"No way they're going to bring those automated vacuum loaders here." "When they installed them on 14 and 23, they said it was temporary." "Well, they're still there." "Some temporary!" "Hand me that coupler, would you?" "What about Wooton?" "He's a shop steward." "What'd he say?" "I'll tell you what Wooton said." "Zip." "That's what he said." "They're always trying to pull something." "That's a lot of crap!" "They've run a seven worker shift since they installed those loaders on 14 and 23." "Hey, you read the contract." "Eight workers per shift." "That's what it says." "Eight." "In black and white." "So they want to get cute, I can get cute, too." "I want a meeting." "Maybe we need a new shop steward." "Bylaws are bylaws." "Can't they regulate these suits?" "It's minus 175 degrees." "We broil our asses off." " Where's your other suit?" " In the shop." "Put some Mylar over the sensor." "It steps down the heating coil and you'll be cooler." "Really?" "No, moron, I made it up." "Oh, God!" "I hate spiders!" "Kill it!" "Kill it!" "Kill it!" "Hey, Tarlow, what's eating you?" "Get it off!" "Get it off my leg!" "Somebody please help me!" "Tarlow, what's the matter with you?" "Get what off?" "Spider!" "Please help me!" "Get it off!" "Get it off!" "Spider?" "Have you popped your cork?" "How can there be a spider here?" " There's nothing alive here." " Ah, he's putting us on." "Get it off!" "Oh, get it off!" "Oh, God!" "Very funny." "We're not falling for nothing." "Cut the garbage and get back to work." "Oh, God, it's getting inside!" "Get it out!" "Get it out!" "Somebody please help me!" "Somebody help me get it out of my suit!" "God, Tarlow!" " Two minutes." " Is it the buttermilk kind?" " I'm afraid so." " Yuck." "They were running out of the other kind." "I can hardly talk with these braces." "It won't be much longer." " How much longer?" " Pretty soon." " How soon?" " "How soon?"" " How soon for what?" " Till I get my braces off." " You want crooked teeth?" " I don't mind them." "You'll be missing some teeth in a minute if you don't eat breakfast." "Pretend it's not buttermilk." "Pretend I ate them." "Marshal, it's Lowell." "The night watch went okay." "Nothing much." "Just a couple of drunks." "We'll watch it tonight." "That's it." "I'll be in your office at 18:00." "Marshal, it's Montone." "Nothing more on that incident in the mine yesterday." "Some guy went whacko." "The Company's shipping the body back, or what's left, on today's shuttle." "It's impossible to do an autopsy." "You should have seen that mess!" "Anyway, definitely no homicide." "There were two witnesses when it happened." "It happens every once in a while up here." "Some people let this place get to them." "So that's about it." "Tell your wife that Transportation got the tickets for her." "I'll see you when you get to the office." "And don't worry, you'll get used to it." "What tickets?" "Oh." "Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds, the nice couple from the bakery." "They wanted tickets for the weekly shuttle for a friend." "So I said I'd see what I could do." "Well, I'd better go." "See you for dinner, sport." " And remember, seven pages of math." " I promise." " You be good today." " I will." "Look, I know this is a lousy assignment." "And I know what it is for you." "How difficult." "Just give it a chance." "It won't be so bad." "I know." "Bill." "I love you." "I love you, too." "We've only been here two weeks." "It'll get better. I promise." "I got to go." "You smell good." "And finally, I realize that I'm new here and I've got to get to know you, and you've got to get to know me." "I just hope that I can justify your confidence." "Thank you." " I really wowed them." " Yes, eating out of your hand." "Are there any questions?" "Uh, Marshal?" "Flo Spector Accounting Services." "I'm sure I speak for all of us in extending our welcome to you and your family." "If Mrs. O'Niel or your son should need anything, tell them to call me." "Thank you very much." "I'll be sure and tell my wife." "Her name is Carol." "I see there are no more questions." "I add my welcome to Marshal O'Niel." "I'm sure we all agree he'll have a pleasant tour." "Right now, he's just getting started here." "Soon he'll see that this is like every other mining town." " There's never much trouble." " I'm glad to hear it." "Just remember that these men and women work hard." "Very hard." "Since I've been the general manager, we've broken all productivity records." "We're becoming the leading Con-Amalgamate operation." "And everyone in this room has received the bonus checks to prove it." "Good work only comes from contented people." "I work these people hard and I let them play hard." "When it comes time for them to let off steam you have to allow them some room." "Long as no harm's done, just give them a little room." "Understand what I'm saying, Marshal?" "Thanks for the advice, Mr. Sheppard." "We're all professionals." "I'm sure we are." "Drop by my office." "We'll talk some more." "I'll do that." "Don't get your nose out of joint." "What was that all about?" " It's just his way." " I don't like his way." " Don't mess with him." " He's an asshole." "A very powerful asshole." "Don't mess with him." "He's just trying to sniff you out." "The last marshal kept things running smooth." "That's all they want." "Things run smooth, they make their money." "Nobody's here for their health, and they certainly aren't here for the scenery." "What is that guy doing?" "He's going in the elevator!" "He's going in the elevator without a suit on!" "Can we override the elevator from here?" "Hello?" "Carol?" "I'm trying to keep my composure and like everything else I do, I think I'm messing this up." "I despise these message things." "I'm just such a coward." "I couldn't look at your face and say what I'm about to say." "I just couldn't." "If you were in front of me, I'd change my mind." "And I don't want to change my mind." "I love you." "Please know that." "I hadn't planned this." "I really hadn't." "Oh, God." "I just can't take it anymore." "That's what it amounts to." "I know we've been over this so many times before." "The same crying from me, and the same assurances from you." "That the next place will be different." "But it never is. lt can't be." "So yesterday, something snapped in me." "I just couldn't bear to see Paulie clatter around yet another bleak place. I just couldn't." "He's a child." "He's never set foot on Earth." "Never!" "He looks at pictures and reads books of Earth all day long." "And he hides them from you so your feelings won't be hurt." "Don't you see he deserves a childhood?" "He deserves a chance to breathe air, real outside air where you don't broil or explode." "Air that smells like life!" "Not like a ventilating unit!" "I'm just not as good as you are." "I don't think it's worth it." "So I'm taking Paulie back home." "I love you." "You don't deserve this." "You deserve the best." "I've just got to go now, my love." "I'll contact you in a few days from the space station before we finally leave for Earth." "What do we have here?" "What's happening with the purser's area?" "We've put monitors on the whole area for 36 hours and things have been quiet." "Keep the monitors on for two weeks." " And the detonators?" " Oh, they were found." "Where?" "I don't know." "The foreman reported them found then told me to forget about it." "Nelson, we're talking about nuclear detonators." "You just don't lose them and then find them." "You lose your comb, then find it." "Not detonators." "I want to know where they were found and who found them." "Get it?" "Yes, sir." "Good for you, Nelson." "Slater, what about the incident in the mine elevator?" "Nothing much to tell, Sarge." "Some cupcake named Cane decided he didn't need an environment suit." "They're still sponging him off the elevator walls." "He was alone." "Nobody near enough to have thrown him in." "Some guys tried to get into the airlock except he'd sealed it." "No way it was homicide." " Had to have been a suicide." " Did he leave a note?" "I beg your pardon?" "Did he leave a note?" "None that we know of, sir." "Then how do you know it was suicide?" "There's no other explanation." "He knew what he was doing, that's for sure." "You can't fall into an airlock and then an elevator." "You have to open hatches, press buttons, close hatches." "It's the only explanation." "Thank you." "Yes, sir." "Okay." "Fanning." " What about the pump station?" " Just a fight." "We took them both in to cool off." "They straightened out soon." " Gil?" " Pretty quiet." "Couple of calls about noise." "Nothing much." "Who ordered all these pressure packs?" "This is a mine, not a war." " You did, doctor." " I said 100..." " ...not 1000" " You said 1000" "I said 100, which can't be mistaken for anything except 100." "It doesn't sound remotely like 1,000." "Listen!" "You'll hear what I mean." "One thousand." "One hundred." "Totally different." "You think they sound the same?" "Who are you, anyway?" "Are you Dr. Lazarus?" "Two aspirins and call me in the morning." "Doctor joke." "Are you the new marshal?" "Yes." "I'd like to talk to you." "I got an alibi." "Four people will swear we were playing poker." "I never heard that one before." " That's really funny." " Sorry." "Yesterday, a man went into the atmosphere without his pressure suit." "Yes." "A couple of days before, another man cut his suit open on purpose." "It happens here." "How often?" " I don't know." "It just happens here." " Why?" "I'm not a psychiatrist." "I can't tell you why." "Some people can't take it here after awhile." " Did you do autopsies?" " No." "Why not?" "The Company wanted the bodies shipped out quickly." "Secondly, when one exposes himself to zero-pressure atmosphere there isn't a lot to inspect." "In the third place, you're becoming a nuisance." "Yes, I know." "Give me a report of all of the incidents happening over the past 6 months." "I'd like it soon, or I might just kick your nasty ass all over this room." "That's a marshal joke." "It's open." "I didn't know what you'd like to eat, so I brought everything." "Listen, you got to eat something." "Can't catch crooks on an empty stomach." "I know how you feel. I do." "The second time I did a tour, my wife had skipped off with some computer programmer." "I have two daughters." "They call the programmer "daddy."" "My wife said she was happy." "I said, "Happy?" "The guy looks so boring."" "She said he was not Mr. Excitement, but he was always home." "You can't argue with that." "Try the food, it's not bad." "I will." "The hookers are nice." "They can help when you're lonely." "I'm sure." "I get the feeling I'm bombing." "No, you're not. I appreciate what you're doing. I really do." "No, it's just I'd like to be on my own for now." "I understand." "Marshal if you need anything if you just want to talk please call me." "Thank you." "We've got a response on your request." "I'm trying to keep my composure and like everything else I do, I think I'm messing this up." "I despise these message things." "I'm just such a coward." "I couldn't look at your face and say what I'm about to say." "I just couldn't." "If you were in front of me, I'd change my mind." "O'Niel." "What?" "How bad?" "I'll be right there." "I love you." "Please know that." "I hadn't planned this. I really hadn't." "Marshal, he's in the west wing." "Sergeant Montone is waiting for you." "He's in a leisure compartment roughing up a hooker." "She pushed the alarm." "When I responded, he had a knife and would kill her if I didn't leave." "Who is he?" "He's a crane operator named Sagan." "Been here 11 months, never caused trouble." " How's the girl?" " She's still alive." "Is he stoned?" "Beats me." "Some guys like to slap hookers around." "This is Marshal O'Niel." "Let that girl out and no one's going to hurt you." "Get away from me!" "No!" "Now listen to me!" "Just listen." "I can't go away and you know that." "Now nobody's going to hurt you." "If you want to talk, we'll talk." "I won't try to break in and you don't do anything crazy with that girl." "Okay?" "Go away!" " Get me a maintenance worker." " Yes, sir." "Which vent leads to the air conditioning duct for number two compartment?" "This one, sir." "Open it." "Open the hydraulic valves to release the door locks when I tell you." "Sagan, can you hear me?" "I hear you!" "I'll explain this to you very carefully." "I will release the hydraulic pressure on the door locks." "It will open this door." "You cannot keep the doors closed and stay in." "Why don't you just come out and make it easy?" "The second that door opens, I'll kill her!" "I'm going to slice her!" "I hate her!" "I won't argue with you." "And I won't trick you." "I'm going to count down from ten to one." "At one, the door will spring open slowly." "I will not rush in." "I will not shoot you." "I don't want to hurt anybody, including you." "Whatever the problem is we can work it out without hurting anybody." "You're going to kill me." "No, I'm not." "You have my word." "You also have my word that if you kill that girl I will kill you." "Now I'm going to count down from ten to one, slowly." "Just do as I say." "Ten eight seven five four three two one." "Well, he turned." "I saw the knife." "Jaw looks broken." "Maybe the nose." "Contusions." "Neck wounds look superficial." "Jesus Christ, who did this to her?" "A worker." "Went nuts." "It happens here, remember?" "I got that list." "She's bleeding in the abdomen." " Why didn't you bring it to my office?" " I don't make house calls." "Well, you do now." "She'll be all right?" "Maybe, if you let me do my job." "Twenty-eight in the last six months." "I wonder in the six months before." "Twenty-four." "I've got initiative." "Oh, good for you." "You want to know how many in the six months before that?" "Two." "Are you sure?" "I'm unpleasant, not stupid." "Of course I'm sure, I can count." " Well, what do you think?" " I don't know." "Almost nobody has both oars in the water, as far as I'm concerned." "Why people start to lose their marbles in greater numbers isn't so mystifying." "I don't know why more of them didn't do it sooner." "Where are the bodies sent?" "They usually ship them out on the next shuttle." "They wrap them up and jettison them halfway to the station." "Burial at sea and all that crap." "Hello?" "Lazarus?" "This is O'Niel." "I'll see you in the hospital right away." "Do you know what time it is?" "Yes." "You'd better be dying." " Is this going to take long?" " You're kidding me." " What does that mean?" " Nothing much." "Blood type, cholesterol count." "This blood is from a dead person." "Very good." "No alcohol." "He ate dinner." "Protein, carbohydrates more carbohydrates." "He didn't eat his vegetables." "No nicotine." "Some tranquilizers." "Yeah, they're Company tranquilizers." "Standard issue." "Blood sugar and hemoglobin are normal." " Hello." " What?" "I don't know." "Shit." "Such a smart piece of equipment, and a wreck like me trying to run it." "You know, you haven't your medical all-star here." "Company doctors are like ships' doctors." "Most are one shuttle flight ahead of a malpractice suit." "Something's there, isn't it?" "Maybe." "I spend my days dispensing tranquilizers to the workers and certifying that the prostitutes don't have syphilis." "I don't know how to analyze a new molecule." "Hello." "Is it a drug?" "You just won a prize." " What kind?" " Some kind of narcotic." "Nothing I've ever seen before." "Synthetic." "Bingo." "Polydichloric Euthimal." "Those stupid bastards are taking Polydichloric Euthimal!" "It's an amphetamine." "Strongest thing you ever saw." "Makes you feel wonderful." "You do 14 hours of work in six hours." "That kind of nonsense." "Especially manual labor." "It makes you work like a horse." "The Army tested it a few years ago." "It made everybody work, all right." "Then it made them psychotic." "It takes a while, ten, maybe eleven months." "And then it fries your brain." "You said it's synthetic." "Can it be made here?" "No." "Impossible." "It has to have been shipped in." "No autopsies." "So nobody knows anything." "The workers are producing more, so the Company's making bigger profits." "They're not about to ask any questions." "It's quite a setup." "Don't say anything to anybody about this." "I did good, didn't I?" "For a wreck." "Yes." "You did good." "Shit." " Nine to seven." " Right." "Do you want to tell me about it?" "Tell you about what?" "Sheppard." "What about him?" "How deep are you in?" "Not too deep." "I'm paid to look the other way." "You don't do anything bad, you just don't do anything good." "I'm going to bust Sheppard." " Are you serious?" " Yes." "This is no place for heroes." "You try to bust him you're messing with more than you think." "You're talking about the general manager." "He's a real hotshot here." "It's big money, people and places that we only know from letterheads." "This guy is connected with more than just the Company." "I mean it." "There's some serious stuff involved." "What will this prove?" "I'm not trying to prove anything." "That stuff they sell is killing people." "What will you do with me?" "I don't know." "You want me to resign?" "No." "Just don't come between Sheppard and me." "Just keep taking your money and looking the other way." "I don't want you." "I want him." "Your serve." "Think it over." "He's in cell 36." " Has he said anything?" " Not a peep." " Anyone ask about him?" " No." "If anyone does, I want to know." "Spota, this is O'Niel." "The report says you were carrying 4 ounces of Polydichloric Euthimal which is 400 doses." "I don't know what you're talking about." "Of course you don't." "How much does Sheppard pay you?" "I don't know what you're talking about." "You'll love it here, though some start to go crazy at night when you can't feel the floor." "And sometimes the air tether gets knotted and a man suffocates." "But that doesn't happen too often." "O'Niel, piss off!" "I like that." "You're real quick with a comeback." "I've got you nailed." "I've got witnesses and evidence." "You'll be shipped back and do time that will make this place look like a picnic!" "Now don't do a deal with me." "Don't get yourself a reduced sentence." "Just do your hard time while Sheppard laughs his ass off." "I've got to hand it to you." "You're pretty sharp." "See you around, tough guy." "Nobody talks to him." "Nobody touches him." "I mean nobody, you understand?" "I understand." "You know something?" "I can hit a seven iron 500 yards in this place." "Fix yourself a drink." "No, thanks." "You've been busy." "So have you." "How much do you want?" "How much?" "Just what we need here, a goddamn hero." "You know something?" "This rug has a slight break to the left." "Let me tell you what you're dealing with. I run a franchise." "I'm hired to dig as much ore as possible out of this hellhole." "There's a guy like me on every mining operation all over this system." "My hookers are clean, some good-looking." "My booze isn't watered." "The workers are happy." "When the workers are happy, they dig more ore." "They get more bonus money." "When they dig more ore, the Company's happy." "When the Company's happy, I'm happy." " Sounds wonderful." " Nothing here is wonderful." "It works." "That's enough." "Now every year a new marshal comes to start his tour." "They all know the score." "You know the score." "You're no different." "If this hero routine is to get your price up, I'll think about it." "What are you after?" "You." "What is it with guys like you?" "If you were such a goddamn super-cop what are you doing on a Company mining operating like Io?" "They didn't send you here as a reward for your sterling service." "You know that and I know that." "I read your record." "You've got a big mouth." "That's why you're sent from one toilet to the next." "Me?" "I don't plan on spending the rest of my life doing this." "Well, good for you." "Now, look, this charade of yours is silly." "You meddle, I want you to know what you're meddling with." "You got something to prove, prove it to yourself, not to me." "I'll see you around." "If you're looking for money, you're smarter than you look!" "If you're not, you're a lot dumber." "I'm probably a lot dumber." "That can be very dangerous." "All right, tough guy, time to talk." "Shit!" "Montone." "Montone." "What's the matter?" "Sun in your eyes?" "Well, well, well, if it isn't the law!" "Sheppard, guess what I just found in a meat locker?" "I have a feeling that you'll tell me even if I don't guess." "Two hundred and fifty pounds of hamburger named Yario that works for you." "I also found your shipment of PDE." "I threw the hamburger in jail and the PDE in the toilet." "Or the other way around?" "I can't remember." "You've been busy." "Yeah, are you proud of me?" "Real proud." "Good shot." "You destroyed the shipment?" "Yes." "You do have a flair for the dramatic." "Was it expensive?" "More than you can ever imagine." "You could be out of business." "You know, I've misjudged you." "You're not stupid." "You're crazy." "You think you caused an inconvenience?" "Is that what you think?" "Why don't you go home and polish your badge?" "You're dealing with grownups here." "You're out of your league." "Whoever sent that shipment will be mad that you lost it." "Grownups have no sense of humor." "I'd play a firm eight iron there." "Just swing easy." "Marshal." "You're dead." "Do you hear me?" "I hear you." "Bellows, this is Sheppard." "What the hell's been going on down there?" "Just a little trouble. I can take care of it." "Send me your best men." "And the two you had?" "Send me the men!" "I'll straighten everything out." "My people are not going to like this." " I'll have it straightened out." " When do you need the men?" "On the next shuttle." "I'll see what I can do." "I'll call you back later." "Morning, Marshal." "What have we got?" "Break-in at the women's quarters." "Can't tell if it was a pervert or a burglary." "The guy was surprised and ran like hell." " Any prints?" " Nothing clear." " What else?" " Not much." "A hell of a fight in the cafeteria." "A broken nose and teeth was the damage." "Both guys are cooling out in the tank." "Where's your sergeant stripes?" "Well, it's only been a couple of days since Sergeant Montone" "You're the new sergeant." "You wear your stripes." "Put them on now." "Yes, sir." "Sheppard." "This is Bellows." "You've got the men you want and it wasn't easy." "My people are very unhappy." "This could cause trouble for us on the other operations." "If the Company got wind of what's going on, they'd clamp down like a vise." "They can't afford to lose their franchise." "It could put my people out of business." "And my people like being in business." "Tell them not to worry." "How good are the men?" "The best." "They've left on the shuttle arriving Sunday." " They have their own weapons?" " Yes." "The target is O'Niel." "The marshal here." " You better not mess this up!" " I won't." " It's your party." " Yes, it is." " How much help will he have?" " None." " You sure?" " Yes, I'm sure." "No one here will stick their neck out for anyone." "Once word spreads that these guys are pros there'll be no trouble." "I've got someone on the inside who'll spread the word." "Don't worry." "He's a dead man." "I'll tell you, if this doesn't work out the next guys who come will be coming for you." "No sweat." "I'll call you when it's over." "Yes, Marshal." "How many can l count on?" "Well, I don't know, sir." "What about you?" "Well, you see most of us are most are young." " We have families." " I have a family." "I know where we stand." "Thank you, sergeant." "Yes, sir." "That's pretty good." "Playing by yourself and losing." "I'd join you in this dumb game if I could play sitting down." "Yes, I'm well, thank you." "Pretty busy." "Seems there's some flu going around." "You'd be surprised how many workers will be sick this Sunday." "It's your actual epidemic." "Are you going to be sick this Sunday?" "If you want sterling character, you're in the wrong place." "You know...." "If you're the guy you're supposed to be, you wouldn't stick around." " That's why they sent you." " Maybe they made a mistake." "I was afraid you'd say something like that." "You really think you're making a difference?" "Then why, for God's sake?" "Because maybe they are right." "They send me here to this pile of shit because they think I belong here." "I want to find out if they're right." "A whole machine works because everybody does what they're supposed to." "And I found out I was supposed to be something I didn't like." "That's what's in the program." "That's my rotten little part in the rotten machine." "I don't like it." "So I'm going to find out if they're right." "Your wife is one stupid lady." "You want to go get drunk?" "Yes." "At least you have some sense left." "Hello, there." "Hello." "I'm doing it again." "I've had so much time to prepare what to say and here I am looking at your face, and my mouth has gone to mush." "How's Paul?" "He's fine. I promised him he could talk to you." "He's in the next room." "Are you well?" "I'm okay." "Paulie and I...." "The reservations have come through." "We're flying home." "The reservations are for three." "That was thoughtful." " Please." " I can't." " Why, for God's sake?" " I just can't." "I wish I could." "What is so important?" "I'm too tired to try to explain." "You're making a difference?" "Do you think what you're doing is worth giving up your family for?" "You're a stubborn son of a bitch." "Yes." "Something's wrong there, isn't it?" "No." "I know you're in some kind of trouble." "When you speak in sentences of less than two words, you're in trouble. I know it." "I'm okay." "Damn you." "Take care of yourself." "You can come in now, Paulie." "I love you." "Hi, Daddy!" "Hi, Paul." "How are you doing?" "Great!" "Mommy let me stay up late because this is when the call came through." "I miss you." "I miss you, too." "Mommy says as soon as you get done, you'll come home with us." "As soon as I get done." "What's it like on Earth?" "Oh, it's beautiful." "You're going to see many wonderful things." "And you'll have friends to play with." "Mommy says that on the flight, they put you to sleep for more than a year." "That's true." "Will it hurt?" "Not a bit." "You'll just wake up and be home." "I'm going to sleep through my birthday." "Next birthday, I'll get you two presents." "Can't you come home with us?" "Not right now." "Soon?" "Soon." "I love you, Daddy." "I love you too, Paul." "You take care of Mommy." "I will." "See you, Daddy." "I could use a little help." "I thought so." "You should protect us." "You're the police." "It's your job." "Where are your men?" "My men?" "My men are shit." "Jesus, take it easy!" "What are you doing here?" "I went to your office to offer help." "I saw you on the screen." "You're heading right for them." "You're in terrific shape." "They've missed the artery." "I'll stop the bleeding." "Which way were they heading?" "They were going to the operations wing, trying to cut you off." "Could you seal off the access ways in the east quadrant?" "I'll go out around them." "Thank you." "Don't misconstrue." "I'm not displaying character just temporary insanity." "I'm going outside." "Now get the hell out of here." " Go on." " I can help." " Don't argue with me!" " I can help." "Seal the access corridors and lead them into C-5." "Don't get maudlin." " Can I help?" " Oh." "Terrific." "Here comes the cavalry." "You're a bit late." " Is the marshal all right?" " So far." "Where is he?" "Outside somewhere." "Outside where?" "How the hell should I know?" "Maybe in the greenhouse." "Sheppard...." "Oh, fuck it." "How's the arm?" "It's all right." "I was on my way to drinking myself into a stupor and I thought I'd say goodbye." "You were a good friend." "Thank you." "Thank you." "There hasn't been so much excitement in this heap for some time." "Well, I have to go now." "Me too." "It's going to hit the fan around here and I want to watch it happen." "You did good." "So did you." "Damn right."