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information on the
planet, its people, the location of the robot—everything I thought might assist
you.”
    He handed over a
disposable electronic notebook. Xris accepted the information, stood up.
    “One more thing.
Where do we deliver it?”
    “What?” Sakuta
appeared genuinely confused.
    “The robot,” Xris
said patiently.
    “Oh, yes! My
goodness. Of course. Delivery. Um ... I don’t suppose that bringing it here
would ... No, I can see that wouldn’t do.”
    Xris had been
shaking his head.
    Sakuta was
baffled. “I’m afraid I have no idea ... I’m so unused to this sort of thing.
Have you any suggestions?”
    “Pandor . . .”
Xris recollected. “It’s near the Void, isn’t it?”
    Sakuta nodded.
    “There’s a place
known as Hell’s Outpost. I see you’ve heard of it.” Xris grinned at Sakuta’s
shocked expression. “It’s not bad. A quiet place. Everyone minds his or her own
business. Perfect for our transaction. Meet us there. We’ll let you know when.”
    “I’ll be there,”
Sakuta promised, though he didn’t look happy.
    The professor
rose, moved around from his desk. He extended his hand, shook hands with each
of them, had only slight difficulty in retrieving his hand from Raoul’s
affectionate grasp. He walked with them to the door of the office.
    “I’d give you a
tour of the museum,” he said, “but this has left me with an upset stomach. If
you wouldn’t mind ...”
    Xris assured him
that, much as they would love to view the exhibits, they were on a tight
schedule. They walked down the hall. The receptionist was not at her
desk—rather to Xris’s disappointment. She had seemed to regard him with a
certain amount of interest. Of course, he was wearing a suit that hid his
cybernetic leg, his fleshfoam and plastiskin hand, and a wig that covered the
scars on his bald head.
    Xris considered
waiting. The Little One put an end to his hopes.
    “The Little One
says she is not for you, my friend. She is interested in the professor and the
feeling is mutual.” Raoul heaved a despairing sigh. “Ah, well. It never fails. The
good-looking ones are always straight.”
    Xris smiled, took
out a twist, thrust it into his mouth. They descended the stairs, stepped out
into the exhibit area, which was now packed with groups of schoolchildren.
Their shrill voices echoed, bounced off the high ceiling. Xris turned down his
augmented hearing. They dodged shrieking children, harassed-looking teachers,
stoic-faced museum guides, and were near the exit when the Little One suddenly
grabbed hold of Xris’s right hand, pointed.
    A woman stood with
her back half to them, apparently deeply involved in studying the brochure she
held in her hand.
    “She interested in
us?” Xris asked quietly.
    The Little One
nodded.
    “I don’t suppose
she thinks I’m incredibly sexy and hopes I’ll ask her to go dancing.”
    The Little One
shook his head.
    “Who’s she working
for?”
    The Little One
shrugged.
    “She is very
single-minded, is thinking only of us. Perhaps she is aware that we have a
telepath. Do you want me to deal with her, Xris Cyborg?” Raoul asked, his hand
reaching for his purse, where he kept a tube of very special lipstick.
    “No,” Xris said,
and continued walking out the door. He watched, out of the corner of his eye,
the woman follow after them. “It’s nice to know someone cares.”
     

Chapter 5
    Advance knowledge
cannot be gained from ghosts and spirits, inferred from phenomena, or projected
from the measures of Heaven, but must be gained from men for it is the
knowledge of the enemy’s true situation.
    Sun-tzu, The Art of War
     
    The Mag Force 7
team was scheduled to meet later that evening in a small conference room in the
Megapolis Spaceport Hotel, in a room that had been reserved by Xris under the
auspices of a corporate leader gathering together his regional managers for a
sales conference. When Xris had first been contacted by Sakuta for the job, he’d
put the word out