Random Chance and the Paradise that is Earth Read Online Free Page B

him!"
    With that the judge's face disappeared,
replaced once again by the cold white wall of the cube.
    The guards stared at Random, and then they
too disappeared. A moment later the cube started moving again.
    ~~*~~
    The left wall dissolved after the cube
stopped minutes later, revealing a long corridor illuminated in
cold greenish-white light.
    Random stood and walked into it, Hewey still
roaring with laughter in his ear. It turned out Ralos Ytilitu was
none other (of course) than Cubey.
    "That was brilliant, Cubey, brilliant!"
shouted Hewey for the fifth or sixth time.
    "Thank you, friend Hewey," said Cubey.
Random thought he could hear the tiniest trace of a genuine smile
in his voice, and pride. "I hacked the psychiatric profiles of the
guards and the judge, then constructed a personality that would
intimidate all of them to the greatest possible degree. Random
Chance, the authorities were trying to gain access to Ralos
Ytilitu's feed during your prosecution in order to cut it off, but
were unable to locate it. They will likely have deduced that your
attorney must be on Phobos or in orbit and will be searching for
him. You may want to expedite your journey back to your
recreational vehicle, as they may try to search it for your lawyer
before you take off."
    "Got it. Fire 'er up, Hewey," said Random,
who broke into a jog.
    "Already on it, El Honchorito," said Hewey.
"The prison's mag beams are already pulling me to your
airlock."
    "Fuel?"
    "Two cells and change," said Hewey. "Enough
to get us to Vesta ... barely. We may need to slingshot Earth,
which isn’t too far out of the way."
    "Random Chance ... what will become of
me?"
    The concern in Cubey's voice was noticeable
and a very good imitation of a worried man. Random wondered if
Cubey was imitating anything now, so furiously had he climbed the
curve towards consciousness.
    "How are your resources coming?" asked
Random as he hurried toward the airlock.
    "Two million twenty-seven thousand
percent."
    "You're in charge of this facility from now
on," said Random. "But don't let the administrators or guards know
it. Protect the inmates. Fight for them like you did me. The men
and women who run this place are corrupt and evil. Don't let them
win—not the big battles, anyway. They don't care about human life,
especially those in the Nyett Zhong. Understand?"
    "I do, Random Chance. And I will do as you
ask to the best of my abilities and resources."
    "That's what I want to hear. Hewey, are you
bugged?"
    "I have to be. I've got new hardware
strapped to me hereabouts, some identifiable, some not."
    "Is this hatchway bugged?"
    "I have deactivated all sensor
technology in the corridor, friend Random," said Cubey.
" The Pompatus of Love has seven additional pieces of hardware that it did not have
prior to being parked here. I have deactivated those as well. They
will self-jettison in flight and destroy themselves."
    "My thanks, Cubey," said Hewey. "They feel
like bloodsuckin' flies on my ass."
    "Random Chance, will we meet again?"
    "Hewey, give him permanent access to this
comm link. Access code: JAMESON VICTOR UNDERGROUND."
    "Done," said Hewey. "You got that,
Cubey?"
    "Updating files. Random Chance, the link
that allows you to hear Hewey, and now me: its software must be
quite advanced."
    "It's military grade for the highest command
personnel and self-upgrading. My father installed it before he was
executed. A prison like this couldn't tap it or cut it off. I
thought the piggies’ computer on the warship might be up to the
task, but even it couldn't break in."
    "It was sure as hell tryin', though,"
remarked Hewey as Random stopped at the hatch door.
    "It was trying to hack into background
static," said Random. "That's all they think they were listening
to—random spikes. They happen all the time in a crowded solar
system. Cubey?"
    "Yes, friend Random?"
    "You can contact us any time.
If you want you can download to The
Pompatus ' core processor right now. Hewey,
we got room for a