lrh.villainyvictorious-第63部分

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With　a　shattering　roar　of　takeoffs；　the　street　was　empty　except　for　pedestrians　collapsed　upon　the　walks。
Then　people　began　to　run　out　of　the　building　and　out　of　the　shops。　They　looked　around。　They　stared　at　the　sky　in　horror。　A　woman　began　to　scream。
Madison　had　the　cameraman　fade　out　on　the　crushed　bouquet。　It　looked　as　though　the　battered　flowers　bled。
He　was　grinning。　It　had　been　carried　live；　as　a　special；　over　all　Homeview。
It　was　on　the　streets　in　an　hour：

HIGHTEE　ARRESTED
BY　HISST

Madison　had　it　all　scheduled。　Later　papers　would　carry　that　her　whereabouts　was　unknown；　later　ones　would　headline　the　beginning　of　the　riots；　tomorrow　it　would　be：

BILLIONS　MOURN

Madison　now　had　other　things　to　do。

Chapter　5

For　three　days；　the　Gris　trial　took　second　place。　For　all　three　of　those　days　Madison　had　been　beaming　a　message　to　Calabar。　The　message　had　been　carried　on　all　military　wavelengths：　these　were　known　to　be　monitored　by　the　rebels。　The　message；　over　and　over；　had　said：

JETTERO　HELLER。　ON　THURSDAY　MORNING　YOUR　SISTER；　HIGHTEE　HELLER；　WILL　BE　AT　HERO　PLAZA；　GOVERNMENT　CITY；　VOLTAR。　IF　YOU　DO　NOT　LAND　THERE　AND　GIVE　YOURSELF　UP；　AT　NOON　SHE　WILL　BE　SHOT。　LOMBAR　HISST；　DICTATOR　OF　THE　CONFEDERACY。

On　Wednesday　night；　Madison　leaked　it　to　the　papers。　On　Thursday　morning　it　was　being　carried　throughout　the　Confederacy。
Orders　were　crackling　on　every　Apparatus；　Domestic　Police　and　Army　line　to　control　and　suppress　riots。
Hero　Plaza　is　a　circular　expanse。　It　is　two　hundred　yards　in　diameter。　There　is　nothing　there　but　clear　pavement　since　it　is　often　used　for　affairs　of　state。　In　the　exact　center　is　a　pletely　plain　circular　pillar　fifty　feet　tall　and　about　twenty　feet　in　circumference；　led　to　by　three　circular　steps。　The　only　decoration　or　inscription　is　on　the　front　edge　of　the　top　step：　it　says　Dedicated　to　the　Heroes　of　Voltar。　Madison　had　chosen　it　carefully。
Entering　the　plaza　were　eight　boulevards；　usually　crammed　with　traffic。　Today　each　boulevard；　at　the　plaza's　edge；　was　blocked　by　an　Apparatus　tank。
At　nine　o'clock；　Hightee　Heller；　gowned　in　white；　was　taken　to　the　pillar　by　a　Death　Battalion　squad。　She　was　without　her　gloves　now　and　the　shoulder　of　the　dress　was　torn。　Her　golden　hair　was　in　disarray　but　it　still　looked　like　a　halo。
Her　eyes　were　calm　as　she　looked　at　the　Apparatus　general　who；　in　his　red　uniform；　was　directing　the　squad。
A　camera　crew　was　close　to　hand；　one　of　the　several　on　duty　at　the　plaza　now。　Hightee　saw　the　microphone　pointing　in　her　direction。
〃Jettero！〃　she　suddenly　shouted；　〃If　you　are　listening；　don't　e　in　here！　They　mean　to　kill　you！〃
The　general　had　acted　slightly　late。　He　clamped　his　beefy　hand　over　Hightee's　mouth。　At　a　gesture；　three　of　his　squad　chased　the　camera　crew　away。　But　Madison；　hidden　by　a　tank　at　the　plaza　edge；　saw　that　other　crews　were　covering。　It　was　all　going　live　to　the　whole　Confederacy。
The　Death　Battalion　took　a　chain。　It　was　twenty　feet　long　and　had　big　links。　They　clamped　one　end　of　it　on　Hightee's　left　wrist；　they　ran　the　length　around　the　pillar；　they　fastened　the　other　end　to　Hightee's　right　wrist。　They　made　sure　the　links　were　solid。　She　was　chained　now　with　her　back　to　the　pillar。
The　squad　drew　back。
The　heavy　guns　of　the　eight　tanks　at　the　boulevard　ends　trained　around　on　Hightee。
Madison　grinned。　What　a　tableau！　Beauty　chained　to　a　pillar。　A　vast　clear　area　of　pavement。　Eight　deadly　muzzles；　ringing　the　plaza；　poised　for　destruction。
And　then　things　started　to　go　slightly　wrong。　Possibly　the　crowds…which；　despite　roadblocks；　had　gotten　into　the　boulevards…had　been　in　the　grip　of　unreality。　This　couldn't　possibly　be　happening：　it　was　too　monstrous。　But　when　the　Apparatus　general　had　dared　to　actually　touch　Hightee　to　silence　her；　a　roar　and　mutter　had　begun　to　rise。
There　must　have　been　a　hundred　thousand　people　in　those　boulevards。　There　were　only　two　or　three　thousand　Apparatus　troops　forming　barricades　to　block　them。
The　barricades　buckled。
There　was　a　roar　of　Apparatus　stunguns。
Missiles　flew　from　the　crowd！
Apparatus　troops　charged　them！
The　Domestic　Police　were　conspicuously　absent。　The　Apparatus　knew　very　little　about　crowd　control。
For　twenty　minutes　there　was　hand…to…hand　fighting。
The　crowd　in　three　boulevards　managed　to　break　through　the　barricades。　The　tanks　at　the　plaza　end　had　to　swivel　their　turrets　about　and　fire。
Then　the　boulevards　were　full　of　stunned　and　bleeding　bodies；　civilians　and　Apparatus　alike。
Two　Apparatus　relief　regiments　came　in　and　boxed　the　mobs　in　the　streets　from　the　far　end。
It　was　not　until　10：20　that　some　kind　of　order　was　restored。　But　it　was　not　very　thorough；　for　people　from　the　rest　of　the　city　were　now　surging　up；　and　it　took　three　more　regiments　to　hold　barricades　as　far　away　as　a　mile　in　each　direction。
Madison　had　his　eye　on　the　big　clock　in　a　tower　a　thousand　yards　away。　He　supposed　that　Heller　would　wait　until　the　last　minute。　At　least　he　hoped　so。　He　had　no　slightest　notion　that　Heller　would　surrender。　Besides；　it　would　have　wrecked　his　plans。
That　clear　space　out　there；　a　hundred　yards　in　radius　from　the　pillar　where　Hightee　was　chained；　was　ample　for　someone　like　Heller　to　land　troops。
Madison　did　not　think　his　own　safety　was　at　risk　at　all；　for　he　didn't　think　that　Heller　would　use　artillery…it　would　endanger　Hightee。　Madison's　greater　worry　was　himself　getting　into　the　cameras：　accordingly　he　was　wearing　a　General　Services　gray　uniform　and　he　had　altered　his　features　with　makeup　and　masked　them　with　sand　glasses。　If　any　action　started；　he　was　going　to　step　through　the　port　of　this　tank。
The　digitals　of　the　distant　clock　were　flashing　second　changes。　He　looked　back　at　the　tanks：　their　muzzles；　freed　now　from　crowd　control；　were　pointed　back　at　Hightee。
She　was　being　pulled　against　the　pillar　too　tightly　by　the　chain。　Her　stretched…out　arms　must　be　half　killing　her。　Her　ripped　gown　had　slid　half　off　her　shoulder。　But　she　was　looking　at　the　sky。
Then　Madison　heard　it。
A　sort　of　booming　sound。
IT　WAS　DIRECTLY　OVERHEAD！
Madison　looked　up。　For　an　instant；　he　could　see　nothing。　Then　he　glimpsed　a　blur　that　was　travelling　high　at　some　ferocious　speed。　What　was　it？　Some　strange　kind　of　racer？
His　view　was　suddenly　blocked　by　a　swinging　gun。　The　tank　was　pointing　at　the　sky。
A　cry　rose　up　from　the　held…back　mobs。
It　could　only　be　Heller。　But　the　high　ship　was　going　right　on　by！
Eight　tanks　opened　up　with　a　bucking；　shattering　roar。　The　odd　space…racer　had　already　passed。　They　were　firing　after　it。
Their　shots　were　going　straight　through　it！
It　must　be　some　sort　of　an　illusion　being　pushed　ahead　of　a　speeding　ship！
It　was　almost　gone。　Then　suddenly　a　gun　must　have　detected　the　actual　vessel　behind　it。
THERE　WAS　A　HUGE　EXPLOSION　IN　THE　SKY！
A　direct　hit　from　a　tank！
Fragments　of　a　ship　were　black　against　the　blue！
A　shrieking　moan　came　from　the　crowd。　Before　their　very　eyes；　the　vessel　had　been　shot　down！
Madison　glanced　across　the　hundred…yard　gap　at　Hightee。　She　was　weeping。
Somewhere　distant；　the　remains　of　the　ship　crashed；　apparently　into　a　warehouse；　for　flames　shot　skyward。
Madison　looked　at　the　tanks。　He　felt　that　his　plans　for　great　PR　were　gone。　He　supposed　that　Heller　had　been　killed。　It　would　make　such　brief　headlines！
But　then　he　saw　a　tank　officer　pointing。　The　arm　was　stretched　upward。
A　thousand　small　objects　were　drifting　down　out　of　the　blue。　They　were　above　this　whole　area　and　made　a　mile…diameter　circle　of　their　own。
They　came　lower　and　lower。　A　tank　suddenly　opened　up　to　try　to　shoot　at　least　some　of　them　out　of　the　sky。
Madison　saw　a　distant　one　wink。
Then　he　had　a　sudden　impression　that　all　the　world　had　turned　blue。　Painfully；　unbearably　blue！
He　went　unconscious。
Only　because　cameras　kept　running　would　he　find　out　what　happened　then。
It　was　blueflash。　A　thousand　of　them　in　antigravity　holders　set　to　let　them　drift　down。　They　must　have　been　dropped　when　the　high　plane　went　over　and　were　set　to　explode　a　thousand　to　two　hundred　feet　above　the　pavement。
Almost　every　person　in　a　mile　diameter　was　knocked　unconscious。
Then　behind　them　came　a　larger　bomb。　It　went　poof　about　a　hundred　feet　above　the　pillar。
The　whole　area　was　swallowed　in　dense　fog。
Nothing　could　be　seen。
Then　there　was　the　pulsing　sound　of　spaceship　drives。　That　first　ship　must　have　been　a　drone。　Heller's　had　not　been　touched。　There　was　the　thump　of　a　landing　in　the　mist。
Then　the　click　of　airlock　latches。
Heller's　voice！　Very　softly；　〃Oh；　I　am　so　sorry　I　had　to　knock　you　out。〃
Shortly　another　click　of　latches。　Then　a　throb　of　drives。
Half　an　hour　later；　Madison　came　awake。
The　mist　was　gone。
There　was　nothing　in　the　plaza　but　two　broken　chains。
HIGHTEE　HAD　VANISHED！
Madison　looked　at　the　bare　pillar。　No；　there　was　something　else　there　now。　Something　hanging　from　a　pin。
Madison　groggily　stumbled　forward。　He　got　a　camera　crew　on　its　feet。　He　made　them　go　up　and　shoot　the　broken　chains　and　then　this　strange　object　on　the　pin。
It　was　a　cheap　excursion　ticket。　It　had　been　reworked　so　as　to　read：

A　ONE…WAY　TRIP　TO　HELL　NINE
FOR　LOMBAR　HISST

Madison　was　ecstatic。　He　had　his　headline：

OUTLAW　BROTHER
RESCUES　SISTER

HIGHTEE　SAVED

JETTERO　HELLER
CONSIGNS
DICTATOR　OF　VOLTAR
TO　PERDITION！

Madison　had　done　it。　He　had　converted　Heller　into　an　outlaw　that　could　now　be　chased　by　every　active　unit　in　the　whole　Confederacy！
And　the　incident　of　Hero　Plaza　had　started　his　client　on　the　road　to　immortality。

Chapter　6

〃I　can't　imagine　how　it　happened；〃　said　a　stunned　Lombar　in　the　safety　of　his　dungeon　office　at　Government　City。　〃Heller　is　still　on　the　loose！〃
〃It's　simply　that　people　don't　realize　yet；〃　said　Madison；　〃that　you　mean　business。　They　didn't　do　the　job　properly。　They　let　you　down。〃
〃That's　true；〃　said　Hisst。　〃I　have　been　too　weak。　I　have　tolerated　the　riffraff　too　long。　Now　they　are　rioting　in　the　streets。〃
〃Things　have　gotten　up　to　a　point　of　national　emergency；〃　said　Madison。　〃You　need　people　around　you　you　can　trust。〃
〃Trust　somebody？〃　said　Lombar；　for　this　was　a　brand…new　idea。
〃I　admit　that　someone　like　that　is　pretty　rare。　But　we'll　have　to　do　something　about　these　riots　before　we　can　get　on　with　our　business。　I'll　be　ri