"Just a bunch of patsies," Jack said. "Lugert snaps the whip and you all lie down and play dead when he says so. That it?"
It took Karson a few moments to digest the strange idioms. Finally he said, "Right. He began small, with petty thefts and burglaries—he took anything he wanted. Then he began branching out. He compelled a scientist to create a serum for him that would instill absolute loyalty to him in anyone who took it; using that serum, he's built up a band of henchmen who shares his violent ways. Two days ago he decided to make the ultimate grab for power: he ordered us to evacuate the Government Building and let him take over."
"And you said yes," Jack remarked.
"What else could we do? But we have a weapon: you. You share Lugert's way of life; we don't. We can strike at him indirectly, through you."
"You want me to kill this Lugert. What's in it for me?"
"What?"
"I said, what's in it for me? What do I get out of it besides the risk of a punctured hide? I don't do these things for my health, Karson."
Karson thought about that for a moment. "Of course; there would have to be some reward, wouldn't there? Well, what would you want? We can supply virtually anything, if you'll do the job properly. Osmiridium? Sapphires? Books? Women?"
The man named Jack shook his head. "Gold," he said.
Karson was startled. "Gold? But why would you want—oh, very well. Gold was the reigning object of value in your day, wasn't it? Would 25 pounds be enough?"