A Handful of Darkness Read Online Free Page A

inorganic objects.”
    The Commander smiled grimly. “Then we’ll go back without any inorganic material.”
    “But our clothes! They can imitate belts, gloves, boots—”
    “We’re not taking our clothes. We’re going back without anything. And I mean without anything at all .”
    Hall’s lips twitched. “I see.” He pondered. “It might work. Can you persuade the personnel to—to leave all their things behind? Everything they own?”
    “If it means their lives, I can order them to do it.”
    “Then it might be our one chance of getting away.”
    The nearest cruiser large enough to remove the remaining members of the unit was just two hours distance away. It was moving Terra-side again.
    Commander Morrison looked up from the vidscreen. “They want to know what’s wrong here.”
    “Let me talk.” Hall seated himself before the screen. The heavy features and gold braid of a Terran cruiser captain regarded him. “This is Major Lawrence Hall, from the Research Division of this unit.”
    “Captain Daniel Davis.” Captain Davis studied him without expression. “You’re having some kind of trouble, Major?”
    Hall licked his lips. “I’d rather not explain until we’re aboard, if you don’t mind.”
    ““Why not?”
    “Captain, you’re going to think we’re crazy enough as it is. We’ll discuss everything fully once we’re aboard.” He hesitated. “We’re going to board your ship naked.”
    The Captain raised an eyebrow. “Naked?”
    “That’s right.”
    “I see.” Obviously he didn’t.
    “When will you get here?”
    “In about two hours, I’d say.”
    “It’s now 13.00 by our schedule. You’ll be here by 15.00?”
    “At approximately that time,” the captain agreed.
    “We’ll be waiting for you. Don’t let any of your men out. Open one lock for us. We’ll board without any equipment. Just ourselves, nothing else. As soon as we’re aboard, remove the ship at once.”
    Stella Morrison leaned towards the screen. “Captain, would it be possible—for your men to—?”
    “We’ll land by robot control,” he assured her. “None of my men will be on deck. No one will see you.”
    “Thank you,” she murmured.
    “Not at all.” Captain Davis saluted. “We’ll see you in about two hours then, Commander.”
    “Let’s get everyone out on to the field,” Commander Morrison said. “They should remove their clothes here, I think, so there won’t be any objects on the field to come in contact with the ship.”
    Hall looked at her face. “Isn’t it worth it to save our lives?”
    Lieutenant Friendly bit his lips. “I won’t do it. I’ll stay here.”
    “You have to come.”
    “But, Major—”
    Hall looked at his watch. “It’s 14.50. The ship will be here any minute. Get your clothes off and get out on the landing field.”
    “Can’t I take anything at all? ”
    “Nothing. Not even your blaster… They’ll give us clothes inside the ship. Come on! Your life depends, on this. Everyone else is doing it.”
    Friendly tugged at his shirt reluctantly. “Well, I guess I’m acting silly.”
    The vidscreen clicked. A robot voice announced shrilly: “Everyone out of the buildings at once! Everyone out of the buildings and on the field without delay! Everyone out of the buildings at once! Everyone—”
    “So soon?” Hall ran to the window and lifted the metal blind. “I didn’t hear it land.”
    Parked in the centre of the landing field was a long grey cruiser, its hull pitted and dented from meteoric strikes. It lay motionless. There was no sign of life about it.
    A crowd of naked people was already moving hesitantly across the field towards it, blinking in the bright sunlight.
    “It’s here!” Hall started tearing off his shirt. “Let’s go!”
    “Wait for me!”
    “Then hurry.” Hall finished undressing. Both men hurried out into the corridor. Unclothed guards raced past them. They padded down the corridors through the long unit building, to the door. They