The Penultimate Truth

"Yes." Lantano nodded. "That was the line. However, the landings were successful. Because, as version B shows--in an equally inspiredly spurious scene for Pac-Peop consumption--Hitler deliberately held back two panzer divisions in the Normandy area _so that the invasion would succeed_."

No one said anything for a time.

"Will the death of Brose," Nicholas said, "mean the end of the era which began with those two documentaries?" He addressed Lantano. "You say you have access to--"

"The death of Brose," Lantano said firmly, "will inaugurate the moment in which we, plus the Recon Dis-In Council, with whom I have already discussed this matter, will, in conjunction with Louis Runcible--who is essential in this--decide exactly what to tell the millions of underground dwellers."

"So they'll come up?" Nicholas said.

"If we want that," Lantano said.

"Hell," Nicholas protested, "of course we want that; it's the whole point. Isn't it?" He looked from Lantano to Adams, then to Foote.

Foote said, "I think so. I agree." And Runcible would agree.

"But only one man," Lantano said, "speaks to the tankers. And that man is Talbot Yancy. What will he decide to do?"

Adams, sputtering, said, "There is no Tal--"

"But there is," Foote said. To Lantano he said, 'What will Talbot Yancy decide to do?" _I believe you can authoritatively answer_, he said to himself. _Because you know; and / know why you know, and you realize this. We are no longer in the quagmire of fakes, now; this is real. What are you, what I am aware of, due to the photographic records taken by my satellite_.

After a pause Lantano said thoughtfully, "Talbot Yancy will a

"And this is true?" Nicholas said. "They really will be brought up gradually? Or is this just another--"

Looking at his watch, Lantano said, "We have to get busy. Adams, you get the Alpha-wave pattern from Pe

"What about me?" Nicholas said.

Lantano picked up Foote's military map, carried it to Nicholas, presented him with it. "My leadies are at your disposal. And an express flapple that'll get you and nine or ten leadies to North Carolina. This is the spot for them to excavate. And good luck," Lantano said tersely. "Because from now on you're on homeo--on your own. Tonight we have other matters to take care of."

Foote said, "I wish we didn't have to--rush into this; I wish we could discuss it further." He felt fear. Precog, extrasensory, as well as the ordinary instinctive fear. "If only we had more time," he said.

To him Lantano said, "Do you think we have?"

"No," Foote said.

26

With his cumbersome human and leady entourage surrounding him, Joseph Adams left the living room of the villa; Foote and Lantano followed, the two of them together.

"Did Brose program the macher?" Foote said to the dark young man--young now, but as he had seen on the animated sequences of the satellite-obtained photographic record, capable of or victim of an oscillation into any section of his life track.

Lantano said, "Since the machine came equipped with the Alphawave pattern of--"

"Which can be obtained by any Yance-man from any of the three major computers," Foote said, in a voice that did not carry to Joseph Adams, who was insulated by the clankings of his entourage. "And Lantano, let's face it; _you know that_. Are you responsible for Lindblom's death? I'd like to know before we go into this."

"Is it important? Does it really make a difference?"

Foote said, "Yes. But I'll go ahead anyhow." Because of the danger of not going ahead, the menace to their lives; the moral issue had no bearing, not at this late point. Not since he had installed the aud-vid bug. If ever anyone became the victim of his own professional ingenuity...

"I programmed the macher," Lantano said, then.

"Why? What had Lindblom done?"

"Nothing. In fact I was deeply in his debt, since through him I obtained the time travel rig; I wouldn't be here now without him. And before him I--" The most brief, short-lingering hesitation. "I killed Hig."

"Why?"

"Hig I killed," Lantano said matter-of-factly, "to stop the special project. To save Runcible. So the special project would misfire. Which it did."

"But why Lindblom? Hig I can understand. But--" He gestured.

Lantano said, "For this. To indict Brose. To provide delineation that would convince Adams that Brose had killed his best friend, the only friend, as near as I can make out, that Adams had left in the world. I expected the macher to escape; I didn't think Lindblom's leadies were that efficient, had been trained to move that fast. Evidently Lindblom suspected something, but perhaps from some other quarter."

"And what does this accomplish, this death?"

"It forces Adams to act. Brose is wary; Brose, without having a rational, conscious reason, distrusts me and avoids me. _Brose has never come within weapons distance of me, will never_; I couldn't have reached him alone, by myself, without Adams' help. I've looked ahead; I know. Brose either dies tomorrow morning when he visits Adams' office--which is one of the few places Brose will go--or Brose continues on, if you can accept and believe this, _another twenty years_."

"In that case," Foote said, "you did the proper thing." If this was true. And no way existed by which he could check. Twenty years. Until Brose was one-hundred-and-two years old. A nightmare, Foote said to himself. And we are not out of it yet; we still must awake.

"What Adams does not know," Lantano said, "will never find out, is a deplorable fact that should never have come into existence. Lindblom, up to the time of his death, was agonizing over a decision. Had actually reached a decision; he was finally prepared to report on Adams' moral reservations toward the special project. He knew that Adams was on the verge of leaking enough information to Louis Runcible to keep Runcible from being gaffed, from falling onto the hook; Runcible would have, based on Adam's tip, made the archeological finds public. He would have lost his Utah land, but not his overall economic syndrome. Nor his political freedom. Lindblom--he was loyal, when it came down to it, to the Agency. To Brose. Not to his friend. I have seen this, Foote; believe me. Within the next day Lindblom would go through cha

Foote said, "If it had been me I wouldn't have done it. Killed Hig or Lindblom. Anybody." In his business he had seen enough of killing.

"But," Lantano said, "you are willing to participate in this now. In Brose's death. So even you, at a point, feel--recognize--that no other resource can be turned to, except the ultimate one. I've lived six hundred years, Foote; I know when it is and isn't necessary to kill."

Yes, Foote thought. Evidently you do.

But where, he wondered, does this sequence terminate? Will Brose be the last? There's no guarantee extended, here.