Heinlein, Robert A – Friday

“Stop right there. If you are going to talk about the late Dr. Baldwin, please do not use that dreadful nickname.”

“Sorry. You were thought to be an agent of System Enterprises, that is to say, of Dr. Baldwin, and you confirmed it by going to his headquartersÄ”

“Stop again. Were you part of the gang that jumped me there?”

“I am happy to say that I was not. You killed two and one died later and none of them was unhurt. Miss Friday, you’re a wildcat.”

“Go on.”

“KetÄ Dr. Baldwin was a mugwump, a maverick, not part of the system. With Red Thursday being mountedÄ”

“What’s Red Thursday got to do with this?”

“Why, everything. Whatever it was that you carried was bound to affect the timing, at least. I think the Council for SurvivalÄthat’s the side Mosby’s goons were working forÄgot the wind up and moved before they were ready. Perhaps that’s why nothing much ever came of it. They compromised their differences in the boardrooms. But I’ve never seen an analysis.”

(Nor had I, and now I probably never would. I longed for a few hours at the unlimited-service terminal I had had at Pajaro Sands. What directors if any had been killed on Red Thursday and its sequelae? What had the stock market done? I suspect that all really important answers never get into the history books. Boss had been requiring me to learn the sort of things that would eventually have led me to the answersÄbut he had died and my education stopped abruptly. For now. But I would still feed the Elephant’s Child! Someday.)

“Mac, did Mosby hire you for this job? Guarding me in this ship.

“Eh? No, I’ve only had that one contact with Mosby and that under a phony. I was hired for this through a recruiter working for a cultural attach‚ of the Ambassador for The Realm in Geneva. This job isn’t one to be ashamed of, truly. We are taking care of you. The best care.”

“Must be dull with no rape.”

“Ouch.”

“What are your instructions about me? And how many of you are there? You’re in charge, are you not?”

He hesitated. “Miss Friday, you are asking me to tell my employer’s secrets. In the profession we don’t do that . . . as I think you know.”

“Fiddlesticks. You knew when you walked in that door that your life depended on answering my questions. Think back to that gang that jumped me on Dr. B~ildwin’s farmÄthink what happened to them. Then speak up.”

“I’ve thought about it, many times. Yes, I’m in charge . . . except, possibly, for TillyÄ”

“Which one is Tilly?”

“Sorry. Shizuko. That’s a professional name. At UCLA she was Matilda Jackson. We all had been waiting in the Sky High Hotel almost two monthsÄ”

`We,’ plural. Name them. Ship’s roster names. And don’t try to stall me with guff about the mercenary’s code; Shizuko will be back in a few minutes.”

He named themÄno surprises; I had spotted them all. Clumsy. Boss would never have tolerated it. “Go on.”

“We waited and the Dirac warped without us and only twentyfour hours before warping time for the Forward we were suddenly alerted to leave in the Forward. Then I was supplied with color holos of you for us to studyÄand, Miss Friday, when I saw your picture, I almost fainted.”

“Pictures were that bad? Oh, come, now.”

“Huh? No, they were quite good. But consider where I saw you last. I thought that you had died in that fire. I, uh, well, you might say I had grieved over you. Some at least.”

“Thank you. I think. Okay, seven, with you in charge. This trip isn’t cheap, Mac; why do I need seven chaperons?”

“I had thought that you might tell me. Not that it is any of my business why you are making this trip. All I can tell you are my instructions. You are to be delivered to The Realm in perfect condition. Not a hangnail, not a bruise, not a sniffle. When we arrive, an officer of the palace guard comes aboard and then you’re his prob

1cm. But we don’t get paid our delivery bonus until you’ve had a physical examination. Then we are paid, and we deadhead home.”