-Poul Anderson, A Knight Of Ghosts And Shadows IN Anderson, Sir Dominic Flandry: The Last Knight Of Terra (Riverdale, NY, 20120, pp. 339-606 AT Chapter III, pp. 378-379.
"Two militiamen escorted the prisoner into the office. 'You may go,' Flandry told them.
"They stared unsurely from him, standing slumped against night in a window, to the strong young man they guarded. 'Go,' Flandry repeated. 'Wait outside with my servant. I'll call on the intercom when I want you.'
"They saluted and obeyed. Flandry and Hazeltine regarded each other..." (Chapter XVIII, pp. 565-566)
"Flandry took out his cigaret case." (p. 566)
"[Hazeltine] charged...
"Flandry swayed aside. He passed a hand near the other. Razor-edged, the lid of the cigaret case left a shallow red gash in the right cheek...the knockout potion took hold. Hazeltine stumbled, reeled, flailed his arms, mouthed, and caved in.
"Flandry sought the intercom. 'Come remove the prisoner,' he directed." (p. 569)
Dual purpose gadgets are a gimmick of the screen James Bond and his imitators. After reading pp. 378-379, we should have known, when reading pp. 565-569, that Flandry would be safe if attacked by Hazeltine.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I remember that cigaret case! Really, it was an ingenious idea, to use it for a back up weapon in case of need. And many soldiers and police officers also carry back up weapons in case they lost their primary weapon. For most, of course, that would be an extra gun or knife, not a gimmicked cigaret case. That last WOULD be appropriate for an intelligence officer.
Sean
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