Part 21 (1/2)
”You don't want to do that,” murmured David Harstein. Tach's hand froze. ”The knight would be better.” The Takisian nodded, and quickly moved the chess piece. His jaw dropped as he contemplated the move.
”You cheat! Why, you miserable cheat!”
Harstein spread his hands in a helpless, placating gesture. ”It was just a suggestion.” The young man's tone was soft and aggrieved, but his dark brown eyes were alight with amus.e.m.e.nt.
Tachyon grunted, and wriggled back until he could lean against the sofa. ”I find it rather alarming that a person of your position would stoop to using your gifts in such a despicable manner. You should be setting an example for the other aces.”
David grinned, and reached for his drink. ”That's the public face. Surely with my creator I can fall back into my lazy, bohemian ways.”
”Don't.”
There was a moment of strained silence while Tach stared inward at pictures he would rather forget, and David with elaborate concentration gave the pocket pegboard chess set an infinitesimal s.h.i.+ft to the left.
”I'm sorry.”
”It's all right.” He gave the younger man a soothing smile. ”Let's go on with the game.”
David nodded, and bent his wiry dark head over the board. Tach took a sip of his Irish coffee, and allowed the warmth to fill his mouth before swallowing. He was ashamed of his overreaction to the teasing remark. After all, the boy had meant no harm.
He had met David in the hospital in early 1947. On the Wild Card Day, Harstein had been playing chess at a sidewalk cafe. No symptoms had manifested themselves then, but months later he had been brought writhing and convulsing into the hospital. Tach had feared that this intense, handsome man would be yet another faceless victim, but against all expectations he had recovered. They had tested: David's body exuded powerful pheromones, pheromones that made him hard to resist on any level. He was recruited by Archibald Holmes, dubbed the Envoy by a fascinated press, and proceeded to use his awesome charisma to settle strikes, negotiate treaties, and mediate with world leaders.
Of the other male Aces he was Tachyon's favorite, and under David's tutelage he had learned to play chess. It was a testimonial both to his own growing abilities and to David's teaching skills that he had resorted to his powers in an effort to keep the game from Tach. The alien smiled, and decided to repay the other man for his interference.
He carefully sent out a probe, slipped beneath David's defenses, and watched as that fine mind weighed and evaluated possible moves. The decision was reached, but before Harstein could act upon it Tach gave a sharp twist, erasing the decision, and subst.i.tuting another in its place.
”Check.”
David stared down at the board, then flipped it onto the floor with a howl while Tach climbed onto the couch, buried his head in a pillow, and laughed.
”Talk about me me cheating. I can't control my power, but cheating. I can't control my power, but you! you! Reach into a man's head and . . .” Reach into a man's head and . . .”
A key sc.r.a.ped in the lock, and Blythe called out, ”Children, children, what are you battling about now?”
”He cheats,” the two men called in chorus, pointing at one another.
Tach gathered her into his arms. ”You're freezing. Let me fix you some tea. How was the conference?”
”Not bad.” She removed her fur hat, and shook snow from the silver-tipped ends. ”With Werner down with the croup they were grateful to have my input.” She leaned forward, and pressed a soft kiss on David's darkly shadowed cheek. ”h.e.l.lo, dear, how was Russia?”
”Bleak.” He began collecting the scattered chessmen. ”You know, it doesn't seem fair.”
”What?” Tossing her coat onto the sofa, she pulled off her muddy boots, and curled up against the pillows with her feet tucked snugly beneath the silver fox fur.
”Earl gets to s.n.a.t.c.h Bormann out of Italy and save Gandhi from a Hindu fanatic, and you get to sit in a sleazy motel and attend a rocketry conference.”
”They also serve who only sit and talk. As you should well know. Besides, you've gotten your fair share of the glory. What about Argentina?”
”That was more than a year ago, and all I did was talk to the Peronists while Earl and Jack intimidated the jackboots in the street. Now, who do you think the press noticed? Us? Not likely. You've got to have flash flash to get noticed in this business.” to get noticed in this business.”
”And just what is this business?” interjected Tachyon, pressing a mug of steaming tea into Blythe's hands.
David hunched forward, his head thrusting out from his stooped shoulders like an inquisitive bird. ”Salvaging something out of the disaster. Using these gifts to improve the human condition.”
”That's how it starts, but will it end there? My experience with super-races-being a member of one myself-is that we take what we want, and the devil take anyone else. When a tiny minority of people on Takis began to develop mental powers, they quickly began interbreeding to make certain no one else would get a chance at the powers. It gave us a planet to rule, and we're only eight percent of the population.”
”We'll be different.” Harstein's wry laugh made a mockery of the statement.
”I hope so. But I'm more comforted by the knowledge that there are only a few dozen of you aces, and that Archibald hasn't welded all of you into this great force for Democracy.” His thin lips twisted a bit on the final words.
Blythe reached out, and pushed his bangs off his forehead. ”You disapprove?”
”I worry.”
”Why?”
”I think you and David should be grateful that you're out of the public eye. The rage of the have-nots against the haves is never pretty, and your race has a tradition of suspicion and hostility toward the stranger. You aces are surpa.s.sing strange. What is it one of your holy books says? Suffer not the witch?”
”But we're just people,” Blythe objected.
”No, you're not . . . not anymore, and the others won't forget it. I know of thirty-seven of you, there may be more, and you're undetectable-not like the jokers. National hysteria is a particularly virulent and fast-growing weed. People are seeing Communists everywhere, and it probably wouldn't take much to transfer that distrust to some other terrifying minority-like an unseen, secret, awesomely powered group of people.”
”I think you're overreacting.”
”Am I? Take these HUAC hearings.” He gestured toward a pile of newspapers. ”And two days ago a federal jury indicted Alger Hiss for perjury. These are not the actions of a sane and stable nation. And this during your month of joy and rebirth.”
”No, that's Easter. This is the first birth.” David's weak joke sank into the heavy silence that washed through the room, broken only by the hiss of wind driven snow against the windows.
Harstein sighed and stretched. ”What a gloomy bunch we are. What say we get some dinner, and find a concert? Satchmo is playing uptown.”
Tach shook his head. ”I have to go back to the hospital.”
”Now?” wailed Blythe.
”My darling, I must.”
”Then I'll go with you.”
”No, that's silly. Let David take you to dinner.”
”No.” Her lips had tightened into a mulish line. ”If you won't let me help, I can at least keep you company.”
He sighed and rolled his eyes as she pulled on her boots.
”Stubborn lady,” David remarked from beneath the coffee table, where he was scrabbling after the scattered chess pieces. ”We've all discovered that it does no good to argue with her.”
”You should try living living with her.” with her.”