The Puppet Masters (13 page)

I didn’t answer; presently she said, “You don’t believe me?”

I reared up on one elbow. “I believe you. I believe you have yourself convinced that that is how it was. Now I’ll tell
you
how it was.”

“Do, please.”

“You sat down in that trick chair knowing that I would never let you go through with it. You
knew
that, whether that devious female mind of yours admitted it to itself or not. The Old Man could not have forced me into that chair, not with a gun, not even with drugs. But
you
could. You did. You were the one who forced me to go through with something which I would rather have been dead than touched…a thing that now leaves me dirty and spoiled. You did it.”

She had grown steadily whiter as I talked, until her face was almost green against her hair. She caught her breath and said, “You believe that, Sam?”

“What else?”

“Sam, that is not the way it was. I did not know you were going to be in there. I was terribly startled. But there was nothing to do but go through with it; I had promised.”

“‘Promised’,” I repeated. “That covers everything, a schoolgirl promise.”

“Hardly a schoolgirl promise.”

“No matter. And it doesn’t matter whether you are telling the truth or not about knowing that I would be in there—you aren’t, of course, but it doesn’t matter. The point is:
you
were there and
I
was there—and you could figure what would happen if you did what you did do.”

“Oh.” She waited a bit, then went on, “That’s the way it looks to you and I can’t dispute the facts.”

“Hardly.”

She stood very still for a long time. I let her. Finally she said, “Sam—once you said something to me about wanting to marry me.”

“I remember something of the sort. That was another day.”

“I didn’t expect you to renew the offer. But there was something else, a sort of corollary. Sam, no matter what you think of me, I want to tell you that I am deeply grateful for what you did for me. Uh, Miss Barkis is willing, Sam—you understand me?”

This time I grinned at her. “A female to the very end! Honest so help me, the workings of the female mind continue to delight and astound me. You always think you can cancel out the score and start over with that one trump play.” I continued to grin at her while she turned red. “It won’t work. Not this time. I won’t inconvenience you by taking up your no-doubt generous offer.”

She continued to blush but she came back at me in a steady, level voice, “I let myself in for that. Nevertheless, it’s true. That—or anything else I can ever do for you.”

My elbow was going to sleep; I sank back and lay down. “Sure, you can do something for me.”

Her face lit up. “What?”

“Go away and quit bothering me. I’m tired.” I turned my face away. I did not hear her leave, but I heard Doris come back in. She was bristling like a fox terrier; they must have passed in the hall. She faced me, fists on her hips, looking cute and adorable and very indignant. “She got around you, didn’t she?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Don’t lie to me. You went soft on her. I know—men always do. The idiots! A woman like that, all she has to do is shake her fanny at a man and he rolls over and plays dead.”

“Well, I didn’t. I gave her what for.”

“You’re sure you did?”

“I did—and sent her packing.”

Doris looked doubtful. “I hope you did. Maybe you did—she wasn’t looking too pert as she came out.” She dismissed the matter. “How do you feel?”

“Pretty good”—it was a lie, net.

“Want some massage?”

“No, just come here and sit on the bed and talk to me. Want a cigarette?”

“Well—as long as the doctor doesn’t catch me.” She perched up on the bed; I struck cigarettes for both of us and stuck hers in her mouth. She took a deep drag, swelling out her chest and pushing her arrogant breasts against her halter almost to the breaking point. I thought again what a sweet dish she was; she was just what I needed to take my mind off Mary.

We talked for a while. Doris gave her views on women—it appeared she disapproved of them on principle, although she was not in the least apologetic about being one herself—on the contrary! “Take women patients,” she said. “One of the reasons I took this job was because we don’t get a woman patient once in a coon’s age. A man patient appreciates what is done for him. A woman just expects it and hollers for more.”

“Would you be that sort of patient?” I asked, just to tease her.

“I hope not. I’m healthy, thank the Lord.” She crushed out her cigarette and jumped off the bed, bouncing a little. “Got to get out of here. Scream if you want anything.”

“Doris—”

“Yes?”

“You got any leave coming up?”

“I plan to take two weeks shortly. Why?”

“I was thinking. I’m going on leave—at least. I’ve got a shack in the Adirondacks. How about it? We could have a nice time and forget this madhouse.”

She dimpled. “You know, that’s mighty white of you, podnuh.” She came over and kissed me full on the mouth, the first time she had done so. “And if I weren’t an old married lady, with a pair of twins in the bargain, I might take you up.”

“Oh.”

“Sorry. But thanks for the compliment. You’ve made my day.”

She started for the door. I called out, “Doris, wait a minute.” When she stopped I added, “I didn’t know. Look, why don’t you take me up on it anyhow? The cabin, I mean—take your old man and the kids up there and give ’em a good time. I’ll give you the combo and the transponder code.”

“You mean that?”

“Of course I do.”

“Well—I’ll talk to you later. Thanks.” She came back and kissed me again and it made me wish she had not been married, or, at least, not working at it. Then she left.

The doctor came in a bit later. While he was fiddling with the futile things doctors do, I said, “That nurse. Miss Marsden—is she married?”

“What business is it of yours?”

“I just wanted to know.”

“You keep your hands off my nurses—or I’ll fit you with mittens. Now stick out your tongue.”

The Old Man put his head in late that afternoon. My immediate response was pleasure; the Old Man’s personality is hard to shake off. Then I remembered and went cold.

“I want to talk to you,” he started in.

“I don’t want to talk to you. Get out.”

He ignored my remarks and came in, dragging his bad leg. “Mind if I sit down?”

“You seem to be doing so.”

He ignored that, too. He wrinkled his face and scowled. “You know, son, you are one of my best boys, but sometimes you are a little hasty.”

“Don’t let that worry you,” I answered, “as soon as the doctor lets me out of here. I’m through.” I had not really decided up until then, but it seemed as necessary as syrup with buckwheat cakes. I no longer trusted the Old Man; the rest was obvious.

He was not hearing anything that he did not choose to hear. “You’re too hasty. You jump to conclusions. Now take this girl Mary—”

“Mary who?”

“You know who I mean; you know her as ‘Mary Cavanaugh’.”

“
You
take her.”

“You jumped all over her without knowing the score. You’ve got her all upset. Matter of fact, you may have ruined a good agent for me.”

“Hmmph! I’m in tears about it.”

“Listen, you young snot, you didn’t have any call to be rough on her. You don’t know the facts.”

I did not answer; explanations are a poor defense.

“Oh, I know that you think you do,” he went on. “You think she let herself be used as bait to get you to take part in that job we did. Well, you’ve got it slightly wrong. She was being used as bait, but
I
was using
her
. I planned it that way.”

“I know you did.”

“Then why blame her?”

“Because, although you planned it, you couldn’t have carried it out without her active cooperation. It’s mighty big of you, you no-good, heartless bastard, to take all the blame—but you can’t.”

He did not hear my profanity, either. He went on, “You understand everything about it but the key point, which is—
the girl didn’t know
.”

“Hell’s bells, she was
there
.”

“So she was. Son, did you ever know me to lie to you?”

“No,” I admitted, “but I don’t think you would hesitate.”

He looked pained but answered, “Maybe I deserve that. I’d lie to one of my own people if the country’s safety depended on it. I haven’t found it necessary up till now because I’ve been choosy about who works for me. But this time the country’s welfare doesn’t depend on it and I’m not lying and you’ll just have to test it for yourself, any way you can figure out, and make up your mind whether or not I’m lying. That girl didn’t know. She didn’t know you were going to be in that room. She didn’t know why you were in there. She didn’t know that there was any question about who was going to sit in that chair. She didn’t have the faintest suspicion that I didn’t mean for her to go through with it, or that I had already decided that you were the only party who would suit me, even if I had to have you tied down and forced—which I would have done, if I hadn’t had a double whammy up my sleeve to trick you into volunteering. Hell’s bells yourself, son; she didn’t even know you were off the sick list.”

I wanted to believe it, so I did my damnedest not to believe it. If it were a lie, it would be just the shape of lie he would tell. As to whether he would bother to lie—well, getting two prime agents back into the groove might be something he would class, just now, as involving the country’s safety. The Old Man had a complex mind.

“Look at me!” he added. I snapped out of my brown study and looked up. “There is something else I want you to know and I want to rub your nose in it. First off, let me say that everybody—including me—appreciates what you did, regardless of your motives. I’m putting in a letter about it and no doubt there will be a medal in due time. That stands, whether you stay with the Section or not. And if you go, I’ll help you with any transfer or such you may want.”

He paused for breath, then went on. “But don’t go giving yourself airs as a little tin hero—”

“I won’t!”

“—because that medal is going to the wrong person. Mary ought to get it.

“Now hush up; I’m not through. You had to be forced into it, like building a fire under a mule. No criticism; you had been through plenty. But Mary was a real, honest-to-God, Simon-pure volunteer. When she sat down in that chair, she didn’t know what was going to happen to her. She didn’t expect any last minute reprieve and she had every reason to believe that, if she got up alive, her reason would be gone, which is worse. But she did it—because she is a hero, which you miss by a couple of points.”

He went on without waiting for me to reply; “Listen, son—most women are damn fools and children. But they’ve got more range than we’ve got. The brave ones are braver, the good ones are better—and the vile ones are viler, for that matter. What I’m trying to tell you is: this one is more of a man than you are and you’ve done her a serious wrong.”

I was so churned up inside that I could not judge for the life of me whether he was telling the truth, or manipulating me again. I said, “Maybe so. Maybe I lashed out at the wrong person. But if what you say is true—”

“It is.”

“—it doesn’t make what you did any sweeter; it makes it worse.”

He took it without flinching. “Son, I’m sorry if I’ve lost your respect. But I’d do it again under the same circumstances. I can’t be choosy about such things any more than can a commander in battle. Less, because I fight with different weapons. I’ve always been able to shoot my own dog. Maybe that’s good; maybe that’s bad—but that is what my job takes. If you are ever in my shoes, you’ll have to do it, too.”

“I’m not likely to be.”

“Why don’t you take leave, rest up, and think about it?”

“I’ll take leave—terminal leave.”

“Very well.” He started to leave; I said, “Wait—”

“Yes?”

“You made me one promise and I’m holding you to it. About that parasite—you said I could kill it, personally. Are you through with it?”

“Yes, I’m through with it, but—”

I started to get out of bed. “No ‘buts’. Give me your gun; I’m going to kill it
now
.”

“But you can’t. It’s already dead.”

“What! You
promised
me.”

“I know I did. But it died while we were trying to force you—to force
it
—to talk.”

I sat down and started to shake with laughter. I got started and could not stop. I was not enjoying it; I could not help it.

The Old Man grasped my shoulders and shook me. “Snap out of it! You’ll get yourself sick. I’m sorry about it, but there’s nothing to laugh at. It could not be helped.”

“Ah, but there is,” I answered, still sobbing and chuckling. “It’s the funniest thing that ever happened to me. All that—and all for nothing. You dirtied yourself and you loused up me and Mary—and all for no use.”

“Huh? Whatever gave you that idea?”

“Eh? I
know
—I know everything that went on. And you didn’t even get small change out of it—out of us, I should say. You didn’t learn anything you didn’t know before.”

“The hell we didn’t!”

“And the hell you did.”

“It was a bigger success than you’d ever guess, son. True, we didn’t squeeze anything out of it directly, before it died—but we got something out of you.”

“Me?”

“Last night. We put you through it last night. You were doped, psyched, brain-waved, analyzed, wrung out, and hung out to dry. The parasite spilled things to you and they were still there for the hypno-analysts to pick up after you were free of it.”

“What?”

“Where they live. We know where they come from and can fight back—Titan, sixth satellite of Saturn.”

When he said it, I felt a sudden gagging constriction of my throat—and I knew that he was right.

“You certainly fought before we could get it out of you,” he went on reminiscently. “We had to hold you down to keep you from hurting yourself—more.”

Instead of leaving he threw his game leg over the edge of the bed and struck a cigarette. He seemed anxious to be friendly. As for me, I did not want to fight with him further; my head was spinning and I had things to get straight. Titan—that was a long way out. Mars was the farthest men had ever been, unless the Seagraves Expedition, the one that never came back, got out to the Jovian moons.