that your knowledge and experience have left you almost entirely ignorant of man, of
nature, and of the cosmos. Exposure to that knowledge will be such a shock to your
minds that you will feel much better together than apart. To that end, would you like to be
married-‘mate,’ is your word for it-immediately?”
“But we can’t,” the girl said. “Not for half a year yet” “Sure we can, and we will,” B D
said. “My hunch is that the Company is getting the flame. . . .” He hesitated slightly and
shivered, but went on doggedly, “and that you have already captured at least twelve
other Company Agents without getting flamed yourselves. Is that right, Bay-sill?”
“Very pleasingly right. Twenty, so far, have been able to withstand the impact of the truth
and remain sane … but none of them are anything like in your class … you must both be
mals.”
He glanced at them questioningly, but neither made any response and he went on. “If so,
I hope to persuade you to help us look for others like you. Now, before I take you
upstairs to the sick-bay and thence to your suite, where you will find clothing and so on, I
am going to give you some of the basic elements of the truth. I shall give them to you
brutally straight. You will be shocked as you have never believed it possible to be
shocked. You will not be able to understand any part of it at first, but you must not ask
me any questions until tomorrow morning, when I will begin instructing you in detail. By
that time you will have given the matter sufficient thought so that you will be able to ask
intelligent questions. You wish to marry each other, you said?”
“We certainly do!”
“Splendid! You can make decisions, as well as think. I have very high hopes indeed of
you two. After the short visits I mentioned I will arrange for your wedding. Then, if you
wish, you may dine and retire to your suite until eight hours tomorrow.
“Now for your first introduction to the truth. This world is not the only world in existence
and you people -you upper echelons are just as much people as those you call
People-are not the only people. There are thousands of millions of other worlds, more or
less like this one, throughout an immensity of space so vast as to be beyond imagining.
There are thousands of millions of human beings-members of the human race, to which
both you and we belong inhabiting many of those worlds. One such world, my native
planet Earth, has a population of almost seven thousand million people. “Your concept of
the Company is completely false. There are hundreds of thousands of companies, each a
self-perpetuating group of men. Not supermen in any sense, but ordinary men like me.
Your company was and is only one of the multitude of companies of Earth. It was
founded by and is still operated by a group of greedy, utterly callous capitalists-money
men-of Earth. It was founded and is being operated specifically as a world of slave
labor. Every person born on this world is a slave; a slave without freedom, liberty, or
personal rights of any kind.
“We, on the other hand, represent a society of worlds of freedom-loving people. We
have come here to liberate all the inhabitants of this world from slavery; to enable you to
take your rightful place-and that place is yours by right-in the fellowship of all the civilized
worlds. Our creed, the creed of all free peoples everywhere, is this:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
“These things I have told you, young friends, are fundamental. They are basic. They are
absolutely necessary prerequisites for any learning of the truth; so think them over very
carefully until tomorrow morning.
“When your instruction is complete, I am sure that you will be glad to work side by side
with us to unite your world with our society-The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.”
Chapter 19
DOUBLE AGENT
Back on Earth, affairs political and financial moved so fast and in such quantity that Upton
Maynard had more work on his hands than any one man could possibly do. He had to
sleep five or six hours almost every night. Also, he could handle those Tellurian affairs
much better if he were there in person-especially if he could drop GalMet entirely for a
while-and why not? Young Smith had plenty of jets . . . wherefore he called Smith and
Miss Champion into his inner office.
“Miss Champion, take notes, please. Mr. Eldon Jay Smith I believe, the Executive
Vice-President of Galactic Metals, Incorporated?”
“That is precisely what I have the honor and privilege of being, sir.” Smith put his right
hand over his heart and bowed. “As of the present moment, sir; that is, sir, I mean, sir.”
“You’ll start executing as of the present moment, sir,” and Maynard told him what he had
in mind, concluding, “So sit on the throne, hub, ’til I get back-and don’t let the block line
drop down through the bottom of the chart.”
“Drop? You kidding? Now we can get something done -it’ll zoom right up through the top.
How about it, Dorry?” He winked at Miss Champion, who, always the perfect First
Secretary-always, that is, in Maynard’s presence-did not wink back. She merely smiled.
“But suppose I take her along?”
“Go ahead. Do that. Wreck the outfit. I’ve been wanting to quit and go fishing, anyway.”
“Yeah. I know. I know just what I’d be wrecking anyway, I’d bet on the fish. ‘Bye, Don;
‘bye, Doris,” and Maynard strode blithely out.
The girl gave Smith a long, level look. “You’re the only human being alive with the sublime
nerve to give him the needle that way. Just suppose he climbs your frame for it some
day?”
“He set the pace, didn’t he? Anyway, I’d get along.” “Pfooie! Nobody could blast you out
of here with an atomic bomb and everybody knows it. You really know him don’t you?
I’ve always thought I was the only one who did.”
“I know he’s the universe’s best-and that these damned yes-men and toadies around
here make him just as sicka da bel’ as they do me-and that’s a great God’s plenty.”
“That’s what I meant, Don … and you’re not too bad a stinker yourself, in some ways.”
For weeks, ever since they had become psionic, a current of something-like electricity
plus-had been flowing between these two, and it was getting stronger all the time.
“Thanks for them kind words, Dorry. You’re slipping. First thing you know you’ll . . .”
“I’m not slipping and whatever it was you were going to say, I won’t. No telepathy, no
rapport. I’ve been a career business woman ever since I was fifteen-a good one-and I’m
going to keep on being just that.”
He smiled; more a grin than a smile. “That’s the way to talk, Dorry. Strictly business. If
there’s any one thing in this wide fat world I really love, it’s business.”
“Let’s get at it, then.” Miss Champion, now all briskly efficient FirSec, picked up her
book. “I’ll remind you, Mister Smith, that you are wasting time that is costing the
company a dollar a minute. In exactly four and one half minutes you have an appointment
with Felton of Barbizon about. enlarging the operation there; at nine plus forty five with
Quisenberry of Belmark, ditto; at ten plus ten with Andersen of Pharmics. . . .”
Maynard landed on Earth at Chicago Spaceport. He took a copter to the big old building
on Michigan Avenue that was GalFed’s headquarters. Stevens Spehn’s office was on the
twenty sixth floor, in front, affording a splendid view of Lake Michigan-all water clear out
to the horizon.
Having sent a thought ahead, Maynard strode straight through the main office and the
FirSec’s office. That smart girl, who of course listened in on everything, even -or
especially?-on thought, merely glanced up with a smile from the tape she was reading
and exchanged greetings in thought with him as he went past.
Spehn’s office, vastly unlike his previous one, was small and plainly furnished. Even his
desk was small; he could, with a little stretching, reach anything on its plate-glass top. He
was leaning ‘way back in his swivel chair, with both feet perched up on the corner of his
desk. When Maynard came in Spehn pointed his cigarette at a huge overstuffed chair
near the desk, but facing the huge front window. Maynard sat down, lighted a long, thin
cigar, crossed his legs, and spoke aloud. “So you’re rolling, Steve. So you like your
PsiCor, eh?”
“Oh, brother!” Spehn got up, walked around to the older man, shook him solemnly by the