Part 20 (1/2)

”h.e.l.lo, remember me?” She tried to keep her tone light, but there was a fearful intensity about her.

”Of . . . of course. Come in.”

She didn't move. ”I've got a suitcase.”

”So I see.”

”I've been thrown out.”

”You can still come in . . . suitcase and all.”

”I don't want you to feel . . . well, trapped.”

He tucked the gardenia behind her ear, removed the case from her hand, and pulled her in. The flounces of her pale, peach-colored silk dress brushed against his legs, pulling the hair upright at the electric contact. Women's fas.h.i.+on was a pet hobby with Tachyon, and he noticed that the dress was a Dior original, the ankle-length skirt held out by a number of chiffon petticoats. He realized he could probably span her waist with his hands. The bodice was supported by two thin straps, leaving most of her back bare. He liked the way her shoulder blades moved beneath the white skin. There was an answering movement from within his jockey shorts.

Embarra.s.sed, he darted for the closet. ”Let me put on some pants. Water's ready for tea, and turn down that record.”

”Do you take milk or lemon in your tea?”

”Neither. I take it over ice. I'm about to die.” He padded across the room, tucking in the s.h.i.+rt.

”It's a lovely day.”

”It's a lovely hot hot day. My planet is a good deal cooler than yours.” day. My planet is a good deal cooler than yours.”

Her eyes flickered away, and she plucked at a wisp of hair. ”I know you're an alien, but it seems strange to talk about it.”

”Then we won't.” He busied himself with the tea while studying her surrept.i.tiously from the corner of one eye. ”You seem very composed for a woman who's just been thrown out,” he finally remarked.

”I had my hoo in the back of a taxi.” She smiled sadly. ”Poor man, he thought he had a real nut on his hands. Especially since-” She cut off abruptly, using the acceptance of the cup as a way to avoid his searching gaze.

”Not complaining, mind you, but why did you . . . er . . .”

”Come to you?” She drifted across the room and turned down the phonograph. ”This is a very sad part.” He forced his attention back to the music and realized it was the farewell scene between Violetta and Alfredo. ”Uh . . . yes, it is.”

She spun to face him and her eyes were haunted. ”I came to you because Earl is too absorbed with his causes and marches and strikes and actions, and David, poor boy, would have been terrified at the thought of acquiring a hysterical older woman. Archibald would have urged me to patch things up and stay with Henry-fortunately, he wasn't home when I went by, but Jack was and he wanted me . . . well, far too badly.”

He shook his head like a stallion bedeviled by gnats. ”Blythe, who are these people?”

”How can you be so ill-informed,” she teased, and struck a dramatic pose-so dramatic that it made a mockery of the words. ”We are the Four Aces.” Suddenly she began to shake, sending tea slos.h.i.+ng over the rim of the cup. are the Four Aces.” Suddenly she began to shake, sending tea slos.h.i.+ng over the rim of the cup.

Tach crossed to her, took the cup, and held her against his chest. Her tears formed a warm, wet patch on his s.h.i.+rt, and he reached out for her mind, but she seemed to sense his intent, and pushed him violently away.

”No, don't, not until I explain what I've done. Otherwise you're likely to get a terrific shock.” He waited while she removed an embroidered handkerchief from her purse, gave her nose a resolute blow, and patted at her eyes. When she again raised her head she was calm, and he admired her dignity and control. ”You must think me a typical scatter-brained female. Well, I won't bore you anymore. I'll start at the beginning and be quite logical.”

”You left without saying good-bye,” he broke in.

”Archibald thought it best, and when he's being fatherly and commanding, I've never been able to say no to him.” Her mouth worked. ”Not about anything. When he learned what I could do, he told me that I had a great gift. That I could preserve priceless knowledge. He urged me to join his group.”

He snapped his fingers. ”Earl Sanderson, and Jack Braun.”

”That's right.”

He bounded up and paced the room. ”They were involved in something down in Argentina, and in capturing Mengele and Eichmann, but four four?”

”David Harstein, otherwise known as the Envoy-”

”I know him, I treated him only a few . . . never mind, go on.”

”And me.” She smiled with a little girl's embarra.s.sment. ”Brain Trust.”

He sank back down on the couch, and stared at her. ”What has he . . . what have you you done.” done.”

”Used my talent the way Archibald advised. Want to know anything about relativity, rocket technology, nuclear physics, biochemistry?”

”He's been sending you around the country absorbing minds,” he said. Then he exploded. ”Who in the h.e.l.l do you have in your head?”

She joined him on the sofa. ”Einstein, Salk, Von Braun, Oppenheimer, Teller, and Henry of course, but I'd like to forget about that.” She smiled. ”And that's the crux of the problem. Henry didn't take kindly to a wife with several n.o.bel prizewinners in her head, much less a wife who knew where all his skeletons were buried, so this morning he threw me out. I wouldn't mind so much if it weren't for the children. I don't know what he's going to tell them about their mother, and-oh d.a.m.n,” she whispered, banging her fists on her knees. ”I will not not start crying again. start crying again.

”Anyway, I was trying to think of what to do. I had just wrestled free from Jack, and was bawling in the back of a taxi, when I thought of you.” Suddenly Tachyon became aware that she was speaking German. He bit down hard, forcing his tongue against the roof of his mouth to hold back nausea. ”It's silly, but in some ways I feel closer to you than I do to anyone else in the world; which is strange when you consider that you're not even from this world.”

Her smile was half siren, half Mona Lisa, but there was no answering physical and emotional response. He was too sickened and angry. ”Sometimes I don't understand you people at all! Have you no conception of the dangers inherent in this virus?”

”No, how can I?” she interrupted. ”Henry took us out of the city within hours of the crisis, and we didn't return until he thought the danger was past.” She was back to English again.

”Well, he was wrong, wasn't he!”

”Yes, but that's not my fault!”

”I'm not saying it is!”

”Then what are you so angry about?”

”Holmes,” he ejected. ”You called him fatherly, but if he had had any affection for you at all, he would not have encouraged you in this mad course.”

”What is so mad about it? I'm young, many of these men are old. I'm preserving priceless knowledge.”

”At the risk of your own sanity.”

”You taught me-”

”You're a human! You're not trained to handle the stress of high-level mentatics. The techniques I taught you in the hospital to keep your personality separate from your husband's were inadequate, nowhere near strong enough.”

”Then teach me what I need to know. Or cure me.”