try to by four ever and effervescence and sensibilityter totter.'
Lipsky said, Totters and rags.' Ferrucci said, 'Agsactly.' Harponaster said, 'Actiymation.' A few grunts and they ran down.
I tried again and I didn't forget to be careful. They would remember everything I said afterward and what I said had to be harmless. I said. This is a darned good space-line.'
Ferucci said, lines and tigers and elephanthills on the prairie dogs do bark of the boughwough-'
I interrupted, looking at Harponaster, 'A darned good space-line.'
'Line the bed and rest a little black sheepishion of wrong way to ring the clothes of a perfect day.'
I interrupted again, glaring at Lipsky. 'Good space-line.'
'Liron is hot-chacolit ain't gonna be the same on you vee and double the stakes and potato and heel.' Someone else said, 'Heel the sicknecessaryd and white will wincetance.'
'Tance with mealtime.'
'I'm comingle.'
'Inglish.'
'Ishter seals.'
'Eels.'
I tried a few more times and got nowhere. The faker, whichever he was, had practiced or had natural talents at talking free association. He was disconnecting his brain and letting the words come out any old way. And he must be inspired by knowing exactly what I was after. If 'drug1 hadn't given it away, 'space-line' three times repeated must have. I was safe with the other two, but he would know.
And he was having fun with me. All three were saying phrases that might have pointed to a deep inner guilt-'sol to be saved,' 'little black sheepishion of wrong,' 'drug from underneath,' and so on. Two were saying such things helplessly, randomly. The third was amusing himself.
So how did I find the third? I was in a feverish thrill of hatred against him and my fingers twitched. The bastard was subverting the Galaxy. More than that, he was keeping me from Flora.
I could go up to each of them and start searching. The two who were really under Spaceoline would make no move to stop me. They could feel no emotion, no fear, no anxiety, no hate, no passion, no desire for self-defense. And if one made the slightest gesture of resistance I would have my man.
But the innocent ones would remember afterward.
I sighed. If I tried it, I would get the criminal all right, but later I would be the nearest thing to chopped liver any man had ever been. There would be a shakeup in the Service, a big stink the width of the Galaxy, and in the excitement and disorganization, the secret of altered Spaceoline would get out anyway and so what the hell.
Of course, the one I wanted might be the first one I touched. One chance out of three. I'd have one out and only God can make a three.
Damn it, something had started them going while I was muttering to myself and Spaceoline is contagioust a gigolo my, oh-- I stared desperately at my watch and my line of sight focused on nine-fifteen. Where the devil was the time going to?
Oh, my; oh, nuts; oh, Flora!
I had no choice. I made my way to the booth for another quick call to Flora. Just a quick one, you understand, to keep things alive, assuming they weren't dead already.
I kept saying to myself: She won't answer.
I tried to prepare myself for that. There were other girls, there were other-- Hell, there were no other girls.
If Hilda had been in Marsport, I would never have had Flora on my mind in the first place and it wouldn't have mattered. But I was in Marsport without Hilda and I had made a date with Flora; Flora and a body that had been made up out of heaping handfuls of all that was soft and fragrant and firm; Flora and a low-gravity room and a way about her that made it seem like free fall through a warm, breathable ocean of champagne-flavored meringue--The signal was signaling and signaling and I didn't dare break off. Answer! Answer!
She answered. She said, 'It's you!'
'Of course, sweetheart, who else would it be?'
'Lots of people. Someone who would come.'
'There's just this little detail of business, honey.'
'What business? Plastons for who?'
I almost corrected her grammar, but I was wondering what this plastons kick was.
Then I remembered. I told her once I was a plaston salesman. That was the time! brought her a plaston nightgown that was honey. Just thinking of it made me ache where I needed no more ache.
I said, 'Look, just give me another half-hour...'
Her eyes grew moist. 'I'm sitting here all by myself.'
'I'll make it up to you.' To show you