Sidney's Comet

Sidney's Comet by Brian Herbert Read Free Book Online Page B

Book: Sidney's Comet by Brian Herbert Read Free Book Online
Authors: Brian Herbert
Tags: Fiction, General, Science-Fiction, Fantasy
before he could swing the wrench. Two clean belly punches and a forearm across the face put the big man down, writhing in pain.
    “One of these days, hot-shot!” the sergeant moaned. I’ll get you!”
    “Yeah, yeah,” Javik sneered. “Can’t you see I’m scared to death?” Javik activated his moto-boots, rolled toward a waiting autocar at the edge of the landing pad. “C’mon, Staf,” he said. “Let’s hit the baths.”

    General Munoz closed a manila file folder, added it to a large stack on the left side of his desk. He squirmed in his chair from sitting too long, rubbed the corner of one eye. Which one? he thought. Which one do I choose?
    He felt stiff, and stretched his arms straight out in front. There was a buzz in his left ear, and he picked at it, squinting one eye as he did so.
    “Over here, fleshcarrier!” a voice said. It seemed to come from the corner to Munoz’s left.
    “Huh?” Munoz said. He lowered both hands to the desktop, and slowly . . . ever so slowly . . . his jaw dropped, leaving his mouth agape. For as General Munoz looked at a small round trash can in the corner near a disconnected disposa-tube, he saw a banana peel fly out and hover in the air. A candy bar wrapper followed, then a paper cup and half a cheese sandwich—all remains of the General’s lunch. The items hovered for a moment, then began to spin rapidly in a ball.
    “What the hell?” Munoz cursed.
    Suddenly, the ball of garbage became a ball of fire. “Die, fleshcarrier, die!” a voice screeched. The fireball flew toward Munoz’s face at blinding speed, and it was all the frightened little general could do to duck out of the way. As he ducked under his desk, the fireball whizzed overhead, striking the wall behind his credenza.
    When Munoz looked back, terrified, he saw the ball of burning garbage drop to the credenza top and spark. The fire smoldered, and Munoz wrinkled his nose at the odor.
    “Not very pleasant, is it, fleshcarrier?” the voice said. This time, the voice came from the smoldering fireball. “I’m a sample of my big brother! You won’t be able to dodge him when he comes!”
    “Who are you?” Munoz asked, still cowering under his desk. “And why are you doing this?”
    “Listen, fleshcarrier, and listen carefully. For you don’t have much time. Sidney Malloy is the pilot you need.” The voice gave Sidney’s consumer identification number, then faded away.
    Munoz inched out from under the desk. He fell into the chair, fumbled for a pen and a sheet of paper. With shaky handwriting, Munoz scribbled Sidney’s name and I.D. number.
    Who is this guy? Munoz wondered, staring at the note. He reached for an unread stack of dossier files. Maybe we have something on him here. . . .

    About ten minutes before the afternoon envelope stuffing session, Sidney sat at his desk on the Job Station Beasley Floor, thinking about the violence he had seen on his way to work. It troubled him deeply, although he was sure he should not feel this way.
    Sidney stared at the five meter high metronome mounted on a high octagonal platform at the center of the department. Light from an overhead fluorescent fixture glinted off the metronome’s shiny brass surfaces. A simple plaque on each face of the platform bore this inscription:
SHARING FOR PROSPERITY. Another way to share as we build a better future.
    Sidney had seen the plaque in other places, the axiom having been taken out of Quotations From Uncle Rosy. Both his motorboat and vacation condominium were owned on a time-share basis, with Sidney holding a one-fifty-second ownership in each. This gave him the use of each for one week out of the year.
    He mentoed a desk-mounted automatic thumb. It flipped through a thick stack of mail in front of him. A letter bearing the seal of the Presidential Bureau caught his eye. Stopping the thumb, he read the letter to himself in a low tone: “Mister Malloy: . . . We are making the following recommendations after reviewing the

Similar Books

Pathways (9780307822208)

Lisa T. Bergren

Fearless

Diana Palmer

Ming Tea Murder

Laura Childs

To Catch a Rake

Sally Orr

Kids These Days

Drew Perry