Heydrick was out of the car and racing for a visiphone as a wobbling
wheel came loose and romped down the track, smashing sheds to metal
splinters.
"Get Tyko," he bellowed.
"Sorry," a robot said tonelessly. "No calls are going through till the
end of the emergency."
Heydrick swore wildly. He and Ria ran through the building and out onto
the huge terrace in front. The vast bowl of the city was in tumult.
Fires were raging on all the lower levels, and several of the towers
of the 7th level had crashed down in ruins. Mobs roared through the
streets, killing, burning, and looting. It was revolution. Security
police, trying to stem the outbreak, were caught in the maelstroms,
overwhelmed, and submerged. The lower levels had gone mad with hate.
Wildings were everywhere, organizing, leading, destroying.
Heydrick commandeered an empty flier, got Ria aboard and set the
automatic pilot for Tyko's tower in West 21.
* * * * *
In Tyko's tower, the old man stood watching the end of the grim
spectacle in the streets below. Walls of white fire moved out in
ever-widening circles from the experimental domes, moved through the
city, quieting the mobs, herding them back to their homes. Dead lay in
windrows.
A bell rang behind him. He turned. "Oh, come in," he said. It was
Thorsan, Feyjak's assistant.
"It's almost over," Tyko told him. "Order is being restored now. After
this, we'll keep the Blues in power and give the people a government
they can like. It's a sad thing, to govern people. Herding them about
like animals. Men should be free. I'm an anarchist myself ... out of
hours."
"How about my people?" Thorsan asked, an odd expression on his face.
"Your people? Oh, the Red Scientists. Don't worry. We knew this revolt
was coming, even if you Reds didn't. We've had our eye on the Wildings
for some time. You Reds are safe enough. When order is restored,
perhaps a joint government...."
Tyko stopped. He was looking into the muzzle of a blaster.
"I don't understand," he quavered.
"My people are the Wildings. We don't want any of your kind of
governments," Thorsan said slowly. "With you out of the way, nothing
can stop the revolution. I regret the necessity."
From the open doorway, Heydrick fired. The paralysis needle bit deep in
Thorsan's neck. He crumpled silently.
Heydrick and Ria stood before Tyko.
"I see you've completed your mission," the old man said. He frowned as
Heydrick put his arm around Ria.
Heydrick laughed. "When Thorsan comes out of it, give him scopolamine.
He'll tell you who did kill Feyjak."
"I suppose you want my blessing? You have it."
"How's your war coming?"
"It's over by now. Nasty business, government. What are you going to
do?"
Heydrick and Ria looked at each other.
"I think we'll find an empty asteroid and camp out for a while. The
universe is getting too crowded. I'm glad she was innocent, Tyko. I
could never have brought her in ... for any reason."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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