Epilogue
As had become a daily custom, most of the Ardans were gathered at thenatatorium. Hilton and Temple were wrestling in the water--she wastrying to duck him and he was hard put to it to keep her from doing it.The platinum-haired twins were--oh, ever so surreptitiously andindetectably!--studying the other girls.
Captain Sawtelle--he had steadfastly refused to accept any highertitle--and his wife were teaching two of their tiny grandchildren toswim.
In short, everything was normal.
Beverly Bell Poynter, from the top platform, hit the board as hard asshe could hit it; and, perfectly synchronized with it, hurled herselfupward. Up and up and up she went. Up to her top ceiling of two hundredten feet. Then, straightening out into a shapely arrow and without againmoving a muscle, she hurtled downward, making two and a half beautifullystately turns and striking the water with a slurping, splashless _chug_!Coming easily to the surface, she shook the water out of her eyes.
Temple, giving up her attempts to near-drown her husband, rolled overand floated quietly beside him.
"You know, this is fun," he said.
"Uh-_huh_," she agreed enthusiastically.
"I'm glad you and Sandy buried the hatchet. Two of the top women whoever lived. Or should I have said sheathed the claws? Or have you,really?"
"Pretty much ... I guess." Temple didn't seem altogether sure of thepoint. "Oh-oh. _Now_ what?"
A flitabout had come to ground. Dark Lady, who never delivered a messagevia thought if she could possibly get away with delivering it in person,was running full tilt across the sand toward them. Her long black hairwas streaming out behind her; she was waving a length of teletype tapeas though it were a pennon.
"Oh, no. Not _again_?" Temple wailed. "Don't tell us it's Terra again,Dark Lady, please."
"But it is!" Dark Lady cried, excitedly. "And it says 'From Five-JetAdmiral Gordon, Commanding.'"
"Omit flowers, please," Hilton directed. "Boil it down."
"The _Perseus_ is in orbit with the whole Advisory Board. They want tohold a top-level summit conference with Director Hilton and Five-JetAdmiral Sawtelle." Dark Lady raised her voice enough to be sure Sawtelleheard the title, and shot him a wicked glance as she announced it. "Theyhope to conclude all unfinished business on a mutually satisfactory andprofitable basis."
"Okay, Lady, thanks. Tell 'em we'll call 'em shortly."
Dark Lady flashed away and Hilton and Temple swam slowly toward aladder.
"Drat Terra and everything and everybody on it," Temple said,vigorously. "And especially drat His Royal Fatness Five-Jet AdmiralGordon. How much longer will it take, do you think, to pound some senseinto their pointed little heads?"
"Oh, we're not doing too bad," Hilton assured his lovely bride. "Two orthree more sessions ought to do it."
Everything was normal....
END
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CRITICAL MASS by Pohl & Kornbluth
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Transcriber's Note
This etext was produced from _Worlds of If_ November 1961 and January1962. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.copyright on these publications was renewed.
The chapter headers of the second instalment, originally starting fromX, have been correctly numbered. Minor spelling and typographical errorshave been corrected without note.
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