The Galaxy Builder by Keith Laumer Read Free Book Online

O'Leary—"
     
                "Not Lancelot!" Lafayette cut in.
"Lafayette! And not Ladislaw, or Lohengrin, or Lafcadio, or any of those
other nerds from other loci. That's L-A-F-A-Y-E-T-T-E!"
     
                "To be sure," Frumpkin murmured,
ruffling the pages of his handbook. "The O'Leary. Of course. Why
claim descent from any lesser O'Leary?"
     
                "Descent my elbow!" O'Leary snorted.
"I am Lafayette O'Leary! The same one who got your great-grandpap
or whatever out of the soup the time Quelius made his play. Except for me, old
B-I would still be fending off Jemimah in the royal swine-pen!"
     
                Frumpkin was eyeing O'Leary intently. "I
suppose a grand delusion is no more trouble than a petty one," he mused
aloud, with a glance at Belarius.
     
                "Just for the record," the latter
suggested, "why not take a few Zeta readings on him? His mention of
Quelius suggests he may know something. The Quelius file is top SBR
classification, you'll recall: the hush order came from the top. So this chap
can't be as insignificant as he appears."
     
                "Very well," Frumpkin agreed,
"but frankly, I think he's bluffing. A quick scan at about D-level?"
     
                "A full class-A Zeta," Belarius
corrected in a solemn tone. "If there's anything here at all, it's likely
to be a major fault."
     
                "A fault? Not in our records, I
should hope," Frumpkin replied as he turned to Lafayette, extending what
looked like an electrified acupuncture needle. "Just hold still, won't
take a moment," he said soothingly, reaching for Lafayette's arm.
     
                "How could I do otherwise, trussed up in
this magic hair-net of yours?" O'Leary demanded. "You're not going to
stick that thing in me, are you?" he inquired in a less-than-optimistic
tone.
     
                "Just a contact device," Frumpkin
reassured him. The touch of the thin stiff wire was icy cold, and tingled.
Frumpkin ran it along O'Leary's arm while consulting dials in his suitcase, his
expression grave.
     
                "I say!" Belarius exclaimed after a
glance at the dials.
     
                "Just so," Frumpkin concurred
expressionlessly. Both men turned quickly to eye Lafayette without visible
approval.
     
                "Where have you hidden it?" Belarius
barked. Before Lafayette could protest, Frumpkin said sternly: "Young man,
it is now quite clear that you have not only committed the gravest offence in
the Civil Code, but have compounded the crime with a breach of the Primary
Regulation itself—though how you managed such villainy remains obscure, I
concede."
     
                "A mystery which will be elucidated
promptly, once the full attention of I-Branch is focused upon you, 'Mr.
O'Leary', as I assure you it will be in a very few minutes now," Belarius
elaborated and gestured curtly to Frumpkin. "Power-up the
shift-field," he commanded.
     
                "Wait!" Lafayette yelled. "What
if I really am Lafayette O'Leary; after all, your own gadgets are
telling you I'm not just a routine case."
     
                With a keen glance at Belarius, Frumpkin said
quietly, "We might be justified in holding him for higher-level
review ..."
     
                "You said we've got seventy-two
hours!" Lafayette cried. "Let me go, and I'll find Daphne, and you
can at least shift her to a more civilized locus! Where's your chivalry?"
     
    -
     
                Belarius and Frumpkin muttered together; then
Belarius touched a button on the panel in the trunk, and Lafayette felt the net
fall away. He looked down, saw what looked like a wire coat hanger bent into a
wad; he picked it up and, as Frumpkin jostled past him, dropped it in the
latter's pocket, from which it at once extruded a questing tendril. Frumpkin
halted abruptly, uttered a croak, and made an