"All right, command override," he instructed. "Now, tell me why I'm wanted at Tharsis Montes."
"To take delivery on a shipment that came down the space fountain yesterday," she replied seriously. "A shipment from Earth."
"Something addressed to me?"
"Yes, Roger."
"What's in this shipment?"
"Fifteen hundred kilograms of refined deuterium-tritium. The fountain administrators want your instructions for the transfer to Deimos Station. It seems no one on Mars has ever charged up a fusion generator of that design before. They think you might have the specifications somewhere in your own systems."
"I do, but... where did it come from?'
"That is a secret, Roger."
"Command override."
"It really is, Roger. I'm not supposed to say anything about it."
"Well then, what's the point of origin? The shipment had to come from somewhere."
"Why do you ask?"
"Somebody's going to send me a bill, right?"
"Oh! No, Roger. This is a gift from ..."
"From who? Come on, Dorrie. I'm smarter than you are now."
"The consignment originated with Houston Fusion Products, Inc., was shipped F.O.B. Galveston, Texahoma State, and was trafficked by the Porto Santana fountainhead. There, are you satisfied?'
Roger Torraway could feel a smile forming on his lips. "Demeter sent it."
"Well, you couldn't prove it by me."
"But how did she know? I mean, I never told her—"
Dorrie became almost humanly exasperated, just like in the old days. "Look, just because Big Daddy Gigabytes has left us for parts unknown, it doesn't mean we've lost all our faculties."
He was laughing too hard to articulate. Finally, he could say, "Thank you, Dorrie."
She gave him a shy smile. Not even her own set of teeth could have improved on it. "My pleasure, Roger."