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y at dawn。 Heller； sleeping so peacefully when I left； must have been right behind me out that door！
She was waltzing around in the center of the room； holding the silver one against her。
Then she rushed back to the desk and found his card and pressed it to her chest。
I looked at my watch。 Ouch； were we overdue for instruction this morning！ I started to hurry out。
〃No； no！〃 cried the Countess Krak。 〃Give me twenty minutes before you bring him down。 I have to bathe again and get dressed！〃 Right that moment I got a horrible premonition that all this was going to wind up in catastrophe。 I do wish now I had learned to obey my hunches。 They were right！
Chapter 2
In my room I found Jettero Heller lounging in an easy chair； eyes half…closed； idle beyond belief。 The furthest thing from his mind appeared to be Mission Earth。 Some supplementary reading I had given him lay in a neglected pile。 Soft but plaintive music was ing over the Homeviewer and some female singer was on the screen。 Love songs！
Now if there is anything that hurts my sensitive ears it is a high…pitched； echo orchestra and the quavering； sobbing soprano of a love balladess。 Furthermore； they paint their faces black for 〃unrequited love〃 and by means of tubes beside their eyes they shed red tears…tears of blood。 And the melodies are all down scale： And so faded my glow Into the sorrow That took me in tow To the deep pits of woe And with my last breath I'll still cry for death And grave clothes to use as my trousseau。
Sickening！
So this was Heller's idea of charging out and getting the job done！
In a flash of insight； I realized what I was up against。 Love！ There are warnings in the standard espionage texts： they give a lot of biological tables stressing that it is irrational； they go over a lot of examples of how even Royal houses have been destroyed because the practical marriage orders were flouted by young Princes and Princesses who stupidly fell in love with somebody else； they don't tell you how to use it but they warn against pairing a male and female agent。 They say there's no way to thwart it short of shooting somebody。 Well； the professors might not be able to use it； but I could。 I owed my rise in the Apparatus to being cunning。
I was cunning now。 In a very sweet voice； I said； 〃You had better get cleaned up。 In 。 。 。 ；〃 and I ostentatiously looked at my watch； 〃。 。 。 twenty minutes you have an appointment in the training rooms with the Countess Krak。〃 Holy Gods！ He came out of that chair like he'd been catapult…launched。
He had washed his white exercise suit the night before but in this airless cubicle it wasn't dry and he frantically rigged a heat fan。 He rushed about； showered； dried and bed his hair and dressed and all in about eight minutes。 Then； of course； we had to wait three or four minutes and he sat there fidgeting。 I turned off the Homeview： I couldn't take any more echo orchestra and down scale love ballads…they came through to me more like funeral dirges and if I didn't get Heller off this planet； there was going to be one more…mine。
Still a minute early； we arrived outside the training rooms。 He went through the door。
I was about to follow him when a hand stopped me。 It was the Countess Krak's training assistant； a very ugly brute。 〃Message just came； Officer Gris。 You're wanted at the central guard office at Camp Endurance。〃 What now？ In some alarm I made sure two guardsmen were posted outside the door and went tearing off。
It always takes time to get through the tunnel and it was almost an hour later when I arrived at the Camp Endurance guard office。
The filthy Apparatus duty officer looked over his sheets in some mystery。 〃Oh； yes。 There was a general call for you 。 。 。 wait。 It is logged as just before dawn。 Good Devils； Officer Gris！ Didn't they find you this morning？ I am sorry； Officer Gris； but it's for the fortress internally and we didn't get more than the general recording of it。 。 。 。〃 I cut him off。 〃I answered that call hours ago！ Cancel it。〃
〃But we're not sending it out！〃 he said。 〃It was for the internal 。。。〃 In brand…new alarm； I realized I had been fooled！
The Countess Krak！ She had wanted me out of the way。 What were they planning？ A breakout？
Real terror gripped me at the thought of what Lombar would do to me if Heller got loose！ I grabbed a tunnel zipbus that didn't zip fast enough to satisfy me。 I raced through the fortress and back to the training rooms。 Gods knew what I would find！
I burst in。
It was the most peaceful scene you ever saw。 Heller was sitting in the chair she'd gotten for him； the recorded strip player was on the table running； putting out quiet roars； the Countess Krak was sitting in the other chair。 She was dressed in the silver elastic suit； her hair was tied with the silver ribbon with flowers on it； her feet； relaxed； were cased in the silver ankle boots： I will say she looked heart…stoppingly beautiful。 She had her elbows on the other side of the table and her chin was cupped in her palms。 She was looking at him adoringly。
I sidled over； pretty mad； really。 〃That was a cute trick you pulled；〃 I hissed； too low for Heller to hear。
She turned her face to me。 Her eyes were a smoky blue and shining。 She had a half…smile on her lips。 Utterly relaxed； she whispered back； 〃Isn't he beautiful？〃 I was disgusted。 But then； I thought； even a female lepertige probably falls in love from time to time。 I went out in the passageway： I really couldn't stand to look at them。 To me； the situation was too dangerous。
Using my munications disc； I got an underground line to the Section 451 office in Government City。 My chief clerk there…an old criminal named Bawtch…didn't sound very happy that I had been retained as Chief of the Section。 He told me they had been shuffling papers perfectly all right and hoped I didn't have any orders： he said they didn't need any disorders right now。 It wasn't really insolent； that's just the way Bawtch is。 He soured on life some seconds after he was born and has made a profession of deteriorating ever since。
I did find out that some new texts and paperbacks had e in on the just arrived freighter from Earth as well as recent issues of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal； a couple of newssheets they print on that planet。 I told him to put the lot on the Spiteos shuttle and he sighed and hoped I wouldn't be calling again soon。
I dawdled around； made some notes on what I was supposed to get going。 Then I went back in to see how the language lessons were progressing。
What？ They were no longer at the table！ I stepped further inside and there they were in the middle of a big training platform。
She was teaching him unarmed bat？ My orders were that no espionage tactics 。 。 。 Then I checked myself。 They weren't doing unarmed bat。 Heller was showing her the latest dance routines！ The 〃Shatter〃 had been popular in the last few months。 The male lunges out and the female flips away； the female lunges and the male rolls away： back and forth； somewhat athletic but kind of monotonous。 They had a timing ticker； used to coordinate acrobats； and it was going to a dance beat。 Heller was showing her the foot posi