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Because they wouldn't let you. But that does not change the facts. They are who they are. They possess
the ability-in how great a measure I do not know-to control the thoughts and feel-ings of others. That
was why, as soon as Sylvia entered the room, I knew I had to kill her in an instant."
"And you did," Alec said. They were back there again. In that room. The body. The gaping hole. The
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blood.
"I employed the same ruthlessness she employed when she murdered Mencken and Ralston. No more,
no less."
"Sylvia didn't kill Mencken." There was a fact that ex-ploded that theory. Alec struggled to recollect it.
"He was her father."
"Oh, no. Like you, Sylvia was an orphan. She entered Mencken's household some two years ago and
rather ex-traordinarily-since she was twenty-four-he adopted her." Then, displaying the first real human
emotion since Alec had known him, Cargill stood up, circled the desk, came over, and laid a thin arm
across Alec's shoulders.
"I'm very sorry. But the facts, alas, are the facts. They can-not be made otherwise."
"Why?" Alec asked.
"Why did she kill him? That's easy enough. The android project. I believe he wished to stop."
"He used to talk about it but-"
"And he was involved in the Ah Tran movement, I believe."
"Yes, but what-?"
Cargill raised his free hand. "We can discuss all that later. For now, I think it's sufficient to point out that
Mencken's murder was not without its blessing. The kill-ing brought me into the case. Knowing who you
and your wife really were caused me to take an especially active in-terest in the matter. I did a little
snooping-quite a little, in fact. And there was also the fact that, somewhat before the murder, Anna hired
me to find her father. However, before I could complete my investigation, she suddenly-I told you
this-took me off the case. I became suspicious. I did a little snooping. I found the father and, in the
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course of that, cracked the whole mess wide open."
"Her father? You found him. But he's dead, the same as mine."
"I expect yours is quite alive too. Anna's father, a crea-ture named Karlton Ford, lives in Wyoming. He
is an ex-tremely wealthy individual. This war you are so eager to claim as your own-my research
indicates the greater share of the credit should go to Mr. Ford."
Alec shook his head. In spite of himself, he was listening now. But he was confused. Cargill seemed to
enjoy estab-lishing a set of wild premises and then, a moment later, casually destroying the framework he
had so carefully erected and introducing some wholly new outrageous fact. "I'm afraid you'll have to
explain more fully," he said, at last.
Cargill agreed. Drawing away, he paced the room, tell-ing Alec what he knew about the Inheritors, their
plans for the war, their talents and abilities and the nature of
their hybrid descendants. "I consider it amazing," Cargill said, "that they did not choose to kill all of you
at birth. Too difficult, perhaps-or too dangerous-and they may have guessed that you would prove
helpful later in fur-thering their ends."
Alec held himself in check, striving to suppress the de-sire, the urge, but finally he could not resist.
He laughed.
Cargill stopped pacing and turned, plainly horrified. "Don't you believe me? I have proof-firm
proof-evi-dence. I can-"
"I believe you," Alec said.
"Then why did you laugh?"
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"Because there was nothing else I could do. What do you expect from me, Cargill? You come here and
murder the woman I thought I loved-even if I can't remember why I thought I loved her-and then you tell
me, when her body's still warm, that she's not even a woman: she's some kind of foul monster bent upon
conquering and subjugating not only my people but the whole human race too. I said, what do you
expect? Do you want me to cry?"
"I thought you might want to help fight them."
"No."
"But we need your help. That's why I came here. To ask you to please-"
"No," Alec repeated, unhesitantly.
"But you haven't heard my proposition." The control Cargill had always exercised over his feelings was
com-pletely gone now. Alec received a barrage of brutal, con-flicting radiations-but fear was there, and
anger too. Cargill crossed the room and laid a hand on Alec's shoul-der. "We can't just give up, can we?"
"I don't care what you do." Alec pushed him away. "Just get away from me."
"But-don't you understand?-I had to kill her."
"No, I don't understand." But that was not true. Alec understood. But understanding was not the same
as acceptance, and he did not accept. He stood up and moved away into the room, as if seeking some
place of hidden refuge.
Cargill followed him. "Are you willing to let the whole world fall to pieces because of your own
temporary whims? You know I'm right. Listen to my plan. I admit we can't stop the war-it's too late for
that-but we can ensure that the human race will exist afterward. I know these creatures, Alec, these
things, and they are as alien to you and me as if they had originated from beyond the Earth itself. Visit my
office. Let me show you my files. Ford him-self-you wouldn't believe what he has done. Do you
re-member the Mozambique extinction ten years ago?"
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"I don't care," Alec said, uttering each word separately. The Mozambique extinction, the fate of the
human race-he did not care.Sylvia, Sylvia, Sylvia, he thought, seeing her body again.No, no, no. He
had to get out of here and think.
"And Anna?" Cargill was saying. "What about her? Ford is her father. She is with him right now. Don't
you under-stand-?"
"Why should I?"
"She's your wife."
"I told you, Cargill-I don't care."
But Cargill continued to chase Alec like a hungry dog in pursuit of a rabbit. "At least listen to my
proposition. It's Ah Tran. He can-"
Alec had heard enough. He whirled, facing Cargill eye-to-eye. "If you aren't out of this office," he said,
"in twenty seconds, I swear I'll kill you. I'll take that gun out of your coat and ram it straight down your
throat. Now-please-go. Just leave me alone."
Cargill started to speak, then simply shook his head. Alec sensed his surrender. He said, "All right."
"Good."
"But I want you to take this." Eagerly, he pressed a thick plastic card into Alec's hand. "It has my home
num-ber. If you change your mind, call me there. It may not be too late."
"There's nothing I can do." But Alec accepted the card.
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"You won't know that till you've heard me out."
"I'm ready to die."
"And take five billion people with you?" Cargill did not wait for Alec to reply. He went to the door,
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