Man Who Used the Universe Read Online Free Page B

that insidious young fellow . . . what the devil was his name? Oh yes, Kees vaan Loo-Mickmin . . . no, Macklin, that was it. Too bad about him. Showed a lot of promise. But strange, strange . . . never got excited, never showed an ounce of emotion, nothing. Deadpanned as the land outside the tubes.
    Couldn't tell for certain where a man's loyalty lay if he didn't grow a little impassioned once in a while. Whether he got angry at you or something else was irrelevant. Loo-Macklin never got angry at nothing, Lal thought. Never shouted, never got involved.
    Robots acted like that, and at least they had the virtue of predictability. Lal found them more understandable than Loo-Macklin.
    He checked his minichronometer, an exceedingly finely wrought instrument which he wore on his left pinky finger. It provided not only the time of day and related statistics but also the time on Terra and Restavon. Suitably instructed, it would also offer up computer readouts detailing the various workings of his syndicate.
    He left his guests alone for a moment while he used the instrument to see how things were going with the expansion of his drug operations in the southern cities of Trey and Alesvale. Figures blinked at him: production up twenty-four percent, income up 132,000 credits for the first tenth of the year, south quadrant up five percent, north up six, western up sixty-three (have to see who was running western TreyAlesvale, he thought) and so on, each sector reporting in via the tiny computer link.
    Eastern quad up forty-five percent . . . that was Miles Unmaturpa, he remembered. Good man. Production beginning locally was running a deficit of 42,000 credits for the first half year of operation . . . only normal, start-up was expensive, he knew. Bribes, construction costs running to some 20,000 credits . . . you're going to die, Hyram Lal . . . expansion to southern Alesvale tubes . . . .
    He stopped the flow of information, frowning at the tiny screen, and backed the last series of statistics up, then ran them forward again at half speed. The pinkywink was linked directly to the master syndicate computer located in securitysealed A Tube. Either one of his programmers was playing a most humorless joke on the boss (in which case he might find himself suddenly as full of holes as an irradiated programming card) or else . . . .
    He gestured across the floor. Two very large gentlemen who'd been admitting the guests left their positions flanking the single entryway and made their way unobtrusively through the milling crowd of laughing, sophisticated citizens. While he waited for them to arrive, Lal played back the insolent section of material a third time.
    . . . costs running to some 20,000 credits . . . you're going to die, Hyram Lal . . . expansion to southern . . . .
    No, he hadn't imagined it.
    "Something wrong, sir?" said the dark man in the brown jumpsuit looming over him.
    He held up his finger and showed them the screen, ran through the message for them. "What do you make of this, Tembya?" The two men exchanged a glance, shrugged.
    "Beats me, sir. Some foul-up down in programming."
    "Maybe something like that. Maybe a sick joke. I don't like sick jokes." He thought a moment, looked sharply at the other giant. "Olin, has Gregor reported back to you yet?"
    "No, sir, not yet." The man checked his own information viewer, which was larger and not nearly as precise as Lal's. It blinked on his wrist.
    "No. Nothing from him yet."
    "That's your responsibility," said Lal. "Why haven't you notified me before now?"
    The man shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't think the delay anything remarkable, sir. Gregor promised to notify me as soon as he'd finished the job."
    "You think maybe he hasn't finished yet?"
    "Excuse me, sir," said Tembya, "but the delay strikes me as excessive. It's hardly likely that this kid Loo-Macklin, if his habits are as predictable as I've heard, would suddenly up and vanish for a whole day. Still, I suppose it's possible.