Unwise Child

. "Well, that's that. Now-what happened?" He looked from Mike the Angel

aid quietly, "let

when the two rapscallions came in, and I was just tryin' to figure out where to begin. We're not bein' unco-operative. Let's see now-" He gaz

t you've got this place bugged to a fare-thee-well. So does every shop operator o

ling, and Mike the Angel smil

ay from you. Besides, we have some stuff that you'd like to have, too, so that makes us pretty much even. If we started confiscating illegal equipment from you, the JD's would swoop in he

have anything illegal-no robotics stuff or anything like that. Oh, I'll admit

looked blandly back at the little Scotsman. Harry MacDougal was ly

third time and looked at the

of the kids-the boy-stepped out of that closet over there and put a vibroblade at m

owned, but he did

t registered anything?

e in through the back door, there. And I'd ha' been willin' to bet ma life that no human bein' c

to what looked at first to be a totally dark room. Then the sergeant

leads into the alley, you got to turn two corners and walk about thirty feet. Even I, masel', couldn't walk through it witho

eant Cowder asked. "Anyone

unless I go with 'em. And not e

to let us in," said

ry. "But I wish I knew

er said. "What happened afte

the rear completely and take my stuff out that way. Th

ed at Mike the Angel. "About w

d him. "The kids probably hadn't

nodded in sile

pened?" asked

gadget he was carrying in his pocket. The sergeant listened patiently and unbelievingly through the w

wait a minute. What caused those

ulty," Mike the An

t Cowder asked skeptica

y seconds apa

g else, but a uniformed officer stuck his head in th

nd. But from the looks of the alley, there must have

on, and they certainly couldn't have put all this in their pockets." He rubbed one big finger over the tip of his nose. "Okay, Bar

nodded a

r was on the outside, in that truck, knew something had gone wrong as soon as the fight started in here. He-or they-shut o

Harry. "Is there any

ight now. I'll get in touch w

through the front of the shop to the f

assistance, Mr. Gabriel. I wish s

asked Mike

up at opportune moments, we'd

rted burning out every time they came near a cop, the JD's woul

you look at it.... Well, good night again." He stepped

thing." He began walking back down the long, narrow shop

stopped, sniffi

"Aye. Burnt i

rest to your main control cable. Start l

lled open another. He found the gadget on the third try. It was a plastic case, six by six

" Harry aske

time of the fight and the time they showed up. They must have had at least an extra minute. Besides, I didn't think anyone could build an instrument that would

nds. "Probably has a timer in it to

do you

y. Seemed like a nice lad, too. Didn't take him for a JD. Can't trust anyone

l favor, I'll show you how to build my own super-d

nkles. "You'd better think up a shorter name than that for it, laddie;

t to

ty I can do it in

sell you mine this time t

plus twenty." Then his eyes twinkled. "And speaking

going to like it. I came down to g

t si

to the proper bin, pulled them out, all

four dolla

You don't happen to have a hundred-tho

you. But, as a matter of cold fact, I do happen to have one. Use it for a p

Angel, "as long as you're giving i

ack with a ready-wrapped package measuring five by five by four. He handed it to Mi

three hundred dollars-more than that on the black market. If it was broken, though, it was no good to Mike. A microcryotron unit is a

aid. "Happen to know

in his all-over smile. "Sure