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any amount you like, that it goes one, two, even three or more other places.”
    “If so, Lazarus, and I can find it out, Felicity will have some new colonists—after they’ve spent some unpleasant hours in the Colosseum.”
    “Ira, it doesn’t matter. If any fool wants to watch an old, old man grunting on the pot or taking a bath, he’s welcome. You yourself insured that it would happen by making a point of the record being secret, your eyes only. Security people always spy on their bosses; they can’t help it, it’s a syndrome that goes with the job. Have you had dinner? I’d be pleased to have you stay if you have time.”
    “I would be honored indeed to have dinner with the Senior.”
    “Oh, knock it off, Bud; there’s no virtue in being old, it just takes a long time. I’d like you to stay because I’m enjoying human companionship. Those two over there are no company; I’m not even sure they’re human. Robots, maybe. Why do they wear those diving suits and shiny helmets? I like to see a man’s face.”
    “Lazarus, those are total isolation garments. For your protection, not theirs. Against infection.”
    “ What? Ira, when a bug bites me, the bug dies. Even so, since they have to wear that, how is it that you come in wearing street clothes?”
    “Not quite, Lazarus. For my purpose I needed a social talk, face to face. So the last two hours before I came in I spent undergoing a most careful physical examination, followed by scalp-to-toe sterilization of skin, hair, ears, nails, teeth, nose, throat—even a gas inhalation which I can’t name but did not like—while my clothes were sterilized even more thoroughly. Even that envelope I fetched to you. This suite is sterile and kept so.”
    “Ira, such precautions are silly. Unless my immunity has been intentionally lowered?”
    “No. Or let me say, ‘I think not.’ No reason for it as any transplant will of course be done from your own clone.”
    “So it’s unnecessary. If I didn’t catch anything in that flophouse, why would I catch anything now? But I don’t catch things. I worked as a physician during a plague—don’t look surprised; medicine is just one of fifty-odd trades I’ve followed. Unknown plague on Ormuzd; everybody caught it, twenty-eight percent died. Save yours truly, who didn’t even have a sniffle. So tell those—No, you’ll want to do it through the Director of the Clinic; bypassing your chain-of-command ruins morale—though why I should care about this organization’s morale I don’t know, seeing that I am an involuntary guest. Tell the Director that, if I must have nurses, I want them to dress like nurses. Or, better yet, like people. Ira, if you want cooperation out of me of any sort, you’ll start by cooperating with me . Otherwise I’m going to take the joint apart with my bare hands.”
    “I’ll speak to the Director, Lazarus.”
    “Good. Now let’s have dinner. But a drink first—and if the Director doesn’t think I should have one, tell him bluntly that he will have to go back to force-feeding and there is some question as to whose throat the tube will go down; I’m in no mood to be pushed around. Is there any real whisky on this planet? Wasn’t the last time I was here.”
    “Not that I would drink. But the local brandy I think well of.”
    “Good. Brandy and bubbles for me if that is the best we can do, a brandy Manhattan if anyone knows what I mean by that.”
    “I do, and like them—I learned something about ancient drinks when I studied your life.”
    “Fine. Then please order for us, drinks and dinner—and I’ll listen and see how many words I can pick up. I think my memory is coming back a bit.”
    Weatheral spoke to one of the technicians; Lazarus interrupted. “That should be one- third sweet vermouth, not one-half.”
    “So? You understood it?”
    “Mostly. Indo-European roots, with a simplified syntax and grammar; I’m beginning to recall it. Damn it, when a man has had to learn