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I studied the panel in front of me There was a timer that would apparently have to be set on a scale froe for kilovolts One reen squares to choose fro I could use one gauge as a control and adjust the other two in so system In between, I would check my results on the finished fil

I peered around the screen "OK, Frank, take a deep breath and hold"

Well, at least he got the "holding" part right

I pressed the switch on the handgrip I heard a brief bzzt Cautiously, I caht still be flying around the room I crossed to the table and removed the cassette Nohat? There had to be so process, but it didn’t appear to be in here I left theinto rooht tothe step-by-step procedure for developing plates I could get a job out here after this

Again, it was necessary to switch the power on After that, I worked in the dull red glow of the safelights, squinting h the process slowly I filled the wall-mounted tank ater as specified I flipped the cassette over and unlatched the back, re the film, which I eased into the tray It disappeared into the o? I couldn’t see anything in the room that looked like it would produce a piece of processed fil what happens when a ball rolls under the couch I left the room and went next door The hind end of the auto Xerox machine with a slot I waited A minute and a half later, a finished piece of film slid out I looked at it Pitch black Shit What had I done wrong? How could it be overexposed when I’d been so careful? I stared at the developer The lid was open a crack I peered at it Experiave it a push It snapped shut Maybe that would do it

I went back into the other rooh the entire process again Two rounds later, I found what I was looking for The overall quality of the picture was poor, but the ie was distinct In the center of Franklin’s belly was the solid white silhouette of a handgun It looked like a large-frale, ans There was soht I rolled up the X ray and put a rubber band around it Tiet out of here

Hastily, I shut down the machinery and shifted Franklin onto the cart for the ride back to theup the office in h the hall and into the ain when solanced over at the next tier of bunks Ajust about at eye level and it didn’t look right The bodies I’d seen had been deadly pale, the flesh like a doll’s skin, rubbery and unreal This hand seemed too pink I could see now that the body itself was only loosely covered with plastic sheeting Had it been there before? Iout hesitantly I think Isound you make when you’re close to a shriek, but haven’t yet committed yourself

Tentatively, I lifted the plastic away from the face Male, white, in his twenties There was no pulse evident but that was probably because there was a ligature wound around his neck so tightly that it had all but disappeared, sinking into the flesh until his tongue bugged out The body was cool, but not cold I stopped breathing I thought my heart would stop as well I was reasonably sure I’d just made the acquaintance of Alfie Leadbetter, newly deceased At that instant I wasn’t as worried about who had killed him as who had buzzed the door open to let me in I didn’t think it was Alf I suddenly suspected that I’d been cruising around that deserted building in the co to see what I was up to, waiting to do to ue attendant who’d gotten in the way

I backed out of the roo sick spurts of fear through ht, but so deadly still

Mentally, I traced an escape route, wondering what choices I had The n here were covered with burglar bars too narrow to slip through The exterior doors were heavy glass, eht not be able to penetrate I certainly wasn’t going to s attention toout of the sah the idea of even going out into the hall at this point was nearly more than I could bear