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"The records say so. Fingerprints and retinal patterns match."
Rissa went to him. "It \iis\i you, Ivan-isn't it?"
"Ivan Marchant defends the ethics of Total Welfare and always wili!"
Erika Hulzein embraced them both. "I'll take him, Rissa, and try to grow back
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his mind-what they've left of it. I can't promise full recovery, but I'll try.
My fee's only half of what it was for you, because he can't use more than half
the training, probably." Rissa hugged her brother once more; then an attendant
led him away. Erika said, "Don't give up yet, on him; there's still a chance."
Rissa spat. "There's a \ichance\i that UET's Presiding Corn-
\c\b41\b
\cmittee will grow wings. They've canceled all future elections; it's the next
logical step. But I
won't sit quietly in a duck blind, waiting for them to fly over!"
Erika's eyes narrowed. "I thought you'd dropped that idea."
Half smiling, half snarling, Rissa answered. "Oh, I have-I can't afford it."
Political assassinations, she had found, came high; all her wealth would
barely have bought the death of any one Committee member. "It's more important
that I get off Earth."
She did not mention her independent negotiations with the New Mafia. The
Committee was out of her reach, but she had not forgotten Osbert Newhausen-and
she felt her plans for that man might shock even Erika Hulzein. Not death-for
David and Selene, for Rissa's eleven years in Welfare and
Ivan's damaged mind, death was not sufficient. She hoped the general would
live at least eleven years....
To Erika, though, she said only, "You've taught me a great deal. But one thing
I knew already-
settle for what you can get."
"Not too cheaply, however. Remember, Rissa-sometimes you can get more than you
might think."
Rissa laughed. "Yes, I know. And with your training to help me, perhaps I
will."
HER million-Weltmark year neared its end; looking back from what she was to
what she had been, Rissa felt that it was worth every centum she had paid.
Now, readying herself to leave, she conferred more often with Erika. During
one such meeting, Frieda Hulzein entered. The brown hair of Erika's heiress
was only beginning to show gray, but in some ways the mother seemed the
younger.
Frieda sat. "Rissa Kerguelen, isn't it?" Rissa nodded. "Considering the time
you've been here, we haven't seen much of each other. I almost feel you've
been avoiding me."
Rissa said, "Your responsibilities and my training didn't
\c" 42 "
\coverlap greatly. You are, of course, primarily concerned with management and
administration.
Your subordinates had charge of my studies in those areas."
"I suppose so. Well, now-I understand you're leaving us soon? And like all
youngsters, ready to go out and take on the whole world?"
"No. Quite the opposite. I'm ready, as soon as possible, to take \ioff\i this
world."
Erika said, "So you'll be in touch, you two, over the years. Frieda-we'll be
handling Rissa's
Earthside affairs-you've seen the agreements, or will. All standard, with the
code-changing sequences staggered on the ABC contingency patterns."
Frieda nodded. "That's sound." She looked at Rissa. "Are you sure you
understand how those progressions work? Over the light-years, they can get
complicated."
"I think so," Rissa said. "As an example, if the mutual lag is fifteen years
and my chart begins with AB7, then my first message upon landing would start
with-"
She continued the explanation through the first two changes; then Frieda waved
a hand. "All right; you'll manage." She stood. "I'm expecting a call. Another
time, then."
When she had left, Erika said, "You don't like Frieda, do you?"
"It's as I said-we've never had cause to become acquainted."
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"She's a little hard to know, I realize. But are you sure that's all?"
"What more could there be?"
Erika frowned, but only briefly. "Quite a lot. And if you were staying here
much longer I'd find
file:///C|/WINDOWS/Desktop/Incoming/Busby,%...%20View%2002%20-%20Young%20Rissa
%20v1.0.txt (19 of 80) [7/14/2004 3:22:00 PM]
file:///C|/WINDOWS/Desktop/Incoming/Busby,%20F.%20M%20-%20L....%20M%20-%20Long
%20View%2002%20-%20Young%20Rissa%20v1.0.txt out, too. You're a good bluffer
but I taught your teachers. Well, it's not important-over umpteen light-years,
personalities don't matter much."
"No." And Rissa left to see to her preparations. *
\c43
\cWAITING while certain financial arrangements were completed, she overstayed
her year by three weeks. Her investments had prospered; her net worth after
all expenses-including the Newhausen contract-was well over 25,000,000
Weltmarks. Part of her wealth she would take off Earth; the rest would work
for her in several countries, each group of assets held jointly in the names
of two or more manufactured identities. Sometimes, though not usually, her own
name also appeared. The network was arranged so that she could reach any
holding from any identity in not more than two stages.
Nonexistent \ipersonae,\i she had found, cost money and required supporting
paraphernalia. She had three-Lysse Har-nain, Tari Obrigo, and Cele
Metrokin-and none of them, in speech or appearance, would be mistaken!or any
other or for herself.
Except for three items, she had stayed clear of North America. Theft and
delivery of the fertility-control device was as expensive as Erika had warned,
but finally the thing arrived.
There was, of course, the Newhausen contract. And Lysse Harnain, Tari Obrigo,
and Cele Metrokin, between them and jointly, held nearly 4,000,000 Weltmarks
in UET voting stock. That holding was
Rissa's leverage to get her off Earth.
So it was Lysse Harnain, aged twenty-eight, attractive but not pretty, who
said good-bye to
Erika. Lysse spoke in a shrill little-girl voice. Plastic inserts widened her
nostrils; a removable cap gave her a crooked front tooth. Her hair,
temporarily reddened, she wore in tight curls pulled to the crown of her head.
Thin, indetectable plastic lenses changed her gray eyes to green and would
mislead any retinal-pattern check. Tissue-thin appliques on her fingertips
carried the fabricated print patterns on file for Lysse Harnain. Duplicates of
these accessories, and their counterparts for Tari Obrigo and Cele Metro-kin,
were well hidden in her handbag and luggage. The magnetic "faucet handle"
masqueraded as part of her hair dryer. Thus equipped, she reported to Erika.
The older woman reached to take both her hands, looked closely at her and
nodded. "You'll do,"
she said. "Now-sit down-I'm glad I got back from the city before you left. Are
your plans still the same?"
\c\b" 44 "
\b
\c"Almost. I'm not risking North America at all; UET's subsidiary in Japan
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