“Out of the question. Are you insane? Be reasonable.” “His shipping files.” “What for?” “A list of personnel aboard one of his ships.” “Oh.” Dagenham‟s eagerness revived. “That, I can arrange. Anything else?” “No.” “Then it‟s a deal.” Dagenham was delighted. The ghostly blur of arose from its chair. “We‟ll have you out in six hours. We‟ll start arrangements for your friend at once. It‟s a pity we wasted this time, but no one can figure you, Foyle.” “Why didn‟t you send in a telepath to work me over?” “A telepath? Be reasonable, Foyle. There aren‟t ten full telepaths in all the Inner Planets. Their time is earmarked for the next ten years. We couldn‟t persuade one to interrupt his schedule for love or money.” “I apologize, Dagenham. I thought you didn‟t know your business.” “You very nearly hurt my feelings.” “Now I know you‟re just lying.” “You‟re flattering me.” “You could have hired a telepath. For a cut in twenty million you could have hired one easy.” “The government would never—” “They don‟t all work for the government. No. You‟ve got something too hot to let a telepath get near.” The blur of light leaped across the room and seized Foyle. “How much do you know, Foyle? What are you covering? Who are you working for?” Dagenham‟s hands shook. “Christ! What a fool I‟ve been. Of course you‟re unusual. You‟re no common spaceman. I asked you: who are you working for?” Foyle tore Dagenham‟s hands away from him. “No one,” he said. “No one, except myself.” “No one, eh? Including your friend in Gouffre Martel you‟re so eager to rescue? By God, you almost swindled me, Foyle. Tell Captain Y‟ang-Yeovil I congratulate him. He‟s got a better staff than I thought.”
hacked at her once with his sledge. She shrieked and fell. The women patients began shrieking. Foyle lost count, ran on, stopped. “Jiz!” he bellowed. He heard her voice. He encountered another guard, disposed of her, ran, located Jisbella‟s cell. “Gully, for God‟s sake…” Her voice was muffled. “Get back, girl. Back.” He hammered thrice against the door with his sledge and it burst inward. He staggered in and fell against a figure. “Jiz?” he gasped. “Excuse me… Was passing by. Though I‟d drop in.” in the name of—” “Yeah. Hell of a way to meet, eh? Come on. Out, girl. Out!” He dragged her out of the cell. “We can‟t try a break through the offices. They don‟t like me back there. Which way to your Sanitation pens?” “Gully, you‟re crazy.” “Whole quadrant‟s dark. I smashed the power cable. We‟ve got half a chance. Go, girl. Go.” He gave her a powerful thrust and she led him down the passages to the automatic stalls of the Sanitation pens. While mechanical hands removed their uniforms, soaped, soaked, sprayed and disinfected them, Foyle felt for the glass pane of the medical observation window. He found it, swung the sledge and smashed it. “Get in, Jiz.” He hurled her through the window and followed. They were both stripped, greasy with soap, slashed and bleeding. Foyle slipped and crashed through the blackness searching for the door through which the medical officers entered. “Can‟t find the door, Jiz. Door from the clinic. I—” “Shh!”. “But—” “Be quiet, Gully.” A soapy hand found his mouth and clamped over it. She gripped his shoulder so hard that her fingernails pierced his skin. Through the bedlam in the caverns sounded the clatter of steps close at
“How long d‟you we can stay out of Gouffre Martel with Foyle running around with that tattooed face?” “What are you so angry about?” “I‟m not I‟m explaining.” “He‟d be happy in the zoo,” Baker said persuasively. “And he‟d be under cover there. I‟d put him in the room next to the cyclops girl—” “The zoo is out. That‟s definite.” “All right, dear. But why are you worried about Foyle being recaptured? It won‟t have anything to do with you.” “Why should you about me worrying? I‟m asking you to do a job. I‟m paying for the job.” “It‟ll be expensive, dear, and I‟m fond of you. I‟m trying to save you money.” “No you‟re not.” “Then I‟m curious.” “Then let‟s say I‟m grateful. He helped me; now I‟m helping him.” Baker smiled cynically. “Then let‟s help him by giving him a brand new face.” “No.” “I thought so. You want his face cleaned up because you‟re interested in his face.” “Damn you, will you do the job or not?” “It‟ll cost five thousand.” “Break that down.” “A thousand to synthesize the acid. thousand for the surgery. And one thousand for—” “Your curiosity?” “No, dear.” smiled again. “A thousand for the anesthetist.” “Why anesthesia?” Baker reopened the ancient text. “It looks like a painful operation. You know how they tattoo? They take a needle, dip it in dye, and hammer it into the skin. To bleach that dye out I‟ll have to go over his face with a needle, pore by pore, and hammer in the indigotin disulphonic. It‟ll hurt.”
“Anything I can do?” “No.” was a long pause. Then Jisbella asked in a weary voice: “Are you going to make that deal with Gully?” “Me? No. It sounds like a thousand-to-one shot.” has to be something valuable on the „Nomad.‟ Otherwise Dagen-ham wouldn‟t have hounded Gully.” “I‟m still not interested. What about you?” “Me? Not interested either. I don‟t want any part of Gully Foyle again.” After another pause, Quatt asked: “Can I go home now?” “You‟ve had a rough time, haven‟t you, Sam?” “I think I died about a thousand times nurse-maidin„ that tiger around the circuit.” “I‟m sorry, Sam.” “I had it coming to me after what I did to you when you were copped in Memphis.” “Running out on me was only natural, Sam.” “We always do what‟s natural, only sometimes we shouldn‟t do it.” “I know, Sam. I know.” “And you the rest of your life trying to make up for it. I figure I‟m lucky, Jiz. I was able to square it tonight. Can I go home now?” “Back to Joburg and the life?” “Uh-huh.” “Don‟t leave me alone, yet, Sam. I‟m ashamed of myself.” “What for?” “Cruelty to dumb animals.” “What‟s that supposed to mean?” “Never mind. Hang around a little. Tell me about the happy life. What‟s so happy about it?”
“I don‟t know.” “Put me down.” “You‟re cold.” “Put me down.” He set her on her feet. “You destroyed me once,” she said in choked tones. “Are you trying to destroy me again?” “No. Will you listen?” She nodded. “I was lost in space. I was dead and rotting for six months. A ship came up that could have saved me. It passed me by. It let me die. A ship named „Vorga.‟ „Vorga-T:i339.‟ Does that mean anything to you?” “No.” “Jiz McQueen—a friend of mine who‟s dead now—once told me to find out why I was left to rot. That would be the answer to who gave the order. So I started buying information about „Vorga.‟ Any information.” “What‟s that to do with my mother?” “Just listen. Information was tough to buy. The „Vorga‟ records were removed from the Bo‟ness & Uig files. I managed to locate three names… three out of a standard crew of four officers and twelve men. Nobody knew anything or nobody would talk. And I found this.” Foyle took a silver locket from his pocket and handed it to Robin. “It was pawned by some spaceman off the „Vorga.‟ That‟s all I could find out.” uttered a cry and opened the locket with trembling fingers. Inside was her picture and the pictures of two other girls. As the locket was opened, the 30 photos smiled and whispered: “Love from Robin, Mama… Love from Holly, Mama… Love from Wendy, Mama…” “It is my mother‟s,” Robin wept. “It… She… For pity‟s sake, where is she? What happened?” “I don‟t know,” Foyle said steadily. “But I can guess. I think your mother got out of that concentration camp… one way or another.” “And my sisters too. She‟d never leave them.”
“Sure you are. Smile.” “I am, You may touch me.” “Why, you actually seem proud. Are you proud of your bad taste?” “The problem today is to have any taste at att.” “The problem today is to have any taste at all. I think I‟m lucky.” but dreadfully indecent.” “Indecent but not dull.” “And dreadful but delightful. Why aren‟t you cavorting now?” “I‟m the influence,‟ Madam.” “Oh dear. Are you drunk? I‟m Lady Shrapnel. When will you be sober again?” “I‟m under your influence, Lady Shrapnel.” “You wicked young man. Charles! Charles, come here and save Fourmyle. I‟m ruining him.” “That‟s Victor of RCA Victor.” “Fourmyle, is it? Delighted. What‟s that entourage of yours cost?” “Tell him the thousand, Victor.” “Good Lord/ A week?” “A day.” “A day! What on earth d‟you want to spend all that money for?” “The truthl” “For notoriety, Victor.” “Ha! Are you serious?” “I told you he was wicked, Charles.” “Damned refreshing. Here a moment. This impudent young man is spending forty thousand a day… for notoriety, if you please.”
“Come with us to Java, Fourmyle. Regis Sheffield‟s giving a marvelous legal party. We‟re going to play „Sober The Judge.‟” “Hong Kong, Fourmyle.” “Tokyo, Fourmyle. It‟s raining in Hong Kong. Come to Tokyo and bring your circus.” “Thank you, no. Shanghai for me. The Soviet Duomo. I promise an extravagant reward to the first one who discovers the deception of my costume. Meet you all in two hours. Ready, Robin?” “Don‟t jaunte. Bad manners. Walk out. Slowly. Languor is chic. Respects to the Governor … To the Commissioner… Their Ladies… Bien. Don‟t forget to tip the attendants. Not him, idiotl That‟s the Lieutenant Governor. Ml right. You made a hit. You‟re accepted. Now what?” “Now what we came to Canberra for.” “I thought we came for the ball.” “The ball and a man named Forrest.” “Who‟s that?” “Ben Forrest, spaceman off the ”Vorga.„ I‟ve got three leads to the man who gave the order to let me die. Three names. A cook in Rome named Poggi; a quack in Shanghai named Orel; and this man, Forrest. This is a combined operation… society and search. Understand?“ “I understand.” “We‟ve got two hours to rip Forrest open. D‟you know the co-ordinates of the Aussie Cannery? The company town?” “I don‟t want any part of your „Vorga‟ revenge. I‟m searching for my family.” “This is a combined operation… way,” he said with such detached savagery that she winced and at once jaunted. When Foyle arrived in his tent in the Four Mile Circus on Jervis Beach, she was already changing into travel clothes. Foyle looked at her. Although he forced her to live in his tent for security reasons, he had never touched her again. Robin caught his glance, stopped changing and waited. He shook his head. “That‟s all finished.” “How interesting. You‟ve up rape?” “Get dressed,” he said, controlling himself. “Tell them they‟ve got two hours to get the camp up to Shanghai.”
“Marvelous carnival in Rome, wasn‟t it? Did you hear the burning man who appeared on the Spanish Stairs?” “We looked for you in London.” “What a heavenly entrance that was,” Harry Sherwin-Williams called. “Outdid us all, Fourmyle. Made us look like a pack of damned pikers.” “You forget yourself, Harry,” Presteign said coldly. “You know I permit no profanity in my home.” “Sorry, Presteign. Where‟s the circus now, Fourmyle?” “I don‟t know,” Foyle said. “Just a moment.” A crowd gathered, grinning in anticipation of the latest Fourmyle folly. He took out a platinum watch and snapped open the case. The face of a valet appeared on the dial. “Ahhh… whatever your name is… Where are we staying just now?” The answer was tiny and tinny. “You gave orders to make New York your permanent residence, Fourmyle.” “Oh? Did I? And?” “We bought St. Patrick‟s Cathedral, Fourmyle.” “And is that?” “Old St. Patrick‟s, Fourmyle. On Fifth Avenue and what was formerly joth Street. We‟ve pitched the camp inside.” “Thank you.” Fourmyle closed the platinum Hunter. “My address is Old St. Patrick‟s, New York. There‟s one thing to be said for the outlawed religions… At least they built churches big enough to house a circus.” Olivia Presteign was seated on a dais, surrounded by admirers paying to this beautiful albino daughter of Presteign. She was strangely and wonderfully blind, for she could see in the infrared only, from 7,500 angstroms to one millimeter wave lengths, far below the normal visible spectrum. She saw heat waves, magnetic fields, radio waves; she saw her admirers in a strange light of organic emanations against a background of red radiation. She was a Snow Maiden, an Ice Princess with coral eyes and coral lips, imperious, mysterious, unattainable. Foyle looked at her once and lowered his eyes in confusion before the blind gaze that could only see him as electromagnetic waves and infrared light. His pulse began to beat faster; a hundred lightning fantasies about himself and Olivia Presteign flashed in his heart.
“Sorry. He‟s a long time returning.” “Returning?” “Dagenham. With his army.” “Oh. Yes, of course.” Jisabella laughed again, then spoke in a low, furious tone. “You don‟t know what a tightrope you‟ve been walking, Gully. If you‟d begged or bribed or tried to romance me… By God, I‟d have ruined you. I‟d have told the world who you were… Screamed it from the housetops…” “What are you talking about?” “Saul isn‟t returning. He doesn‟t know. You can go to hell on your own.” “I don‟t believe you.” “D‟you think it would take him this long to get you? Saul Dagenham?” “But why didn‟t you tell him? After the way I ran out on you…” “Because I don‟t want him going to hell with you. I‟m not talking about „Vorga.‟ I mean something else. PyrE. That‟s why they hunted you. That‟s what they‟re after. Twenty pounds of PyrE.” “What‟s that?” “When you got the safe open was there a small box in it? Made of ILI… Inert Lead Isomer?” “Yes.” “What was inside the ILI box?” “Twenty slugs that looked like compressed iodine crystals.” “What did you do with the slugs?” “Sent two out for analysis. No one find out what they are. I‟m trying to run an analysis on a third in my lab… when I‟m not clowning for the public.” “Oh, you are, are you? Why?” “I‟m growing up, Jiz,” Foyle said gently. “It didn‟t take much to figure out that was what Presteign and Dagenham were after.” “Where have you got the rest of the slugs?” “In a safe place.”
“From reality. You can‟t accept life as it is. You refuse. You attack it…try to it into your own pattern. You attack and destroy everything that stands in the way of your own insane pattern.” She lifted her tear-stained face. “I can‟t stand it any more. I want you to let me go.” “Go? “To live my own life.” “What about your family?” “And find them my own way.” “Why? What now?” “It‟s too much… you and the war… because you‟re as bad as the war. Worse. What happened to me tonight is what happens to me every moment I‟m with you. I can stand one or the other; not both.” “No,” he said. “I need you.” “I‟m prepared to buy my way out.” “How?” “You‟ve lost all your leads to „Vorga,‟ haven‟t you?” “And?” “I‟ve found another.” “Where?” “Never mind where. Will you agree to let me go if I turn it over to you?” “I can take it from you.” “Go ahead. Take it.” Her eyes flashed. “If you know what it is, you won‟t have any trouble.” “I can make you give it to me.” “Can you? the bombing tonight? Try.” He was taken aback by her defiance. “How do I know you‟re not bluffing?” “I‟ll give you one hint. Remember the man in Australia?*” “Forrest?”
“I can‟t with a war on.” “To hell with the war. You sacrificed enough up at Tycho Sands. They can‟t ask any more of you.” “I‟ve got one job to finish.” “I‟ll help you finish it.” “No. You‟d best keep out of this, Jisbella.” “You don‟t trust me.” “I don‟t want you hurt.” “Nothing can hurt us.” can.” “W-What?” “Fourmyle is Foyle. You know that. I know you know.” “But I “No, you told me. You‟re magnificent. Keep faith with me the same way, Jisbella.” “Then how did you find out?” slipped.” “How?” “The name.” “Fourmyle of Ceres? He bought the Ceres company.” “But Geoffrey Fourmyle?” “He invented it.” “He thinks he invented it. He remembered it. Geoffrey Fourmyle is the name they use in the megalomania test down in Combined Hospital in Mexico City. I used the Megal Mood on Foyle when I tried to open him up. The name must have stayed buried in his memory. He dredged it up and thought it was original. That tipped me.” “Poor Gully.”
“Then drown. Nobody ever saved me. No— No… This is wrong, all wrong. Wait, my dear. Wait.” She composed herself and began speaking very tenderly. “I could lie, Gully dear, and make you believe it, but I‟m going to be honest. There‟s a simple explanation. I live my own private life. We all do. You do.” “What‟s yours?” “No different from yours… from the rest of the world. I cheat, I lie, I destroy… like all of us. I‟m criminal… like all of us.” “Why? For money? You don‟t need money.” “No.” “For control… power?” “Not for power.” “Then why?” She took a deep breath, as though this was the first truth and was crucifying her. “For hatred… To pay you back, all of you.” “For what?” “For being blind,” she said in a smoldering voice. “For being cheated. For being helpless… They should have killed me when I was born. Do you know what it‟s like to be blind… to receive life secondhand? To be dependent, begging, crippled? „Bring them down to your level,‟ I told my secret life. „If you‟re blind make them blinder. If you‟re helpless, cripple them. Pay them back… all of them.‟” “Olivia, you‟re insane.” “And you?” “I‟m in love with a monster.” “We‟re a pair of monsters.” “No!” “No? Not you?” she flared. “What have you been doing but paying the world back, like me? What‟s your revenge but settling your own private account with bad luck? Who wouldn‟t call you a crazy monster? I tell you, we‟re a pair, Gully. We couldn‟t help falling in love.”
“It can‟t, not inside an Inert Lead Isotope safe.” “Maybe it‟s not all inside.” “Jiz says it is…at least so Foyle reported.” “Leave me out of this,” Jisbella said. “Anyway, we‟ll have to gamble.” “Gamble!” Y‟ang-Yeovil exclaimed. “On a Phoenix action? You‟ll gamble the system into a brand new nova.” “What else can we do? Pick any road… and it‟s the road to destruction too. Have we got any choice?” “We can wait,” Jisbella said. “For what? For Foyle to blow us up himself with his tinkering?” “We can warn him.” “We don‟t know where he is.” “We can find him.” “How soon? Won‟t that be a gamble too? And what that stuff lying around waiting for someone to think it into energy? Suppose a Jack-jaunter gets in and cracks the safe, looking for goodies? And then we don‟t just have dust waiting for an accidental thought, but twenty pounds.” Jisbella turned pale. Dagenham turned to the Intelligence man. “You make the decision, Yeovil. Do we try it my way or do we wait?” Y‟ang-Yeovil sighed. “I was afraid of this,” he said. “Damn all scientists. I‟ll have to make my decision for a reason you don‟t know, Dagenham. The Satellites are on to this too. We‟ve got reason to believe that they‟ve got agents looking for Foyle in the worst way. If we wait they may pick him up before us. In fact, they may have him now.” “So your decision is… ?” “The blow-up. Let‟s bring Foyle running if we can.” “No!” Jisbella cried. “How?” Dagenham asked, ignoring her. “Oh, I‟ve got just the one for the job. A one-way telepath named Robin Wednesbury.”
“Exactly twenty of these notes were minted last year. All are on deposit in Terran treasuries. How did you get hold of these two?” “Mr. Sheffield?” “Who else? How did you get hold of notes?” “Bribery.” “Why?” “I thought at the time that it might be convenient to have them available.” “For what? More bribery?” “If legal fees are bribery.” “I set my own fees,” Sheffield said. He tossed the back to Foyle. “You can produce them again if I decide to take your case and if I decide I‟ve been worth that to you. What‟s your problem?” “Criminal.” “Don‟t be too specific yet. And… ?” “I want to give myself up.” “To the police?” “Yes.” “For what “Crimes.” “Name two.” “Robbery and rape.” “Name two more.” “Blackmail and murder.” “Any other items?” “Treason and genocide.” “Does that exhaust your catalogue?” “I so. We may be able to unveil a few more when we get specific.”
“Foyle! Turn left. Can you hear me? Foyle! Turn left and climb up. You can get out if you‟ll listen to me. Turn left and climb up. Then— Foylel” “He‟s not listening. Foyle! Gully Foyle! Can you hear us?” “Send for Jiz. Maybe he‟ll listen to her.” “No, Robin. She‟ll telesend. He‟ll have to listen. “But will she do it? Save him of all people?” “She‟ll have to. This is bigger than hatred. It‟s the biggest damned thing the world‟s ever encountered. I‟ll get her.” Y‟ang-Yeovil started to crawl out. Dagenham stopped him. “Wait, Yeo. Look at him. He‟s flickering.” “Flickering?” “Look! He‟s… blinking like a glow-worm. Watch! Now you see him and now you don‟t.” The figure of was appearing, disappearing, and reappearing in rapid succession, like a firefly caught in a flaming trap. “What‟s he now? What‟s he trying to do? What‟s happening?” He was trying to escape. Like a trapped firefly or some seabird caught in the blazing brazier of a naked beacon fire, he was beating about in a frenzy… a blackened, burning creature, dashing himself against the unknown. Sound came as sight to him, as light in strange patterns. He saw the sound of his shouted name in vivid rhythms: Motion came as sound to him. He heard the writhing of the flames, he heard the swirls of smoke, he heard the flickering, jeering shadows… all speaking deafeningly in strange tongues: “BURUU GYARR?” the steam asked. “Asha. Asha, rit-kit-dit-zit m‟gid,” the quick shadows answered. “Ohhh. Ahhh. Heee. Teee,” the heat ripples clamored.