"Stefan Gagne - Space Patrol" - читать интересную книгу автора (A Future We'd Like to See)

Maybe more fun. Not sure."

"That's a pretty good idea," the principal said, leaning back in his
chair. "A good pension plan and good pay. And after all, how bad could it
be?" -=( SP )=-



"Name?"

"Zeke Thunderclutch."

The recruiting officer peered over his glasses. That certainly could
NOT have been this stranger's real name. The officer was not surprised,
however. The garb, although slightly disheveled, resembled that of a
Not-So-Secret Agent. What few agents the officer had met had flamboyant,
dashing names.

Zeke was dressed in the only real outfit he had after being fired from
the Not-So-Secret Agent Corporation. There was a certain amount of prestige
to wear the usual rough and tumble leather jacket, sturdy jeans and heavy
boots that could survive being slept in several times, but it's not very
good to have a wardrobe consisting of three sets of the same outfit. He was
lucky they let him keep the clothes he was wearing... he had charged them
to a NSSAC credit card.

"Company of last employment?" the officer asked, writing down more
information.

"NSSAC," Zeke replied. The officer grunted a "I thought so" grunt and
scribbled this down.

"How long have you been unemployed?" the officer asked.

"Take in a deep breath, pal," Zeke scowled. The officer snorted the
air.

"Two weeks," the officer said, and wrote it down. The stench
associated to someone that hasn't had a shower in that amount of time was
rather distinct and hard to miss in an unemployment office.

The briefing officer put down his pencil. "Let me guess. Been a
Not-So-Secret Agent for a few years, bungled an important mission, and they
turned you out on your ear with nothing but the clothes on your back,
right?"

Zeke nodded. He had spent the last week in a partially drunken stupor,
unable to cope with losing his livelihood and career over a stupid
incident. Namely, he threw up in President Doofman's flower vase. He didn't
know that he was allergic to the spices in the food until his first bite