effect he has forgotten his password.”
“But if I don't report on schedule, they will assume I have been corrupted and cut me off from my body,” Kop said. “Then my identity will slowly fade away.”
“You will die,” Adela agreed. “In the course of perhaps six months. Then there will only be Pauling in this host. But look at it this way: you would have died about that time anyway, as your mission on Earth was completed; they will dump your body into the grinder regardless. We have not actually shortened your life, but we have freed the last part of it.”
Kop assessed the situation, using his Awareness. “The Plant is the key. It was not on Earth before, and without it Earth is lost, so the Maggots were assured of victory. Had I picked up on Venus's arrival on Earth, I would have had to destroy her immediately. But I was not paying attention. I never thought to run a routine telepathic or precog check. I was distracted. By you.”
“It was some party,” Adela agreed. “We made sure you thought of nothing beyond the moment. I must confess, it was fun for us too. You are some lover.”
Suddenly Elasa understood. While she and her Companions were welcoming Venus, Adela and the Awares were distracting Kop. Lonely for his own kind, as the Awares were in spirit, he had enthusiastically participated. And never caught on to the new presence of the key element in the game. He had later made his routine report, lulling his alien masters. Now the Awares had struck, using Venus. The battle for Earth was on. Timing, as the Awares had stressed, was everything.
“Congratulations,” Kop said. “That was well played.”
“Thank you,” Adela said.
“I did not know of this,” Elasa said. “Only that I should bring Venus to you, and that she was in some manner the key to our campaign. It is as if we are playing a game of cards, and Venus is my tool for progress. I don't necessarily know what I'm doing.”
“You are innocent,” he agreed. “That is not a fault.”
“I have a question. Are you now a captive enemy agent, or are you with us?”
Kop laughed. “I am both. I have hated the Maggots from the outset, but was powerless to oppose their will. Now perhaps I have a chance to make them pay, to some slight degree, for the grief they have inflicted on me. I will make you this deal: be my lovers, the two of you, and I will do everything in my considerable power to facilitate your mission. Working closely together we just may succeed in saving your planet.”
“That is the object,” Adela agreed, stepping out of her clothing to stand with nymph-like sex appeal. As an Aware she was quite ready for this.
Elasa realized that the Awares had played for this too, by giving him a taste of the pleasure they could offer him when they chose: not merely Kop's nullification as an agent, but his enthusiastic cooperation. That would immeasurably enhance their chances of success.
There followed another sandwich with the man in the middle. As Elasa knew, men put inordinate store in sex, and would often put their entire careers in jeopardy for its transient pleasures. Men could be utter fools. But Kop had little to lose long term, and much immediate pleasure to gain by helping them. Both Elasa and the Awares had freely played on that to convert him to their side, and he knew it. Now they freely delivered.
Then they got to work on the mission. There were a number of important government figures to be nullified, but to do it they had to get Venus Flytrap close to them. They had been primed during Elasa's prior tour, so that the Plant, guided by the Lamb, guided in turn by the Aware, could readily locate the spot and fudge the settings. It was painless, actually imperceptible to the men, until they tried to communicate with the alien home base. Then they were on their own. They could join the Earth defense effort if they chose, as Kop had, or remain aloof; in either event they would remain cut off from the Maggots.
Kop
“But if I don't report on schedule, they will assume I have been corrupted and cut me off from my body,” Kop said. “Then my identity will slowly fade away.”
“You will die,” Adela agreed. “In the course of perhaps six months. Then there will only be Pauling in this host. But look at it this way: you would have died about that time anyway, as your mission on Earth was completed; they will dump your body into the grinder regardless. We have not actually shortened your life, but we have freed the last part of it.”
Kop assessed the situation, using his Awareness. “The Plant is the key. It was not on Earth before, and without it Earth is lost, so the Maggots were assured of victory. Had I picked up on Venus's arrival on Earth, I would have had to destroy her immediately. But I was not paying attention. I never thought to run a routine telepathic or precog check. I was distracted. By you.”
“It was some party,” Adela agreed. “We made sure you thought of nothing beyond the moment. I must confess, it was fun for us too. You are some lover.”
Suddenly Elasa understood. While she and her Companions were welcoming Venus, Adela and the Awares were distracting Kop. Lonely for his own kind, as the Awares were in spirit, he had enthusiastically participated. And never caught on to the new presence of the key element in the game. He had later made his routine report, lulling his alien masters. Now the Awares had struck, using Venus. The battle for Earth was on. Timing, as the Awares had stressed, was everything.
“Congratulations,” Kop said. “That was well played.”
“Thank you,” Adela said.
“I did not know of this,” Elasa said. “Only that I should bring Venus to you, and that she was in some manner the key to our campaign. It is as if we are playing a game of cards, and Venus is my tool for progress. I don't necessarily know what I'm doing.”
“You are innocent,” he agreed. “That is not a fault.”
“I have a question. Are you now a captive enemy agent, or are you with us?”
Kop laughed. “I am both. I have hated the Maggots from the outset, but was powerless to oppose their will. Now perhaps I have a chance to make them pay, to some slight degree, for the grief they have inflicted on me. I will make you this deal: be my lovers, the two of you, and I will do everything in my considerable power to facilitate your mission. Working closely together we just may succeed in saving your planet.”
“That is the object,” Adela agreed, stepping out of her clothing to stand with nymph-like sex appeal. As an Aware she was quite ready for this.
Elasa realized that the Awares had played for this too, by giving him a taste of the pleasure they could offer him when they chose: not merely Kop's nullification as an agent, but his enthusiastic cooperation. That would immeasurably enhance their chances of success.
There followed another sandwich with the man in the middle. As Elasa knew, men put inordinate store in sex, and would often put their entire careers in jeopardy for its transient pleasures. Men could be utter fools. But Kop had little to lose long term, and much immediate pleasure to gain by helping them. Both Elasa and the Awares had freely played on that to convert him to their side, and he knew it. Now they freely delivered.
Then they got to work on the mission. There were a number of important government figures to be nullified, but to do it they had to get Venus Flytrap close to them. They had been primed during Elasa's prior tour, so that the Plant, guided by the Lamb, guided in turn by the Aware, could readily locate the spot and fudge the settings. It was painless, actually imperceptible to the men, until they tried to communicate with the alien home base. Then they were on their own. They could join the Earth defense effort if they chose, as Kop had, or remain aloof; in either event they would remain cut off from the Maggots.
Kop
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