Stranger in a Strange Land

He found his way into a large living room having that impersonal quality of hotel accommodations. Several people were watching the largest stereovision tank Jubal had ever seen outside a theater. One glanced up, said, «Hi, Jubal,» and came toward him.

«Hi, Ben. What's the situation? Is Mike still in jail?»

«Oh, no. He got out shortly after I talked to you.»

«Is the preliminary hearing set?»

Ben smiled. «It's not that way, Jubal. Mike wasn't released, he escaped.»

Jubal looked disgusted. «What a silly thing to do. Now the case will be eight times as difficult.»

«Jubal, I told you not to worry. The rest of us are presumed dead — and Mike is missing. We're through with this city, it doesn't matter. We'll go elsewhere.»

«They'll extradite him.»

«Never fear. They won't.»

«Well … where is he? I must talk to him.»

«He's a couple of rooms down from you. But he's withdrawn in meditation. He left word to tell you to take no action. You can talk to him if you insist; Jill will call him out of it. But I don't recommend it. There's no hurry.»

Jubal was damnably eager to talk to Mike — and chew him out for getting into such a mess — but disturbing Mike while in trance was worse than disturbing Jubal himself when dictating a story — the boy always came out of self-hypnosis when he had «grokked the fullness,» whatever that was---or if he hadn't, then he needed to go back into it. As pointless as disturbing a hibernating bear.

«All right. But I want to see him when he wakes up.»

«You will. Now relax and get the trip out of your system.» Ben urged him toward the group around the tank.

Anne looked up. «Hello, Boss.» She moved over. «Sit down.»

Jubal joined her. «May I ask what the devil you are doing here?»

«The same thing you're doing — nothing. Jubal, please don't get heavy-handed. We belong here as much as you do. But you were too upset to argue with. So relax and watch what they're saying about us. The sheriff has announced that he's going to run all us whores out of town.» She smiled. «I've never been run out of town before. Does a whore get ridden on a rail? Or will I have to walk?»

«I don't think there's protocol. You all came?»

«Yes, but don't fret. Larry and I made an arrangement with the McClintock boys a year ago — just in case. They know how the furnace works and where switches are and things; it's all right.»

«Hmm! I'm beginning to think I'm just a boarder there.»

«You expect us to run it without bothering you. But it's a shame you didn't let us all travel together. We got here hours ago — you must have had trouble.»

«I did. Anne, once I get home I don't intend to set foot off the place again in my life … and I'm going to yank out the telephone and take a sledgehammer to the babble box.»

«Yes, Boss.»

«This time I mean it.» He glanced at the giant babble box. «Do those commercials go on forever? Where's my god-daughter ? Don't tell me you left her with McClintock's idiot sons!»

«Of course not. She's here. She even has her own nursemaid, thank God.»

«I want to see her.»

«Patty will show her to you. I'm bored with her — she was a little beast all the way down. Patty dear! Jubal wants to see Abby.»

The tattooed woman checked an unhurried dash through the room. «Certainly, Jubal. I'm not busy. Down this way.

«I've got the kids in my room,» she explained, while Jubal strove to keep up, «so that Honey Bun can watch them.»

Jubal was mildly startled to see what Patricia meant. The boa was arranged on a bed in squared-off loops that formed a nest — a twin nest, as one bight of the snake had been pulled across to bisect the square, making two crib-sized pockets, each padded with a baby blanket and each containing a baby.

The ophidian nursemaid raised her head inquiringly as they came in. Patty stroked it and said, «It's all right, dear. Father Jubal wants to see them. Pet her a little, and let her grok you, so she will know you next time.»

Jubal cootchy-cooed at his favorite girl friend when she gurgled at him and kicked, then petted the snake. It was the handsomest specimen of Boidae he had ever seen — longer, he estimated than any other boa constrictor in captivity. Its cross bars sharply marked and brighter colors of the tail quite showy. He envied Patty her blue-ribbon pet and regretted that he would not have time in which to get friendly with it.

The snake rubbed her head against his hand like a cat. Patty picked up Abby, said, «Honey Bun, why didn't you tell me? She tells me at once if one of them gets tangled up, or needs help, since she can't do much except nudge them back if they try to crawl out. But she just can't grok that a wet baby ought to be changed — Honey Bun doesn't see anything wrong about that. And neither does Abby.»

«I know. We call her “Old Faithful.” Who's the other cutie pie?»

«That's Fatima Michele. I thought you knew.»

«Are they here? I thought they were in Beirut!»