Stranger in a Strange Land

The Greyhound driver swung east in response to rerouting of unscheduled traffic (caused, unknown to Mike, by Mike's presence), and Mike saw the sea.

Jill had to tell him that it was water; Dorcas added that it was the Atlantic Ocean and traced the shore line on the map. Mike had known since he was a nestling that the planet next nearer the Sun was almost covered with the water of life and lately he had learned that these people accepted this richness casually. He had taken the more difficult hurdle of grokking the Martian orthodoxy that water ceremony did not require water; water was symbol for essence — beautiful but not indispensable.

But Mike discovered that knowing in abstract was not the same as physical reality; the Atlantic filled him with such awe that Jill said sharply, «Mike! Don't you dare!»

Mike chopped off his emotion and stored it. Then he stared at water stretching to horizon, and tried to measure it until his head was buzzing with threes and powers of threes and superpowers of powers.

As they landed on the Palace Jubal called out, «Remember, girls, form a square around him and don't be backward about planting a heel or jabbing an elbow. Anne, you'll be cloaked but that's no reason not to step on a foot if you're crowded. Or is it?»

«Quit fretting, Boss; nobody crowds a Witness — and I'm wearing spike heels and weigh more than you do.»

«Okay. Duke, send Larry back with the bus as soon as possible.»

«I grok it, Boss. Quit jittering.»

«I'll jitter as I please. Let's go.» Harshaw, the four girls with Mike, and Caxton got out; the bus took off. The landing flat was not crowded but it was far from empty. A man stepped forward and said heartily, «Dr. Harshaw? I'm Tom Bradley, senior executive assistant to the Secretary General. You are to go to Mr. Douglas's office. He will see you before the conference starts.»

«No.»

Bradley blinked. «I don't think you understood. These are instructions from the Secretary General. Oh, he said that it was all right for Mr. Smith to come with you — the Man from Mars, I mean.»

«No. We're going to the conference room. Have somebody lead the way. In the meantime, I have an errand for you. Miriam, that letter.»

«But. Dr. Harshaw — »

«I said, “No!” You are to deliver this to Mr. Douglas at once — and fetch his receipt to me.» Harshaw signed across the flap of an envelope Miriam handed to him, pressed his thumb print over the signature, handed it to Bradley. «Tell him that he must read this at once — before the meeting.»

«But the Secretary General desires — »

«The Secretary desires to see that letter. Young man, I am endowed with second sight. I prophesy that you won't be here tomorrow if you waste time getting it to him.»

Bradley said, «Jim, take over,» and left, with the letter. Jubal sighed. He had sweated over that letter; Anne and he had been up most of the night preparing draft after draft. Jubal intended to arrive at an open settlement — but he had no intention of taking Douglas by surprise.

A man stepped forward in answer to Bradley's order; Jubal sized him up as one of the clever young-men-on-the-make who gravitate to those in power and do their dirty work. The man smiled and said, «The name's Jim Sanforth, Doctor — I'm the Chief's press secretary. I'll be buffering for you from now on — arranging press interviews and so forth. I'm sorry to say that the conference is not ready; at the last minute we've had to move to a larger room. It's my thought that — »

«It's my thought that we'll go to that conference room right now.»

«Doctor, you don't understand. They are stringing wires and things, the room is swarming with reporters and — »

«Very well. We'll chat with 'em.»

«No, Doctor. I have instructions — »

«Youngster, you can take your instructions, fold them until they are all comers — and shove them in your oubliette. We are here for one purpose: a public conference. If the conference is not ready, we'll see the press — in the conference room.»

«But — »

«You're keeping the Man from Mars standing on a windy roof.» Harshaw raised his voice. «Is there anyone smart enough to lead us to this conference room?»

Sanforth swallowed and said, «Follow me, Doctor.»

The conference room was alive with newsmen and technicians but there was a big oval table, chairs, and several smaller tables. Mike was spotted and Sanforth's protest did not keep the crowd back. Mike's flying wedge of Amazons got him to the big table; Jubal sat him against it with Dorcas and Jill flanking him and the Fair Witness and Miriam seated behind him. Then Jubal made no attempt to fend off questions or pictures. Mike had been told that people would do strange things and Jubal had warned him to take no sudden actions (such as causing persons or things to go away, or stop) unless Jill told him to.

Mike took the confusion gravely; Jill was holding his hand and her touch reassured him.