Legacy | Page 5

"Tate warned me she might get very difficult about this time. She's too
conscientious, I feel."
"She also," said Mihul, "has a boy friend in the Manon System. They've
been palsy ever since they went through the school here together."

"Ought to get married then," Plemponi said. He shuddered. "My blood
runs cold every time I think of how close those grabbers got to her
yesterday!"
Mihul shrugged. "Relax! They never had a chance. The characters Tate
has guarding her are the fastest-moving squad I ever saw go into
action."
"That," Plemponi said reflectively, "doesn't sound much like our
Maccadon police."
"I don't think they are. Imported talent of some kind, for my money.
Anyway, if someone wants to pick up Trigger Argee here, he'd better
come in with a battleship."
Plemponi glanced nervously across the balcony at the cloudless blue
sky about the quadrangle.
"The impression I got from Holati Tate," he said, "is that somebody
might."

2
There was a tube portal at the end of the hall outside Doctor Plemponi's
office. Mihul stepped into the portal, punched the number of her
personal quarters, waited till the overhead light flashed green a few
seconds later, and stepped out into another hall seventeen floors below
Plemponi's office and a little over a mile and a half away from it.
Mihul crossed the hall, went into her apartment, locked the door behind
her and punched a shield button. In her bedroom, she opened a wall
safe and swung out a high-powered transmitter. She switched the
transmitter to active.
"Yes?" said a voice.
"Mihul here," said Mihul. "Quillan or the Commissioner...."

"Quillan here," the transmitter said a few seconds later in a different
voice, a deep male one. "Go ahead, doll."
Mihul grunted. "I'm calling," she said, "because I feel strongly that you
boys had better take some immediate action in the Argee matter."
"Oh?" said the voice. "What kind of action?"
"How the devil would I know? I'm just telling you I can't be responsible
for her here much longer."
"Has something happened?" Quillan asked quickly.
"If you mean has somebody taken another swing at her, no. But she's
all wound up to start swinging herself. She isn't going to do much
waiting either."
Quillan said thoughtfully, "Hasn't she been that way for quite a while?"
"Not like she's been the last few days." Mihul hesitated. "Would it be
against security if you told me whether something has happened to
her?"
"Happened to her?" Quillan repeated cautiously.
"To her mind."
"What makes you think so?"
Mihul frowned at the transmitter.
"Trigger always had a temper," she said. "She was always obstinate.
She was always an individualist and ready to fight for her own rights
and anyone else's. But she used to show good sense. She's got one of
the highest I.Q.s we ever processed through this place. The way she's
acting now doesn't look too rational."
"How would she have acted earlier?" Quillan asked.

Mihul considered. "She would have been very annoyed with
Commissioner Tate," she said. "I don't blame her for that--I'd be, too, in
the circumstances. When he got back, she'd have wanted a reasonable
explanation for what has been going on. If she didn't get one that
satisfied her, she'd have quit. But she would have waited till he got
back. Why not, after all?"
"You don't think she's going to wait now?"
"I do not," Mihul said. "She's forwarded him a kind of ultimatum
through Plemponi. Communicate-or-else, in effect. Frankly, I wouldn't
care to guarantee she'll stay around to hear the answer."
"Hm.... What do you expect she'll do?"
"Take off," Mihul said. "One way or the other."
"Ungh," Quillan said disgustedly. "You make it sound like the chick's
got built-in space drives. You can stop her, can't you?"
"Certainly I can stop her," Mihul said. "If I can lock her in her room
and sit on her to make sure she doesn't leave by the window. But
'unobtrusively?' You're the one who stressed she isn't to know she's
being watched."
"True," Quillan said promptly. "I spoke like a loon, Mihul."
"True, Major Quillan, sir," said Mihul. "Now try again."
The transmitter was silent a few seconds. "Could you guarantee her for
three days?" he asked.
"I could not," said Mihul. "I couldn't guarantee her another three
hours."
"As bad as that?"
"Yes," said Mihul. "As bad as that. She was controlling herself with
Plemponi. But I've been observing her in the physical workouts. I've

fed it to her as heavy as I could, but there's a limit to what you can do
that way. She's kept herself in very good shape."
"One of the best, I've been told," said Quillan.
"Condition, I meant," said Mihul. "Anyway, she's trained down fine
right now. Any more of it would just