Robot Adept 07 - Phaze Doubt by Piers Anthony

Author:Piers Anthony [Anthony, Piers]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2011-07-19T00:01:03+00:00

He glanced down at his feet, and saw only the floor. He was invisible, as promised. But what was her concern with kissing? He extended his right hand and squeezed her left upper arm.

192 | Piers Anthony

"Try it again," she said. But her body was melting, and in a moment there was only a knob at the top with a pair of lips.

He shrugged and kissed those lips. This time they were more competent.

He squeezed her right arm.

"Good," the mouth said, as the blob continued to change. "After I talk with Brown, I will form a sheath over your body, and it will cover your head.

There will be holes for you to breathe and it will be transparent over your eyes, but if Purp tests with a kiss it better be right. Don't jump if he pinches your ass. Just do whatever you're told, and I will guide you with pressure on the side I want you to turn away from, or behind the legs to make you walk forward. You'll catch on. We'll both be hung if Purp catches on. Now stay clear and wait."

He did that, watching her change further, until she resembled a squat wheeled robot. What was she up to?

There was a light footstep beyond the wooden door. The seeming machine made a whirring noise. The person beyond paused, then fled.

Shortly, a brown-haired woman of about forty opened the door and entered. She glanced around, then walked straight to the Nepe-machine. "Why didst thou return?" she inquired.

"Mach said you did not betray me," Nepe replied, without the benefit of lips. "Though you did recognize me."

"Of course I did not betray you, you darling child!" the woman exclaimed. Obviously she knew with whom she was talking.

"But Purp will make you talk," the form that was Nepe said. "I know how."

Lysander saw by the woman's reaction that something significant had been said. Evidently the Brown Adept had some personal secret, and the child was playing on that. Lysander had come to appreciate how cleverly this seeming juvenile could play on a person's secrets! Maybe it was some embarrassment of the past, or an illicit deed; whatever it was, Purp -- that would be the Purple Adept, he realized -- had learned it too, and would blackmail the woman. Purple was working for the Hectare, but Lysander had no more respect for him than he did for Tan, because both were traitors to their societies.

The Hectare would dispose of such quislings when their usefulness was done; the termina --

PHAZE DOUBT | 193

tion would come without warning or reprieve or regret. The Hectare would also dispose of diehard resistance figures. But some of the intermediate individuals, who had the sense to yield without turning traitor, like Citizen Blue -- these would be treated with greater respect, because they had ability and judgment and could be trusted.

From this odd dialogue Lysander learned that while he had been distracted by Echo, two more opposition Adepts had been captured. Black and Green. Only two remained, the Robot and the Unicorn.

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