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building and he'd just tighten up and bounce a few times.
    Four men, also meat for hire. Two of them survived."
    "Odd coincidence," Geneva said.
    "Yeah.And that isn't all of it. There was an explosion on Earth, in the Siblings compound. Nobody really hurt there. And Sleel has dropped from sight. I couldn't raise him."
    Geneva considered it. "Not good. We got some kind of conspiracy here?"
    "Looks like it. I've got some feelers out, but so far nothing is twitching."
    "What are we going to do?"
    "Wearen't going to do anything. You are staying put until you get well. I'm going to poke around a little and see what I can find."
    Geneva knew her well enough to know there was no point in trying to talk her out of it. So she said,
    "You be careful."
    "I will. You remember Grandle Diggs?"
    Geneva looked puzzled for a second."Starboard?"
    "The same.He happened to be in the neighborhood so he dropped by. He's gonna set up camp in here for a few days until I get back."
    "You think I need a bodyguard?"
    "Probably not, but what the hell, I'd feel better." With that, Dirisha reached down and activated the food tray slot. The small drawer extruded itself from the Healy, and the matadora removed a flat package from her jacket and dropped it into the drawer. As the drawer cycled shut, Dirisha said, "You know where the override in that thing is?"
    "Of course," Geneva said. She gave her lover a disgusted look. Nobody with her training would get into a box like this without knowing how to get out of it in a hurry.
    "Sorry. There's a pair of spetsdods and ammo in that pack. And a personal communicator you can bounce off the comsats to get to me anywhere onplanet, if you need me. If somebody gets past Starboard, you can pop the lid and throw something at them other than your good looks."
    Geneva smiled and peeledopen the package. She removed the two back-of-the-hand weapons and, moving with some care, managed to seat them in place. Another two seconds and both spetsdods were loaded. "Ah. Now I'm dressed again."
    "I ever tell you how beautiful you are?"
    "Not nearly often enough.I could move over and maybe make enough room to squeeze you in here."
    Dirisha laughed. "You heal up, brat. I've got some errands to run. I'll check back with you later."
    "You be very careful, Dirisha."
    "Always."
    The General Power Complex onBantuIsland was not a pleasure club. The men, women and mues sentenced there were not in the same class of hardcore criminals shipped to the Omega Cage for life, but neither could the GPC prisoners be called upright cits. Many of them were violent, most of them were going to spend an average of fifteen years in custody, and all of them would have rather been elsewhere.
    When Sleel was mustered into the system, he was unhappier than most of the population on the island.
    He was set up, by whom and why he didn't know, but he was damnsure gonna find out and when he did, there were folks gonna be sorry they were ever born.
    Sleel was stubborn, but he wasn't a fool. Until he could find a chance to escape, there was no point in making too much trouble forhimself . So he went with the guards quietly once the transport touched down. That all five of them held leveled hand wands helped his decision.
    He was processed, shaved bald and put through chem-sprays and scans, then given a floppy gray coverall, slippers, underwear and a packet of personal hygiene gear. A pair of guards took him to a single-occupant cube that was three meters square. A thin bedpad was drawered into the wall and a toilet and shower occupied one corner. There was a small cabinet to stow the packet they'd given him, and any personal belongings he might have or acquire.
    He pulled the bed out and examined it, pushed it back, and looked around.
    Welcome home, Sleel.
    "Come with me," said a voice from behind him.
    Sleel turned to see a man dressed in a coverall like his own.
    "I'm Brunder," the man said. He was average height, fair-skinned, and had been here long enough for his