Encounter Program

The dreams of a dead man called to him across the forbidden void of space. He would answer--or die trying... A slow smile spread across Broderick's face and the torch in his hand flashed. The front of Somack's suit charred and began to smoke. The hatch door snapped shut, cutting off the beam and isolating Somack in the exit hatch. Dumbfounded, Somack fell backwards, looking at the smoking ruin of his breastplate. The intercom crackled and Broderick's voice came through. "You're going to tell me something, Somack, or you're going to die. Spit it out before I deflate your little bubble of air in there." Somack wriggled his helmet off and coughed to get the blood out of his throat, but didn't answer. Broderick heard the sounds and said reasonably: "Don't be foolish. Don't you know you've been watched all your life? The only one who saved for years to buy this ship, so you must know. I'll give you thirty seconds." "Anna?" Somack gasped. "What did you do with her?" "You should never get chummy with a telepath. If you hadn't convinced her to keep quiet, things would be different. But now you're going to die and she's going to have her pretty little brains scraped clean." Broderick punched the cycle button in disgust and heard the satisfying sound of the ship's pumps emptying air out of the chamber where Somack lay...