“Recharge Venus,” the captain told the lieutenant.
“I wish to hell they’d make up their minds,” the lieutenant grumbled.
He wasn’t as miffed as Frank was, though, when news of the charges being refiled reached him late that afternoon. He got the Mayor on the phone immediately.
“What’s the big idea?” he asked. “I thought the beef was squared?”
“With the unmentionables, yes. But something new’s come up. The Mothers for Morality and all their bluenose affiliates have been in my office all day raising hell about your Venus people. They want the book thrown at them. And let’s face it, they represent a helluva lot of votes.”
“But why?”
“Seems your scientists goofed. One of those college girls they let get screwed in their lab is the daughter of the MFM president. Mother claims she was a virgin before that and can prove it. Now the little angel’s knocked up and Mama’s having a fertilizer fit.”
“Pregnant?” Frank groaned.
“With a capital P.”
“Pregnant!” Frank hung up the phone and groaned again. “How the hell am I going to get them out of this one?’
And, he wondered, what next?
CHAPTER SIX
“The particular female sexual experience to be discussed in this chapter presented the investigators with the most difficult problems of the entire survey. This was not due so much to a lack of willing volunteers, nor to difficulties of observation (which might have been expected to be intrinsic with such female subjects) as it was to outside pressures brought to bear in an effort to make the Venus Bio-Erotic Observatory cease its activities in this particular sphere and, indeed, in others as well. Legal entanglements were strewn in the path of scientific endeavor. However, even while they were being overcome, the study moved forward, thanks to the dedication of the staff. Some of this fervor, it should be noted, was far above and beyond the call of scientific duty . . .”
Chapter Five, Survey of Bio-Erotic Behavior,
Patterns in Human Beings,
by Woocheck & Peerloin
“When non-action has been eliminated as a possibility and wholeness of mind is confused by indecision as to wich of several actions to take first and what the order of ensuing actions should be, the tenets of Causocratic Effectivism may best be served by listing the possible courses of action on a sheet of paper. First the list should be horizontal, each action on the same level, therefore guarding against any subconscious weighting of the decision as to primary and secondary acts. Then, after due consideration, the actions should be listed vertically in keeping with the results of one’s reflections.” Thus it had been written by the Swami Rhee Va.
Frank Pollener’s final list looked like this:
1. See Judge O’Neill re delaying injunction.
2. Arrange appointment with Mrs. Slocum to discuss daughter’s condition. Aim:
A. Persuade her to drop charges. (How?)
B. Failing (A), pump Slocum re case for defensible points. Particularly try learn extent evidence.
3. Interview Slocum daughter re other possible causes pregnancy.
4. Check with Prof. Woocheck re--
A. His expert gynecological opinion of medical “proof.”
B. General rules re subjects to reject (i.e., Virgins.)
C. Future actions re litigation involving Venus already in progress.
5. Repressure publishers re play down all developments.
6. If successful (2.A), repressure Mayor, etc., drop first charge against Peerloin et al.
It was an orderly list and the Swami Rhee Va would have approved of it. However, as the sage had repeatedly warned, all actions are to some extent dependent on the actions -- frequently unpredictable — of others. Still, it wasn’t until after Frank performed the first task on his list that he ran into that particular bottleneck.
Judge O’Neill, by luck, was the jurist to whom Mothers for Morality had gone seeking an injunction against the Venus Observatory which would have made the institution “cease and desist” all of its activities until such time as evidence could be presented to a grand jury showing why the district attorney should not take action to shut down the Observatory permanently. The “luck” of his being the Judge appealed to for the injunction lay in the fact that Frank knew him very well. Judge O’Neill had been Frank’s teacher in law school and his mentor later on, during Frank’s early days at the bar. Frank was sure the Judge would listen to reason.
“I’m not asking you to quash the injunction,” Frank explained to the Judge in the privacy of his chambers. “I’m not even asking for a legal stay at this time. All I’m asking you to do is to delay it for a few days. Just take a few days’ time to consider it before issuing the injunction. That’s all I want. Time.”
“And if I agree? What good will time do you?” the Judge wondered. “The case for the injunction is solid enough. Eventually I’ll have to issue it.”
“Not if I can persuade the plaintiff to drop the charges.”
“And just how are you going to do that?”
“I’m not sure,” Frank admitted. “I just want time to try.”
“All right,” Judge O’Neill agreed. “I’ll stall as long as possible.” He looked at Frank in a way that was both curious and kindly. “This Venus thing is really a crusade for you, isn’t it?” he remarked.
“Yes. These people aren’t charlatans, you know. They’re acting from the highest humanitarian impulses and they’re dedicated to obtaining data which will benefit humanity as a whole.” Frank was fervent. “And it bothers me that they have to put up with every nit-picking obstacle small minds can arrange to put in their way.” .
“You really see nothing immoral in their encouraging unmarried people to make love in their laboratories?” the Judge asked mildly.
“Absolutely not! These are supposed to be enlightened times. Eventually the evidence provided by these experiments will benefit countless others who for one reason or another are now hampered in their sex practices.”
“Hmm.” The Judge thought about it. "‘You don’t have to answer this,” he said delicately, “but your zeal does make me curious about one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Have you personally participated in the—umm- ‘experimental’ phase of the program?”
“You mean have I -?” Frank was taken aback. “No, I haven’t.”
“But why not?” There was a twinkle in the Judge’s eye, but Frank missed it. “If you’re so convinced it’s right, why not? After all, Frank, you don’t exactly enjoy a reputation for sexual abstinence.”
“All that’s changed,” Frank assured him. “The Swami Rhee Va— Well, I don’t have time to explain now. But it has changed. Still there’s something to what you say. I really don’t have any reason for not having participated. Believe me though, it’s not hypocrisy. I just hadn’t considered offering my services. If I ever get all these messes cleared up, I can assure you that I will consider doing just that.”
“I’m glad to see you’re still a man of principle,” Judge O’Nei1l told him as Frank got up to leave. “I’ll sit on the injunction,” he promised. “But you better move fast.”
“Will do.” Frank shook hands goodbye and left.
Back in his own office, Frank dialed the number of Mothers for Morality. They informed him that Mrs. Slocum wasn’t there and gave him her home phone-number. Frank called it.
“Violate me in Violet time/Don’t reap me in the fall!” the voice that answered sang into the telephone. It was a young, female voice, both chipper and sultry at the same time.
“Hello?” Frank responded. “Is Mrs. Slocum there?”