"No, Jubal. Only today did I learn that Dorcas is my water brother."
"She is?"
"Yes. Dorcas and Anne and Miriam and Larry. They are your water brothers, my brother Jubal."
"Mmm, yes. Correct in essence."
"Yes. It is essence, the grokking - not sharing of water. I speak rightly?"
"Very rightly, Mike."
"They are your water brothers." Mike paused to think words. "In catenative assemblage, they are my brothers." Mike looked at Dorcas. "For brothers, growing-closer is good. But I did not know."
Jubal said, "Well, Dorcas?"
"Huh? Oh, Heavens! Boss, you're the world's worst tease. But Mike isn't teasing. He's sweet." She walked up to him, stood on tiptoes, and held up her arms. "Kiss me, Mike."
Mike did. For some seconds they "grew closer."
Dorcas fainted.
Jubal spotted it and kept her from falling, Mike being far too inexperienced to cope with it. Then Jill had to speak sharply to Mike to keep him from trembling into withdrawal when he saw what had happened to Dorcas. Luckily Dorcas came out of it shortly and was able to reassure Mike that she was all right, that she had indeed "grown closer" and would happily grow closer again - but she needed to catch her breath. "Whew!"
Miriam had watched round-eyed. "I wonder if I dare risk it?"
Anne said, "By seniority, please. Boss, are you through with me as a Witness?"
"For the time being, at least."
"Then hold my cloak." She slipped out of it. "Want to bet on it?"
"Which way?"
"I'll give you seven-to-two I don't faint - but I wouldn't mind losing."
"Done."
"Dollars, not hundreds. Mike dear� let's grow lots closer."
In time Anne was forced to give up through simple hypoxia, although Mike, with his Martian training, could have gone without oxygen much longer. She gasped for air and said, "I don't think I was set just right. Boss, I'm going to give you another chance for your money."
She started to offer her face again but Miriam tapped her on the shoulder. "Out."
"Don't be so eager."
"'Out,' I said. The foot of the line for you, wench," Miriam insisted.
"Oh, well!" Anne pecked Mike hastily and gave way. Miriam moved in, smiled at him, and said nothing. It was not necessary; they grew close and continued to grow closer.
"Front!"
Miriam looked around. "Boss, can't you see I'm busy?"
"All right, all right! But get out of the pickup angle - I'll answer the phone myself."
"Honest, I didn't even hear it."
"Obviously. But for a while we've got to pretend to a modicum of dignity around here - it might be the Secretary General. So get out of range."
But it was Mr. Mackenzie. "Jubal, what in the devil is going on?"
"Trouble?"
"A short while ago I got a wild phone call from a young man claiming to speak for you who urged me to drop everything and get cracking, because you've finally got something for me. Since I had already ordered a mobile unit to your place-"
"Never got here."
"I know. They called in, after wandering around somewhere north of you. Our despatcher straightened them out and they should be there any moment now. I tried twice to call you and your circuit was busy. What have I missed?"
"Nothing yet." Jubal considered it. Damnation, he should have had someone monitor the babble box. Had Douglas actually made that news release? Was Douglas committed? Or would a new passel of cops show up? While the kids played post office! Jubal, you're getting senile. "I'm not sure that there's going to be, just yet. Has there been anything special in the way of a news flash this past hour?"
"Why, no - oh, one item: the Palace announced that the Man from Mars had returned north and was vacationing in the - Jubal! Are you mixed up in that?"
"Just a moment. Mike, come to the phone. Anne, grab your robe."
"Got it, Boss."
"Mr. Mackenzie - meet the Man from Mars."
Mackenzie's jaw dropped, then his professional reflexes came to his aid. "Hold it. Just hold it right there and let me get a camera on this! We'll pick it up in flat, right off the phone - and we'll repeat in stereo just as quick as those jokers of mine get there. Jubal, I'm safe on this? You wouldn't- You wouldn't-"
"Would I swindle you with a Fair Witness at my elbow? Yes, I would, if necessary. But I'm not forcing this interview on you. Matter of fact, we should wait and tie in Argus and Trans-Planet."
"Jubal! You can't do this to me."
"And I won't. The agreement with all of you was to monitor what the cameras saw� when I signalled. And use it if it was newsworthy. But I didn't promise not to give out interviews in addition to that - and New World can have this interview, oh, say thirty minutes ahead of Argus and Trans-P� if you want it." Jubal added, "Not only did you loan us all the equipment for the tie-in, but you've been very helpful personally, Tom. I can't express how helpful you've been."
"You mean, uh, that telephone number?"
"Correct!"
"And it got results?"
"It did. But no questions about that, Tom. Not on the air. Ask me privately - next year."
"Oh, I wouldn't think of it. You keep your lip buttoned and I'll keep mine. Now don't go away-"
"One more thing. That spool of messages you're holding for me against the same signal. Make damn sure they don't go out. Send them back to me."
"Eh? All right, all right - I've been keeping them in my desk, you were so fussy about it. Jubal, I've got a camera on this phone screen right now. Can we start?"
"Shoot."
"And I'm going to do this one myself!" Mackenzie turned his face away and apparently looked at the camera. "flash news! This is your NWNW reporter on the spot while its hot! The Man from Mars has just phoned you right here in your local station and wants to talk to you! Cut. Monitor, insert flash-news plug and acknowledgment to sponsor. Jubal, anything special I should ask him?"
"Don't ask him questions about South America - he's not a tourist. Swimming is your safest subject. You can ask me about his future plans."
"Okay. End of cut. Friends, you are now face to face and voice to voice with Valentine Michael Smith, the Man from Mars! As NWNW, always first with the burst, told you earlier, Mr. Smith has just returned from his solitary retreat high in the Andes - and we welcome him back! Wave to your friends, Mr. Smith-"
("Wave at the telephone, son. Smile and wave at it.")
"Thank you, Valentine Michael Smith. We're all happy to see you looking so healthy and tan. I understand that you have been gathering strength by learning to swim?"
"Boss! Visitors. Or something."
"Cut before interruption - after the word 'swim.' What the hell, Jubal?"
"I'll have to see. Jill, ride herd on Mike again - it might be General Quarters."
But it was not. It was the NWNW mobile stereovision unit landing - and again rose bushes were damaged - Larry returning from phoning Mackenzie from the village, and Duke, returning. Mackenzie decided to finish the flat black amp; white interview quickly, since he was now assured of depth and color through his mobile unit, and in the meantime its technical crew could check the trouble with the equipment on loan to Jubal. Larry and Duke went with them.
The interview was finished with inanities, Jubal fielding any questions Mike failed to understand; Mackenzie signed off with a promise to the public that a color amp; depth special interview with the Man from Mars would follow in thirty minutes. "Stay synched with this station!" He stayed on the phone and waited for his technicians to report.
Which the crew boss did, almost at once: "Nothing wrong with that transceiver, Mr. Mackenzie, nor with any part of this field setup."
"Then what was wrong with it before?"
The technician glanced at Larry and Duke, then grinned. "Nothing. But it helps quite a bit to put power through it. The breaker was open at the board."
Harshaw intervened to stop a wrangle between Larry and Duke, one which seemed concerned with the relative merits of various sorts of idiocy more than with the question of whether Duke had, or had not, told Larry that a certain tripped circuit breaker must be reset if it was anticipated that the borrowed equipment was going to be used. The showman's aspect of Jubal's personality regretted that the "finest unrehearsed spectacular since Elijah bested the Priests of Baal" had been missed by the cameras. But the political finagler in him was relieved that mischance had kept Mike's curious talents still a close secret - Jubal anticipated that he still might need them, as a secret weapon� not to mention the undesirability of trying to explain to skeptical strangers the present whereabouts of certain policemen plus two squad cars.