It hesitated, nuzzled again, then settled back and let out a thin wailing in which was compounded inconsolable grief and an utter sense of loss. It extended eye stalks and little bumps of legs and waddled back to the sprawled bodies. A tiny ball spilled out with them, rolled a few yards over the thick green leaves, and stopped.
In so doing it spilled something out of its heart and onto the flat portion-two human bodies, twisted and stiff, clad garishly in elastic suits and grotesque helmets. The sunward half of the plant opened flat to the ground the other half fanned itself open like a spread peacock’s tail to catch the almost horizontal rays. The rays struck a great ball perched near the eastern bank of that canal, a desert cabbage closed against the cold. The leisurely spin of its ruddy primary, twenty-four and a half hours for each rotation, presently brought the rays of that Sun to east Strymon, then across the band of desert between the twin canals and to the banks of west Strymon. PURSUED Tiny Phobos, inner moon of Mars, came out of eclipse and, at breakneck speed, flew west to east into the face of the rising Sun. He choked and muttered, tried to wake up, then slipped into a less intolerable dream. I’m faster on my feet than you are.’ ‘ Look who’s talking!’ ‘All right! We’ll both do it-an hour apart.’ Frank went on, ‘But that doesn’t cut Willis out of it. They’d nail you before you could scramble to your feet.’ ‘ I’ll wait till dark.’ ‘Mmmm … could work. Even if they aren’t watching the dump, they can see you from where they are watching the back door. I’ll deliver the message to Gekko myself.’ Frank thought it over. I’ve got a better idea.’ ‘Convince me.’ ‘ I’ll bet that Beecher’s plug-uglies didn’t think to keep watch on the garbage dump. He’d be just as likely to sing or recite some of Doc’s bum jokes. Even if he gets outside safely, Willis couldn’t find Gekko and couldn’t be depended on to deliver a message. Beecher will sell him to the London Zoo.’ Jim considered this, then answered, ‘Anyhow, your scheme is full of holes.
Willis might get hurt.’ ‘If we just sit tight and do nothing, you’ll wish he was dead. But suppose Willis goes out? Who’s going to shoot a bouncer?’ ‘I don’t like it. You can send him a message.’ ‘ How?’ ‘ Willis.’ ‘ You’re crazy!’ ‘ Am I? Suppose you go out that front door-fsst! You are done for. And his friends were willing, how are we going to let him know that we need help? We can’t just call him on the phone.’ ‘No, we can’t-but that is where you come in.
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