The Lagrangists. Mack Reynolds

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СКАЧАТЬ But the new kids, they ain’t hit men. They’re all good family men, businessmen, even scientists and like that. Educated. I can’t even understand, mostly, what they’re talking about.”

      “I need six hit men, Uncle Caesar. Do I take it to Big Nick? He’s getting a little old, older than you are, by far. You were a punk when Big Nick became head of the families. He doesn’t like to be bothered by things like this, Uncle Caesar, but it’s a big operation. The most important since… since the families had to dump Luciano.”

      His face was wan. “Sophia, like I keep telling you, none of the boys are real soldiers no more.”

      She said, “Uncle Caesar, I am sure we have young men in the families who have had military training…”

      “Hell, we gotta army general.”

      “…and some who have even seen combat in some of these minor brush wars. I want six family members who can take orders and who are familiar with firearms and such, and have taken their oath; ‘made’ guys. Is that clear, Uncle Caesar?”

      He looked at her and shook his head in sorrow but said, “I will see about it, Sophia, cara mia.”

      When his face had faded, Sophia Anastasis slumped back in her chair. “Zen,” she muttered fiercely. “Why did I ever get myself sucked into this job?”

      She leaned back in the chair for long moments, her dark eyes half closed. Only a few hours ago she had heard on the Tri-Di news that Professor Casey and some of his staff were scheduled to make a trip to Lagrange Five and the construction ‘shack’ of Island One, on one of his periodic inspections. It was just as well. Anything that happened to him out there would be laid at the foot of his own people. Had it happened on Earth, suspicions would more likely be diverted elsewhere.

      She flicked on her phone again and said, “Antonio? I want you to drop everything else and make arrangements for six of our men to go to this so-called Island One. It’s a very important assignment.”

      “Island One? You mean this Lagrange Five Project?”

      “Of course. And Antonio—I want men who do not scorn their fathers for being made guys—soldiers. It may come to that.”

      The young man on her screen looked intrigued. “What would be their cover, Sophia?”

      She thought about it. “Get them identity papers from Nassau. They are a group of resort entrepreneurs who are making preliminary investigations into the resort possibilities of Island One, possibly even a casino. If their investigations are satisfactory, they plan to approach the Lagrange Five authorities with a proposition. They’ll be well dressed, very presentable, very business-like. And very obedient, Antonio. A soldier must obey.”

      He stared at her for a long moment, nodding, then evidently satisfied himself that he could comply. “I’ll look into it immediately, Sophia. When did you want them to leave?”

      “Soonest.”

      CHAPTER FIVE

      Rex Bader frowned at Susie Hawkins. “No position?” he said. “Professor George R. Casey? Why, he’s the head of the whole operation. I just wondered what his official title was.”

      Susie laughed wryly. “Nevertheless, he holds no governmental position. He still lives on his university salary.”

      He couldn’t believe her and said, “You mean those dizzards in Greater Washington have squeezed him out of a project he practically came up with single-handed?”

      Her smile was rueful now. “Not exactly. But, you see, in modern science single individuals seldom come up with a breakthrough. It’s invariably a team at work and the team might consist of a dozen, scores or even hundreds of persons. Who would you start with on the Manhattan Project? Einstein, Fermi, Oppenheimer? I could name a score of others who were vital members of that historic team.”

      “But still, he’s George Casey, Father of the Lagrange Five Project. And you say that he’s not even connected with the space colonization.”

      “Oh, that’s not what I said. I said he had no position, no title, no definite job. It’s his own suggestion. You see, the professor is a physicist, specializing in high energy experimental particle physics. The Lagrange Five Project involves practically every science known; everything from Astronomy to Zoology. Even such social sciences as socioeconomics. He does not consider himself to have the administrative training to coordinate all of the top men in all of these fields. There’s another thing, too: he doesn’t want to make a cent from the whole thing. If it became profitable to him, his enemies would have a lever to use against the project.”

      “Well, what does he do then, so important that somebody is trying to chill his old bones?”

      She bit her lower lip, as though wondering how to put it. Then: “It’s like I said back at your apartment. He’s our catalyst, our inspiration. He’s the man we all love. As you put it, he’s the Father of the Lagrange Five Project.”

      “Or godfather.”

      She glanced at him in curiosity. “Suit yourself. I’m not sure I like all your metaphors.”

      Their speed dropped off and shortly they branched off the main road, went on possibly a kilometer and took a still smaller branch. They approached an entry and the vehicle came to a halt on the dispatcher. Susie took over the controls again and shortly they came upon a building entry and entered it, obviously heading for underground garages. The building, though nothing like Rex’s high-rise, seemed large, of recent construction, and expensive.

      They pulled up before an entrance and a doorman, very military in posture and dressed like an Hungarian Field Marshal, opened up for them. He said, “Good afternoon, Doctor Hawkins.”

      Susie nodded at him and flashed a quick smile and moved toward the entrance briskly, Rex following. Nobody else seemed to be around and Rex Bader got the impression that this was a private entrance. Possibly the professor refused to feed at the government’s public trough but he wasn’t actually at work in a garret.

      Inside, there were only two elevators. Rex followed his guide into one of them.

      She said into the screen, “Professor Casey’s private office, please.”

      “Carried out, Doctor Hawkins,” the robot said.

      On the way up, Rex said curiously, “And you’re on the same basis? That is, you don’t work for the Lagrange Five Project directly either?”

      She shook her head. “No, I am on the project payroll, assigned as a research aide to the professor. All expenses involved in the professor’s work are borne by the government, usually through NASA.”

      Rex said, “And that’ll be my position, eh? Always supposing I accept it.”

      She nodded. “That is correct. You will be on the payroll as a research aide.”

      “What happens when some sage character in administration checks me out and finds that I’m not exactly qualified to be a research aide?” he demanded. “The computers in the National Data Banks would come up with that information from my Dossier Complete in ten seconds flat.”

      “That’s John Mickoff’s problem,” she told him. “He’s СКАЧАТЬ