

to think of it, which perhaps accounts for her cooperation." He studied his three men. The

smallest one of them was of B D's size, but each of the three bore more marks of battle

than did the captive. "I was not informed that you are such an expert at unarmed combat.

Free him, you, and get out. With the chair."

 

"Free him?" one of the captors protested. "Why, he'll . . ." and one of the others broke,

in:

 

"But he damn near killed Big Pietr, boss-they're taking him up to sick-bay now, and . . ."

 

"You heard me," the boss said, without raising his voice a fraction of a decibel, and the

three obeyed.

 

As the door closed, the two went into each other's arms, the girl moaning over her lover's

wounds.

 

"It's all right, now that I know you aren't hurt. You aren't, are you?"

 

No, not the least bit, in any way," she assured him. "But they hurt you, and if you think . .

."

 

"Hush, sweetheart, listen. I got more of them than they did of me, so, with you here safe,

if they won't carry a grudge I won't." He cocked a blood-clotted eyebrow-with a slight

wince-at the man behind the desk. "No grudge, I take it?"

 

"Splendid? No grudge at all."

 

B D turned to B A. "Wasn't this in your hunch?" he asked.

 

"Your getting all beat up certainly wasn't, but the rest of it . . . well, I guess it could fit the

pattern . . . but don't try to tell me it was that clear in yours, either!"

 

"I won't; but it does fit the pattern."

 

"You two are far and away the best we've found yet," the man at the desk said then.

"Since I'm going to be your instructor, you may as well start calling me `Basil." "Bay-sill?

That doesn't make sense," the girl said.

 

"It's my name. We don't use symbols-I'll go into that later. You are beginning to realize

that your knowledge and experience have left you almost entirely ignorant of man, of

nature, and of the cosmos. Exposure to that knowledge will be such a shock to your

minds that you will feel much better together than apart. To that end, would you like to be

married-'mate,' is your word for it-immediately?"

 

"But we can't," the girl said. "Not for half a year yet" "Sure we can, and we will," B D

said. "My hunch is that the Company is getting the flame. . . ." He hesitated slightly and

shivered, but went on doggedly, "and that you have already captured at least twelve

other Company Agents without getting flamed yourselves. Is that right, Bay-sill?"

 

"Very pleasingly right. Twenty, so far, have been able to withstand the impact of the truth

and remain sane ... but none of them are anything like in your class ... you must both be

mals."

 

He glanced at them questioningly, but neither made any response and he went on. "If so,

I hope to persuade you to help us look for others like you. Now, before I take you

upstairs to the sick-bay and thence to your suite, where you will find clothing and so on, I

am going to give you some of the basic elements of the truth. I shall give them to you

brutally straight. You will be shocked as you have never believed it possible to be

shocked. You will not be able to understand any part of it at first, but you must not ask

me any questions until tomorrow morning, when I will begin instructing you in detail. By

that time you will have given the matter sufficient thought so that you will be able to ask

intelligent questions. You wish to marry each other, you said?"

 

"We certainly do!"

 

"Splendid! You can make decisions, as well as think. I have very high hopes indeed of

you two. After the short visits I mentioned I will arrange for your wedding. Then, if you

wish, you may dine and retire to your suite until eight hours tomorrow.

 

"Now for your first introduction to the truth. This world is not the only world in existence

and you people -you upper echelons are just as much people as those you call

People-are not the only people. There are thousands of millions of other worlds, more or

less like this one, throughout an immensity of space so vast as to be beyond imagining.

There are thousands of millions of human beings-members of the human race, to which

both you and we belong inhabiting many of those worlds. One such world, my native

planet Earth, has a population of almost seven thousand million people. "Your concept of

the Company is completely false. There are hundreds of thousands of companies, each a

self-perpetuating group of men. Not supermen in any sense, but ordinary men like me.

Your company was and is only one of the multitude of companies of Earth. It was

founded by and is still operated by a group of greedy, utterly callous capitalists-money

men-of Earth. It was founded and is being operated specifically as a world of slave

labor. Every person born on this world is a slave; a slave without freedom, liberty, or

personal rights of any kind.

 

"We, on the other hand, represent a society of worlds of freedom-loving people. We

have come here to liberate all the inhabitants of this world from slavery; to enable you to

take your rightful place-and that place is yours by right-in the fellowship of all the civilized

worlds. Our creed, the creed of all free peoples everywhere, is this:

 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are

endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life,

Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

 

"These things I have told you, young friends, are fundamental. They are basic. They are

absolutely necessary prerequisites for any learning of the truth; so think them over very

carefully until tomorrow morning.

 

"When your instruction is complete, I am sure that you will be glad to work side by side

with us to unite your world with our society-The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics."