"Oh, Lidd, Lidd ... do what you have to do!" Linda said. But Liddell let the blaster fall to the floor. For standing in front of him, waiting insolently, Jason Short had circled his arm about Linda's neck and was holding her in front of him as a shield. In his free hand, Short held a knife, the point barely touching the edge of Linda's ribcage. "Why," said Short in a pleasant voice, "don't we talk about where you're going to send me?" * * * * * Later Jason Short said, "I see they flashed a danger signal from Luna out. How do I know you won't do the same?" Short was a big man with immense shoulders and heavy limbs but the fluid, graceful movements of the born athlete. Only his eyes, in an otherwise pleasant face, looked brutal. Liddell had never seen a killer's eyes before, but did not have to be told that Short's were killer's eyes. "You don't," Liddell said. "You don't know at all." "O.K. pal. Have it your way. I guess I made a mistake at Luna out. I guess I should have killed them. Do you think it matters to me? Do you think it could possibly matter how many I kill now?" Liddell said nothing. Short licked his lips and studied Liddell's blaster, which he had retrieved while still holding Linda as a shield. "Are you going to kill us?" Linda said. "Lady, I'm not even thinking about it." "You're not--" "Yet. The important thing is--where am I going? Is there some way I can go off from here without you knowing where? Or without these machines of yours recording it?" "The machines record nothing," Liddell said. "It's all up to us." "Then all I have to do is kill you, and there'll be no way for them to trace me? Is that what you're saying, you sap?" "That's what I'm saying," Liddell admitted. Linda gave him a startled look but said nothing. "There must be a catch to it somewhere," Short protested. He almost sounded indignant. "There's a catch," Liddell said. "Give." "These stations. It's why they're manned. Don't you think the whole job could be done mechanically?" "Yes, but--" "But it's not, Mr. Short. Because there are too many variables. Because sub-space is still unpredictable and the thinking machine has not yet been built which can handle more than a few unpredictables." "What are you getting at?" "Just this, Mr. Short. You can kill us if you want to. You can choose your destination, wait while I plot it out on the de-materializer and possibly verify it for yourself if you know anything about sub-space." "I don't know anything at all about sub-space," Short admitted.