Ah Tran softly murmured, "If only you would agree. If you would just say yes. Grant us the privilege of your presence. Agree to endure the penetration of our fused souls. Then-I swear I believe it-we could... but-" he shrugged "-alas, you must refuse."

"I must? But, why should I?"

"Then you do not?"

"No, I-" Eathen said.

But Ah Tran did not give him a chance to finish. His face broke into a wide grin and, bounding up, he kissed Eathen warmly on the cheek. "You," he whispered, "are the true messiah. From you and you alone, salvation will truly flow. I beg you now to grant me leave to depart so that I may communicate the glorious news to our brethren lovers."

"Of course," Eathen said. "But I'd like-"

"An hour," Ah Tran said, glancing at his watch. "We shall await you in my chambers. And don't be late. Please."

"No," Eathen said. "I'll be sure to-" Ah Tran was waiting. Eathen realized that their positions had once more been reversed. Quickly but carefully, he stood and bowed, bending stiffly at the waist. "Messiah," he murmured. "Your presence has honored me beyond compare."

"I thank you." Ah Tran bowed sharply, then turned and hurried to the door. He did not pause to say good-bye. In a bare moment, he was gone.

Eathen slumped back into the chair. I have been tricked, he thought, without anger. That would come later-after he had had time to comprehend the awesome responsibility he had so casually accepted. Spiritual conduit. How could he possibly do that? He had seen Ah Tran after the sessions: spent, wasted, barely able to speak, uncertain of his own identity. They expected him to do this?

He glanced at the clock in the wall. He had forty-two minutes in which to answer his own questions. He sat, struggling with them, but he did not think he would ever get very far.

While he thought, time passed-rapidly.

Sixteen.

As soon as Ah Tran stepped into the entrance room of his sumptuous quarters, a flock of puzzled servants rushed forward in mass. At least, unlike the android, they appeared to recognize their master even without his usual make-up. He waved the lot of them back and hurried forward. He passed through a large, plush, well-furnished room, then into a smaller bedroom, a large bath, and at last came to a cramped, undecorated, unfurnished room. The ceiling was a wide window open to the star-spangled sky. There wasn't time to give it more than a glance. He carefully sealed the door behind him, then crossed to the far wall of the room. A phone rested here, embedded in the wood. He punched a hasty series of numbers and waited for the viewscreen to glow in response.

When it did, it revealed a heavily painted young woman. She frowned at him quizzically and said, mumbling, "San Francisco Police Department, Felony Division, yes, sir, do you wish to speak to somebody?"

"Inspector Cargill, please," Ah Tran said.

"And who should I tell him is calling?"

He started to tell her, then paused, smiling to himself. If he said Ah Tran, he would only succeed in confusing the poor girl; after all, his face was known throughout the world. So he said, "Tell him Donald Tapman."

"Donald who?"

He spelled his last name for her. Twice.

A moment after that, the girl disappeared to be replaced, momentarily, by the impassive visage of Inspector Cargill.

"Now what have you gone and done to yourself?" he asked.

Ah Tran laughed. "Only what you told me to do."

Cargill shook his head. "I didn't say you should do that."

"I know. But I'm afraid I've started taking my responsibilities seriously."

"I warned you that might happen."

"By going to visit the android in his quarters, I assumed the position of an inferior. Since an inferior should never lie to one who occupies a higher position and since all that make-up of mine was really a lie, I decided to take it off. As soon as I'm through talking to you, I'll put it on again."

"Was he surprised?"

"Very."

"Did it help?"

"He said yes."

Cargill nodded thoughtfully. He started to smile, then seemed to change his mind: "When?" he asked, after a long pause.

"I've scheduled the session in an hour. I assume we don't have much time."

"The war should start sometime tonight."

"Tonight, but-" The news had shaken him deeply. It meant they had no chance at all of succeeding in time. "We've lost."

"Perhaps. They're in a hurry. The primitive nations have received intelligence-from guess who?--describing the inefficiency of the androids. Of course, they feel they have to move now, before the design is corrected."

"Will we be safe here?" Unconsciously, Ah Tran's eyes strayed toward the open, vulnerable ceiling.

Cargill nodded. "Oh, yes. I imagine the fighting will be limited to the usual border zones. It'll turn into an ugly stalemate."

"Which is what they want."

"Yes."

Now it was Ah Tran's turn to pause and consider. He glanced at his watch. "I assume Richmond is doing the designs for the new model."

"Yes, he's supposed to turn them in tomorrow at dawn."

"Do you think he's safe? Surely, they don't want-"

"I doubt it. At this point, they'd kill him in a minute."

"What are you going to do?"

"Go over there and try to stop them."

"Don't leave until you've heard from me."

"I won't-I can't. If they get to him before then-" Car-gill gave a sad, philosophical shrug "-then we're in a mess. But there's nobody I can trust to help him-except me. Nobody, I'm beginning to find out, is quite what they seem to be. I can't take that risk. I managed to shuffle Hopkins aside but they still have his wife, you know. I've tried to check her out and, as far as I can determine, she hasn't entered the city but-well, they are supermen."

"Yes." He needed no reminder of that fact. "Are you going to put the question to him?"