The Return of Santiago: A Myth of the Far Future Read Free Page B

don't know who you are?"
           "I never thought of it that way," she said, "but maybe choosing a new name wasn't a bad idea."
           "Beats the hell out of being a Myrtle."
           "Do I look like a Myrtle to you?"
           He stared at her and shook his head. "You look like a Duchess who saved my life. Of course, you won't drink with me, but if I have to choose between your doing one or the other . . ." He ended with a smile.
           "Well, you look exactly like a Danny Briggs."
           "That bad, huh?"
           "If you don't like the name, change it like I did."
           "What would I change it to?"
           "That's for you to decide."
           "I never had a hero," he admitted. "I guess I'll keep it and stay who I am."
           They stood in silence for a few more minutes, engulfed in angular shadows. Then Danny checked his timepiece.
           "We've been here almost an hour," he announced. "I think we can start hunting up a place to stay while we figure out our next move."
           "Where are we going?" she asked as he began walking back toward the city.
           "Where do you want to go?"
           "You know that little hill at the south end of town, the one overlooking Lake Belora?" she said. "Have you got anything there?"
           "I've got two houses in the area," he replied. "I won't know if either of them has a lake view until we get there."
           The first house was actually in a valley just beyond the hill, but the second, still luxurious but less impressive, looked like they would be able see the lake from the second level.
           "It's too bad I didn't know this would be happening," remarked Danny. "There's an empty villa fronting the lake. It even has a dock and a couple of boats."
           "So let's go there."
           He shook his head. "It's going to be robbed sometime tonight. We don't want to be anywhere near it, just in case."
           "How will we get in?" asked the Duchess as they approached the front door of the house they had chosen. "I don't know how to break into a house. Won't it have a security system?"
           "Have a little trust in the man whose life you saved," he replied, kneeling down to study the computer lock. "Shit!"
           "What is it?"
           "I can crack the combination in a couple of minutes, but it's got a bone reader."
           "A bone reader?"
           "Yeah. I can get around almost any retina ID system, but bone readers are tough. They scan your skeleton and compare it to anyone who the computer's been programmed to accept. I've got a couple of healed fractures that won't match up against anyone else's."
           "Then we'll do without our lake view and go to the other house."
           "Give me a minute," he said. "There's never been a security system that couldn't be penetrated."
           "By you?"
           "By somebody." He flashed her a smile. "I am but a talented amateur."
           "Sure," she retorted. "And I'm a millionaire virgin."
           "That gives me all the more reason to find a way into the house."
           He touched the lock, and a holographic screen appeared in the air, filled with dozens of icons. His fingers began moving expertly over the lock, and the icons began racing across the screen in near-hypnotic patterns.
           "How's it coming?" asked the Duchess after a few minutes.
           "Oh, it's been unlocked for awhile," he said.
           "But you can't hide your fractures."
           "I'm not trying to."
           After another minute he stood up. "Okay," he said. "I'm done."
           The door dilated, and she began to step through it. He grabbed her arm and held her back.
           "Gentlemen first," he said, stepping through.
           The door slammed shut in her face. He disappeared for a moment, then opened the door and invited her