ahead
were the only ones heading for the towers. It looked like the towers
were out of bounds for most citizens. A moment later he was certain of
that, when he saw the number of armed guards around the entrance gate.

But the guards didn't stop Engels and the pair with him. They jerked
their heads in a brief greeting and walked right through the cordon.
Case paused, let them get inside the building.

* * * * *

Here goes, he thought. Nothing like a bold front in a spot like this. He
stepped forward briskly.

But the bold front wasn't working. Hostile eyes swung his way. Fingers
came down to rest on triggers that could send death winging.

Case looked up, pretended to be startled. A foolish grin spread over his
face. Would they believe he'd been day-dreaming? They would. He was
turning around and walking back the way he'd come and nobody was
stopping him.

He cursed under his breath. Somehow he had to get inside that tower Pete
Engels had entered. But how?

An inviting doorway yawned back along the avenue, and Case stepped
inside. He looked at his watch. A few hours left until the next blast.
He'd have to move fast.

Fighting his way into the tower was absolutely out of the question. He'd
never get past the guards. Maybe not, but he was sure going to try. This
time the grin on his face was far from foolish.

Case Damon had an idea, and he wasn't one to let time slip by before he
acted on it. The idea was simple, so simple it might even work.

An orange dye had gotten him into Kanato. But it would never get him
into that tower. Yet, Pete Engels and his pals had walked right in.
Maybe that was one place where an Earth complexion would turn the trick.

Case got out his handkerchief, spit on it a few times and started
rubbing. It was slow work, but he'd better not leave any telltale
streaks.

When he came out of the doorway a few minutes later, he had left behind
him a handkerchief and as much of the dye as he could remove. Lucky he'd
always been an outdoor man. Whatever was left would be too faint to show
against his tan skin.

His walk was not too slow, not too fast. His step was the step of a man
who knew he wasn't going to have any trouble. The guards looked up and
saw him coming.

Case kept his head down as though in deep thought. They could see his
color, but not his face. His right hand swung close to his holster. Now
a booted foot came into his line of vision.

The f