“Uh… Yes. Of course. I’m twenty-nine, Liebchen.”
“Were the others as intelligent as my Lord Guibedo?”
“Goodness, no! I’ve never met anyone with a brain like his. Why, he broke the genetic code singlehanded.”
“Were the others as warm and generous as my Lord Guibedo?”
“They were nice, but so is Dr. Guibedo.”
“My lady, if Lord Guibedo is superior to your earlier mates, why did you accept them and reject him?”
“Liebchen, I know I won’t explain it right, but there are other things a girl looks for in a man. I mean, Dr. Guibedo’s nice, but he’s so old and, uh, portly.”
“And your programming requires that your mates have certain physical characteristics?”
“Programming! Liebchen, I wasn’t programmed! I was raised naturally.”
“All beings are programmed, my lady. We engineered life forms are programmed rationally. Natural life forms are programmed in a somewhat random manner. But they are programmed nonetheless.”
“I don’t want to argue with you, Liebchen.” Patricia decided to change the subject. “This breakfast is delicious.”
“Thank you, my lady. I thought that it would be what was desired by one of your… background. You must try this.” Liebchen handed Patricia a glass. “I made it specially for you.”
The liquid looked like a mixture of milk and pink grapefruit juice, but it was hard to say no to someone as eager as Liebchen. Patricia took a polite sip.
“Thank you. It is good.” She took a larger drink. “In fact, it’s great!” Patricia finished the glass. “What do you call it?”
“It doesn’t have a name yet, my lady.”
“Then what is it?” Patricia felt suddenly sleepy, and slumped onto the table, unconscious.
When Patricia was completely unconscious, Liebchen said, “It is a light dose of a behavioral modification compound that will change your perceptions and programming somewhat, my lady. It will increase the happiness of all concerned.” Liebchen was programmed to always give a human a complete answer.
When Guibedo came in, unshaven and looking at the floor, Patricia was up and smiling.
“Good morning. I’m glad you’re still here, Patty. I’ve got to apologize for last night. Maybe I drank too much, but I was way out of line.”
Patricia got up and put her arms around Guibedo, her fingertips not quite touching each other behind him. She kissed him full on the mouth. “There’s nothing to apologize for, handsome.”
These girls, thought Guibedo. As soon as you’ve got them figured out, you’re wrong!
Liebchen smiled and wiggled her hoofs happily on the carpet.
Chapter Seven
MARCH 20, 2003
UNCLE MARTIN’S tree houses will totally alter the world’s economic structure. In fact, economics in the ordinary sense of the word will cease to exist. Our present political and social structure, with all their inequities, are completely dependent on economics. Without it they will fall.
It would be criminal to destroy those structures without having something better to take their place. Most of my animals are designed to replace existing governmental services.
The LDUs can perform a variety of functions, such as being a police force, a medical corps, dog catchers, and what have you. The fauns should be able to handle at least primary education. The TRACs will do most construction and transportation. And the Central Coordination Unit can take care of communications.
But setting up a rational, decent social structure is going to require more than bioengineering.
Eventually every human being will have an equal and high standard of living. Historically, certain groups have enjoyed this position: the Czarist aristocracy; the Roman nobility; the present-day idle rich. But I don’t like any of these cultures. Maybe we can try for something better. The only thing that I know for certain is that a peaceful culture needs a peaceful environment to grow in. If I must lie to maintain the illusion of tranquility, so be it.
“I’m glad that you volunteered for this mission, Jack. If you hadn’t, I’d have to order you to go,” General Hastings said.
“I had that feeling, General.”
“It’s just that you’re the best field agent I have.”
“The best that you have left, you mean.”
“Breckenridge and Thompson were good men. But you will have some advantages that they didn’t. For one thing, you will have completely discretionary powers. Do you understand?” Hastings asked.
“Sure. I’m not allowed to kill anybody unless I want to.”
“Crudely put, but accurate. Also, your mission is not simply to spy. You are to seek out Heinrich Coper-nick and/or Martin Guibedo. We believe that they are in Death Valley. You are to find out as much as possible about their bioengineering techniques, then eliminate them. Arrest them if possible. Kill them if necessary. And in no event will you allow yourself to be captured.”
“You mean ‘captured alive.’ Okay. What about my modus operandi?”
“That is completely at your own discretion. You may sign for any materials and money that you feel appropriate,” Hastings said.
“Lovely. I’ve always hoped for orders like this.”
“This is the most important mission of your life. It is also the most dangerous.”
“What about the reporting procedure?”
“There isn’t one. It is quite possible that we have been infiltrated. Once you walk out of that door, you’re on your own.”
“Suits. See you in a few weeks, General.”
Patricia Cambridge stretched luxuriously between satin sheets on the huge bed. Her whole body tingled with a new awareness of itself. She never would have believed that the world could be so enchanting, that sex could be so totally satisfying.
“If you’re finally awake, Patty, come on in. The water’s fine!” Martin Guibedo called from the pool at the far end of the bedroom. Liebchen was sudsing down his pudgy body.
“Oh, Dr. Guibedo! Will Liebchen wash me, too? She’s got to be the prettiest thing your nephew ever made!”
“She is and she will, and please call me Martin.”
“After last night, I should call you lover!” Patricia splashed into the pool and swam over to them.
“Hooh! Nobody ever call me that before. I like it!”
They collided with exuberance and laughter near the center of the pool.
After having washed and dried and dressed her masters, Liebchen pranced through the branch to the kitchen. The water running off the blond fur on her legs left hoofprints on the carpet. “Two masters to serve, Dirk!” She giggled to the Labor and Defense Unit in the living room. “Isn’t it wonderful!”
Dirk raised his eye tentacles from the book of Oriental philosophy he was reading. “It is pleasant to see our Lord Guibedo happy. We owe him so much.”
After the usual excellent breakfast, Guibedo said, “Patty, it’s good to have you here for a bunch of reasons. For one thing, we got a fourth for pinochle.”
The CCU I/O unit on the kitchen wall said, “My Lord Guibedo, Lord Copernick requests your presence at his tree house.”
“Telephone, tell him I’m going to take a couple days off this morning. I see him maybe Tuesday.”
“He said it was important, my lord. My Central Coordination Unit has compiled some critical information.”
“So what’s the information? You’re the same animal, aren’t you?”
“I am, my lord, but I didn’t tell me what it was.”
“Some coordination you got there. Tuesday!” Guibedo turned away from the telephone. “Hey, Dirk! Bring some cards. With you here, Patty, we can play two teams, you and Liebchen against me and Dirk, so they gotta play fair. With playing three-hand cutthroat, they let me all the time win.”