He looked around, noting that the air over the Administrative Group was
comparatively free of traffic. To be sure, he would have to cross the
traffic lines, but he could take the upper lanes, avoiding all but
official traffic. A guard might challenge, but he could use his
identifying lights. He wouldn't be halted. He corrected his course a
little, glanced at the altimeter, and put his ship into a climb.
At length, he eased his ship over the parklike area over Administrative
Square and hovered over the parking entry. A light blinked on his dash,
to tell him that all the official spaces were occupied. He grunted.
"Wonder they couldn't leave a clear space in Official. They know I'm
coming in for conference."
He moved the control wheel, allowing his ship to slide over to a
shopping center parking slot, and hovered over the entry, debating. He
could park here and take the sub-surface to Administrative, or he could
use the surface lot just outside of the headquarters group. Of course,
the director frowned on use of the surface lot, except in emergency. The
underground lots were designated for all normal parking. Morely thought
over the problem, ignoring the helis which hovered, waiting for him to
clear the center of the landing area. Finally, his hand started for the
throttle. He would settle in the landing slot, let the guards shove his
heli to a space, and avoid any conflict with the director's orders
regarding the surface lot.
* * * * *
Suddenly, there was a sputtering roar. Someone had become impatient at
the delay. A small sports heli swept by, impellers reversed, and dropped
rapidly toward the entry to the underground parking space. Morely's ship
rocked a little in the air blast.
For an instant, Morely felt a sharp pain which gnawed at the pit of his
stomach. His head was abruptly light, and his hand, apparently of its
own volition, closed over the throttle knob.
This joy boy was overdue for a lesson.
Morely measured the distance quickly, judging the instant when the other
pilot would have to repitch his impellers and halt his downward rush. He
allowed his own heavy ship to wallow earthward.
Scant feet from ground surface, the sportster pilot flicked his pitch
control and pulled his throttle out for the brief burst of power which
would allow him to drop gently to the landing platform.
Morely grinned savagely as he saw the impellers below him change pitch
and start to move faster. He twisted his own impellers to full pitch and
pulled out the throttle for a sudden, roaring surge of power, then swung
the control column, jerking his ship up and away. As he steadied his
heli and cut power, he looked down.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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