Only one door was open to the street and a portable TV camera was
trained on it. No attempt was being made to stop people from going in
and out of the building, most of them didn't even notice the camera
and the little group of cops around it. I walked towards it at an even
pace. Strong nerves count for a lot in this business.
For one instant I was square in the field of that cold, glass eye, then
I was past. Nothing happened so I knew I was clear. That camera must
have fed directly to the main computer at police headquarters, if my
description had been close enough to the one they had on file those
robots would have been notified and I would have been pinned before I
had taken a step. You can't outmove a computer-robot combination, not
when they move and react in microseconds--but you can outthink them. I
had done it again.
A cab took me about ten blocks away. I waited until it was out of sight
then took another one. It wasn't until I was in the third cab that I
felt safe enough to go to the space terminal. The sounds of sirens were
growing fainter and fainter behind me and only an occasional police
car tore by in the opposite direction.
They were sure making a big fuss over a little larceny, but that's the
way it goes on these overcivilized worlds. Crime is such a rarity now
that the police really get carried away when they run across some. In
a way I can't blame them, giving out traffic tickets must be an awful
dull job. I really believe they ought to thank me for putting a little
excitement in their otherwise dull lives.
ii
It was a nice ride to the spaceport being located, of course, far out
of town. I had time to lean back and watch the scenery and gather my
thoughts. Even time to be a little philosophical. For one thing I
could enjoy a good cigar again, I smoked only cigarettes in my other
personality and never violated that personality, even in strictest
privacy. The cigars were still fresh in the pocket humidor where I had
put them six months ago. I sucked a long mouthful and blew the smoke
out at the flashing scenery. It was good to be off the job, just about
as good as being on it. I could never make my mind up which period I
enjoyed more--I guess they are both right at the time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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