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And you have not thanked me for saving you at great sacrifice."
An aide touched Ryll's arm. "Sir? The Chinese envoys at 8:00 A.M."
"I know," Ryll said. "Good night, Mother."
With Eola on his arm, Ryll followed the aide toward the White House limousine.
Phoenicia called after them: "Eola! What is he doing?"
"He is being President," Eola called back.
In the limousine rolling out of the airport with a full cavalcade of guards
and aides, Ryll leaned back and closed his eyes. Mercifully, Eola was too
tired to resume one of her interminable conversations about their "position in
society."
You played that pretty well, Ryll, Lutt intruded.
I did, didn't I. You have been most instructive.
How about letting me have a little time with Eola tonight? You won't let me
have Ni-Ni, so what about a roll in the hay with my wife?
You disgust me, Lutt.
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Want me to fight for control?
Want me to hurt your head?
No! How do you do that? Is it really that cat on the back ledge?
That is not a cat. It is a Soother.
I don't find it very soothing.
You're right. Wytee seems to have absorbed strange ways from contact with
Earthers.
The way you did?
Before Ryll could compose an answer, the cavalcade of limousines swung through
the side gate of the White House, passed armed guards standing at attention,
and rolled into the rear parking area.
A Zone Patrol officer opened the door for Ryll. As he leaned forward to
emerge, Ryll saw more ZPs guarding the dimly lighted rear entrance to the
White House.
"Glad to see you home safely, sir," the officer at the limousine door said.
Ryll scooped Wytee into a soft bundle and stepped out. No one, not even the
officer holding the door, gave any sign they thought it strange to see the
President with a cat in his arms.
Zone Patrol man have many thinks lustful breeding secretary woman, Wytee
offered.
This communication leaked through to Lutt.
What about my needs for "lustful breeding," Ryll?
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Ryll ignored this but Lutt was not deterred.
Eola's not all that bad in bed, Ryll. A little prudish, but I find that
stimulating.
If I permit it, will you stop interrupting me at crucial moments?
Anything, Ryll. Just watching everything is an awful bore.
Is it? I found it fascinating.
Except for sex.
That, of course.
Maybe you should stay in closer contact while I instruct you in the niceties.
It might grow on you.
Stop it this instant or I shall not grant your request.
Okay. Okay. Just trying to help.
You are trying to entice me into your disgusting Earther pleasures. You think
you can control me that way.
You seem to like basil.
No bazeel! You understand me, Lutt? Bazeel is over for good!
Anything you say, Ryll.
I mean it!
I see that. Just let me have Eola tonight. She's beginning to wonder why
you're not humping her regularly.
Very well, but I shall hurt your head if you try any tricks.
I'll be good.
That is an impossibility for you, Lutt.
Never leave the Soother too long in contact with an extremely ill patient.
Soothers not only take on characteristics of their patients but also are
deeply influenced by others with whom they come in mental contact during the
therapy period. For this reason, Soother applications must occur when there
is only one sick mind within their range.
-- Dreen text, for advanced education
Once more, Ryll and Lutt sat in the Listening Post to review its data. They
had raced the sunset across country, using a military plane, the Humptulips
Howler -- "a rocket with wings," the media called it.
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In the Post, Lutt dominated because of his more intimate familiarity with the
place. They spoke openly, alternating voice control, certain that L.H. had
provided a spyproof room.
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"If you're right about a conspiracy to assassinate us, which I will go along
with but not concede, the most suspicious events are those visits to Nishi,"
Ryll said.
"You saying she's in on it?"
Ryll managed a superb tone of Earther outrage. "Nishi? Never!"
"Then what're you driving at?"
"Woon is Morey's logical accomplice. After all, he conspired in your
brother's plan to have us murdered on Venus."
"The fat-boy senator knows what'll happen to him if I'm not around to prevent
it!"
"Perhaps an insufficient deterrent."
"Whatta you mean?"
"He may believe he could weather a spate of bad publicity if you are the focus
of national animus.
Make you look bad and he looks good by comparison."
"But he and Morey haven't met. There's only that one vidcom call and Woon
merely asked Morey to go to the Madison with plenty of money."
"Which Nishi rejected."
"Let's look at the two visits once more," Ryll insisted.
"This is the last time!"
Lutt punched the Listening Post controls and a screen came alive with what was
now a boringly familiar sequence, Woon entering Nishi's suite at the Madison.
"So he comes in and gives his hat and coat to Ebey," Lutt said. "Perfectly
normal. It's winter, you know."
"He's not even carrying a briefcase," Ryll agreed.
"So whatta they talk about? Just what Woon told me! No more Subiyama
revelations. And Nishi says she'll be mum. And Woon says Morey'll be along
to 'recompense' Subiyama." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]