Chapter TEN
"Hey, everybody, quiet." Scarf's spit-and-phlegmbellow tamped the bar-room noise. It ground down.
Pointing at the solitary figure seated at the walltable, Scarf smirked and barked, "Give us the magicwords, Drummer."
The crowd's eyes went from Scarf to Drummer andback. No one spoke.
"Drummer knows," Scarf added sarcasm to histone, raising his finger to tap his temple. "The futureis open to him."
Drummer sat, transfixed, staring at Scarf. His freehand closed into a tense fist, then opened to caphis knee.
"C'mon, Drummer," Scarf went on, derisively, "tellus what you're going to do to make things rightfor all of us, and how we'll all be prosperous afterSlingshot cuts away."
His voice became harsher, gibing.
"You've been sittin' on that Plutonian Council foryears, Drummer, pushing your pet ideas to loosenup controls here and give more civil liberties there.You call yourself a Progressive, whatever thehell that's supposed to mean. To me, you're arevolutionist, undermining Narval's government,and trying to cram your politics down our throats."
Scarf moved away from the bar, drink in hand.Taking a long noisy swallow, he fixed his eyes onDrummer from above the rim.
Lowering his drink, he belched again and wiped hismouth with his sleeve. Placing the tumbler on anearby table he took another step toward Drummer.
"Being on the Council saves your neck for now,Drummer," he said with venom. "Soon as Narvalgets wise to you, and kicks your tail off, I'll becoming after you."
He reached Drummer's table.
"On second thought, why wait that long," his voicechanged to a snarl. "Now's as good a time as any."
He grasped the front of Drummer's cloak and jerkedhim to his feet.
"Tell me, old man, what can you do that Narvalcan't?"
The onlookers' silence hung heavily. The staleincense rose in eddies and diffused the shadowscast by the glowing wall sconces.
"Show's over, Scarf," said Drummer in a low voice,trying to twist away. "I've got to be on my way."
He placed his hand over Scarf's huge paw to loosenits grip.
They were of equal height, but Scarf, more thantwice Drummer's mass and build, would have noneof it.
"The hell you do," he growled, tightening his hold.
Scarf began to shake Drummer, at first slowly, thenwith growing violence. Drummer, unable to maintainbalance, slipped to his knees. Scarf jerked upward,raising Drummer on unsteady feet. Ramming hisface close, he cursed in a loud, coarse monotone,swinging Drummer in one direction, then another.Unable to disengage, Drummer was confused. Hiscloak tore, his hair fluttered about his face, andspecks of spittle flew from his lips.
Brad and Hodak watched the action from wherethey sat. Scarf's sudden outburst was of morethan passing interest. He had called his victim"Drummer," a name familiar to Brad through themany intelligence briefings he had been given duringindoctrination; also, "Scarf" was a name used inthe immigration clerk's call from the landing site.
Other than military, who and what was Scarf, andwhy was he tormenting Drummer? More important,could this bar-room brawl be exploited to theSentinels' advantage? They desperately neededcontacts within Narval's regime. Their mission didnot allow the luxury of time. An opportunity hadjust fallen into his lap. Brad leaned toward Hodak.
"The bruiser," he said. "Take him down, but easy."
Hodak shot a quick glance at Brad, rose andshambled between the tables until he was behindthe sledgehammer.
Tapping Scarf on the shoulder, he said quietly,"Hey, c'mon, let the old geezer alone. He was justminding his..."
Scarf reacted with incredible speed for his size.Shoving Drummer away, he whirled, arm extended.Powered by the force of his pivot, the edge of hisrigid hand aimed directly at Hodak's throat.
Hodak stepped back and to the side, gripped Scarf'sthick wrist in his muscle-corded hands. Using hisattacker's momentum, Hodak twisted and bent.The Major's huge body catapulted through the airand crashed on to a table and its several chairs,sending the occupants spinning.
A hand appeared from nowhere and pulled Scarf'spistol from its holster. In seconds, Brad was backat his table. The bar-room went deathly silent.
Scarf bounded up, spitting saliva, floor dust andcurses. He reached for his weapon and gaped whenhe felt emptiness.
Recovering, hunched forward, he charged Hodak,murder in his eyes.
Freed, Drummer stepped back to the wall, shaken,not understanding what was happening. He searchedfor a safe place.
Focusing on the struggle he recognized Hodak as oneof the escaped prisoners he had been speculatingabout. Taking a chance, he moved toward the tablefrom where Brad watched the action and the crowd.
Hodak, waiting for Scarf's charge, stood balanceduntil the last fraction of a second, then steppedaside. Scarf passed like a juggernaut and smashedinto the bar.
Leaning heavily over the bar, breathing inconvulsive gasps, Scarf turned his head to glare atHodak. Running his hand down his thigh he felt againfor his weapon. Eyes narrowed to slits, he searchedalong the filth-strewn floor. Scanning, his eyespassed the table where Brad sat, stopped, andsnapped back.
The weapon, distinctive by its red and black grip,lay there. He saw Brad watching, and Drummernearby, back to the wall.
Scarf lunged at Hodak, arms grappling. Hodak dancedback and away. As Scarf passed, Hodak grasped hiswrist and elbow, twisted, and curved Scarf's armback and up between his shoulder blades.
Hodak was gentle. With his free hand he probedand manipulated nerve centers in Scarf's neck andshoulders. Scarf dropped to his knees, then slippedback on to his rump, legs spread, arms slack, faceperplexed. It was enough.
He sat there, shaking his head to clear it. Lookingup, he saw Hodak standing a short distance away,and beyond, a ring of faces, several grinning, othersfrightened and wary. Shifting his eyes to where hisweapon lay, Scarf glared at Brad and Drummer.
The silence was broken by the shuffle of Scarfgroping upright, using a nearby table for support.He lurched to the bar and leaned over it forseveral seconds. Straightening, he grasped hishelmet with one hand, wrapped the other aroundthe flagon of Firehouse Red, and stalked out ofthe Charnel Pit.