Dead Center
by
S. D. Gottesman
(Author of "Before the Universe," "Trouble in Time," etc.)
Where is the exact dead center around which the entire cosmos revolves? For whoever can get there first can control the universe!
CHAPTER I
The chilled-steel muzzle of the old-fashioned automatic swerved not an inch as Angel Maclure spoke: "I'm at your service, gentlemen. What can I do for you?"
"Put that gun down," advised the shorter man easily. "We just didn't want any fuss. You have our blasters—we won't try anything."
Maclure grinned and lowered his pistol. "Right," he said. "I wasn't sure whether you'd mistaken me for a banker or somebody who deserved killing." He gestured at the blasters which he had wrenched from his assailants' hands. "Pick 'em up, boys." They did, and pocketed the deadly little tubes. "Now what did you want?"
The shorter, softer-spoken man began: "Excuse my friend—he's new in our service. He doesn't realize that we should have asked you first and then pulled the tubes. Understand?"
"All forgiven," said Maclure shortly; "I just didn't expect to be jumped two minutes after I get off a liner. It usually takes months before the police hear that I'm around. What's the service you mentioned?"
"Let's wait before I tell you anything," said the shorter man. He smiled confidingly. "You'll find out enough to blow your top off. Now, Mr. Maclure, you're supposed to come with us—whether of your own free will or by force. Understand?"
"Sure. Call me Angel. What's your tag?"
Maclure walked off down the street, flanked by the other two. He knew that their pocketed hands fingered blaster tubes, and that a false move might cost him a foot or arm. But he was interested by the distinctly peculiar set-up he had seemingly blundered into. The last year he had spent on Venus doing a big engineering job—barracks and installation—for one of the wildcat land promoter outfits. The new scar on his jaw he had acquired, when he had stormed into the company offices with a payslip that he wanted cashed in full. He still carried the scar, but he had got his due amount, and with it a bit of interest lying in the back of the blasted safe. His trip to Earth again had been in quest of some much-needed relaxation; he had not taken kindly to being jumped by two strangers.
The shorter man hesitated. "I don't know," he said. "Perhaps you've heard of me. Baldur Gaussman."
"Yeah?" asked Angel, impressed. "You did that first floating weatherstation on Uranus, didn't you?"
"That's right." said Gaussman. He halted before a curtained taxi. "We
