Counter Clock World

Pushing the half-open door aside, a sloppily dressed, rather gaunt and tall Negro said tentatively, "Mr. Hermes? Sebastian Hermes?" He peered into the front room of the vitarium. "Good to finally meet you, sir, face to face. Goodbye, Mr. Hermes." He walked toward Sebastian, his hand extended.

"Just a moment, Mr. Gantrix," Sebastian said, ignoring the proffered hand. To A

"I can see I'm interrupting," Gantrix said, jovially. "I'll go take a seat--" He strode toward one of the chairs. "--and read, until you're finished." He glanced at his wristwatch. "But I do have to meet His Mightiness, Ray Roberts, in an hour."

A

"Words," Sebastian said. "You use them sadistically; you know what I mean. I just want her back, here, not somewhere else like a motel or the Library, but here in the vitarium."

"Is the Anarch Peak on the premises?" Gantrix spoke up. "Could I tiptoe in and have a look at him while you good people carry on your discussion?"

"He's not on the premises," Sebastian said. "We were forced to move him. For purposes of safety."

"But you do have actual and legal custody," Gantrix said.

"Yes," Sebastian said. "I guarantee it."

A

"But you will find the motel," he said. "Eventually. You phoned the Library and told the Erads to keep working until they located her."

The girl's face blanched.

"I know the content of both calls," Sebastian said. "To the Library and to your husband."

"Those were strictly private," A

"Get the bomb," he said.

"Hmm," she said reflectively, again folding her arms. "I wonder if I ought to do that." She seemed less frightened, now.

His attention captured, Carl Gantrix again spoke up. "Bomb? What bomb?" He stood up nervously.

"Turn the Anarch over to us," A

Impasse.

To Carl Gantrix, A

Staring at her, with horror, Gantrix said,, "W-why?"

"I'm from the Library," A

"_Oh my god no!_" Gantrix said.

Both Sebastian and A

"We revere the Anarch," Gantrix said, stammering in his vehemence, his disclaim. "He's our _saint_--the only one we've got. We've waited decades for his return; the Anarch will have all the ultimate wisdom of the afterlife; that's the entire purpose of Roberts' pilg: this is a holy journey, for the purpose of sitting at the feet of the Anarch and hearing his good news." He walked toward A

A

"You Erads," Gantrix said; his voice was harsh, bleak with disdain. "Tyrants. Petty rulers of this earth. What business is it of yours? You intend to eradicate the news which he has bro ught back?" He turned to Sebastian. "The Anarch, you say, is physically safe, now?"

"Yes," Sebastian said. "They tried to get him; in fact they almost did." Had he been wrong about Roberts? Was this true? He had a strange, eerie feeling of unreality, as if Carl Gantrix was not actually here, not genuinely saying anything; it was like a dream, Gantrix's words, his dismay and outrage, his avowed dislike of the Library. But if it were true, he thought, then we can do business; we can go ahead and purvey the Anarch to him. Everything is changed.

To Sebastian, Carl Gantrix said, "Does she have the detonator of the bomb on her?"

"The Library can detonate the bomb," A

"No," Sebastian said. "It's on her." To A

"Do you think she would let herself be killed by it?" Gantrix asked him.

"No," Sebastian said. "I'm positive; she meant to get out of here first."

Gantrix said, "Then we can proceed this way: I'll hold her arms while you search for the detonator." He gripped the girl, then, in an iron-rigid hold. Too rigid, Sebastian thought; he noted that. And then he understood his sense of unreality about Gantrix; it was a robot, operating on remote.

No wonder "Gantrix" was not frightened by the bomb, now that he--or rather his operator--knew that the Anarch was away and safe. It's only me, Sebastian realized, who'll be killed: me and A

"I suggest," the roby said, "that you search her as quickly as you can." Its voice was firm with authority.

Sebastian said, "A

"Is that true?" she asked "Gantrix."

"Yes," it said. "I am Carl Junior. Please, Mr. Hermes; get the triggering device away from her. We have business to conduct and I have less than an hour."

He found the mechanism in her purse. After a fifteen minute search. Thanks to the robot's tight grip on the girl she had no chance of reaching it; they had never genuinely been in danger.

"You have that, now," A

"And about me, too?" Sebastian asked. "Sticking to me, staying with me, to--"

"Yes, yes, yes," she said, massaging her arms. She brushed her hair back, smoothed it, shook her head vigorously. "I think he's lying," she said, making a quick, furtive gesture at Carl Junior. "If you turn the Anarch over to him you'll get nothing but worthless F.N.M. poscreds and then they'll a

He said, "But if Udi gets the Anarch--"

"Oh, you conceivably might see Lotta again anyhow. I'm not threatening you; I'm offering you an absolute guarantee." Once again A

... some of the Erads are very good at making intricate issues clear."

"I'll take you elsewhere," Sebastian said to the robot Carl Junior. "Where we can work the sale out." He seized A