, looking at the screen.

"The game's over," I said. "Stand up slowly and keep your hands in
sight."

"What do you mean," he said angrily, looking at the screen in front of
him. The girl caught wise first. She spun around and pointed.

"He's _here_!"

They both stared, gaped at me, caught off guard and completely
unprepared.

"You're under arrest, crime-king," I told him. "And your girl friend."

Angelina rolled her eyes up and slid slowly to the floor. Real or faked,
I didn't care. I kept the gun on Pepe's pudgy form while he picked her
up and carried her to an acceleration couch against the wall.

"What ... what will happen now?" He quavered the question. His pouchy
jaws shook and I swear there were tears in his eyes. I was not impressed
by his acting since I could clearly remember the dead men floating in
space. He stumbled over to a chair, half dropping into it.

"Will they do anything to me?" Angelina asked. Her eyes were open now.

"I have no idea of what will happen to you," I told her truthfully.
"That is up to the courts to decide."

"But he _made_ me do all those things," she wailed. She was young, dark
and beautiful, the tears did nothing to spoil this.

Pepe dropped his face into his hands and his shoulders shook. I flicked
the gun his way and snapped at him.

"Sit up, Pepe. I find it very hard to believe that you are crying. There
are some Naval ships on the way now, the automatic alarm was triggered
about a minute ago. I'm sure they'll be glad to see the man who...."

"Don't let them take me, please!" Angelina was on her feet now, her back
pressed to the wall. "They'll put me in prison, do things to my mind!"
She shrunk away as she spoke, stumbling along the wall. I looked back at
Pepe, not wanting to have my eyes off him for an instant.

"There's nothing I can do," I told her. I glanced her way and a small
door was swinging open and she was gone.

"Don't try to run," I shouted after her, "it can't do any good!"

Pepe made a strangling noise and I looked back to him quickly. He was
sitting up now and his face was dry of tears. In fact he was laughing,
not crying.

"So she caught you, too, Mr. Wise-cop, poor little Angelina with the
soft eyes." He broke down again, shaking with laughter.

"What do you mean," I growled.

"Don't you catch yet? The story she told you was true--except she
twisted it around a bit. The whole plan, building the battleship, then
stealing it, was _hers_. She p