Read To Live Again and The Second Trip for Free Online Page B

kid brother Charlie along for the party. Is Kaufmann going to say no, send the scoundrel home?”
    “He’ll be furious, John.”
    “Let him be furious, then. He’ll have to maintain decorum, though. It’s not the sort of formal party where one extra guest throws the whole thing out of balance, and he can’t very well refuse you permission to attend with your sister. You’ll be admitted. The worst that’ll happen is you’ll get a few sour stares from Kaufmann. But socially you’ll be among your equals, and everybody else will be glad to see you, and there’ll be no hard feelings.”
    Noyes’ fingers began to tremble. Kravchenko scrabbled derisively against the walls of his cranium. Carefully, Noyes reached to his left, out of the range of the sensors relaying his image to Roditis, and scooped a drink capsule from a tray. He activated the capsule and let the fluid flow into his arm. That was better. But not good enough. He felt sick. The idea of muscling his way into a party like this, parlaying his own tattered status and his sister’s connections by marriage into Roditis’ advantage, chilled and saddened him.
    He said, “Assuming I succeed in crashing the party, John, what’s the purpose of my going there?”
    “Mainly to get next to Santoliquido and work on him.”
    “About the Paul Kaufmann persona?”
    “What else? You can be subtle. You can be indirect. He’s going to make up his mind about the transplant any day now. I want it so bad I can taste it, Charles. Do you realize what I could do with Paul Kaufmann inside my head? The doors—that would open for me, the plans I could bring off? And it’s all up to Santo. He’ll be down there, relaxed, out in the sunshine, drinking too much. And you can work on him. Use the old charm. That’s what I pay you for, the old Episcopalian Anglo-Saxon charm. Turn it on!”
    “All right,” Noyes muttered.
    “And even if you don’t get anywhere immediately with him, perhaps you can find a plan of action. Some vulnerable spot in his makeup. Some opening wedge that we can get leverage on.”
    Appalled, Noyes said, “Are you thinking of blackmailing Santoliquido into approving your request?”
    “Now, did I say that? What a terribly crude suggestion, Charles! I expect more finesse from you.” Roditis laughed heavily. “Call your sister. Get everything set up. Oh—Charles? How’s Jimmy-boy?”
    “Kravchenko? I think he’s asleep.”
    “I’m sure he’ll appreciate going to the party too. He’ll see many of his old friends there. Call your sister, Charles.”
    The screen darkened.
    Noyes looked at the floor. He knelt and dug his fingers into the carpet, trying to steady himself. His head seemed to be splitting into segments.
    —Call your sister, Charles. Didn’t you hear the man?
    “I won’t!”
    —You’d better. You don’t dare defy him.
    “It’s filthiness! To crash a party so he can use me to suck up to Santoliquido—”
    —He wants the old Kaufmann persona, doesn’t he? It’s his ticket to social respectability. Your job is to help him get what he wants.
    “Not at the cost of my integrity.”
    —You got rid of that a long time ago. Come on, Chuck. He’s right: I want to go to that party. At least three of my wives ought to be there. I’d love to see how they’re aging.
    “I’ll kill myself first!”
    —If you had the guts, I suppose you would. Pick up the phone. Call your sister.
    Noyes heard mocking laughter in his skull.
    He returned to the bedroom and eyed the carniphage flask. But, as ever, it was only a dramatic gesture, fooling neither himself nor the demonic persona he harbored. Defeat dragged at his muscles. He seized the phone and jabbed out the numbers. Moments later, his sister’s privacy code appeared on the little gray screen. She’s taking her morning bath, Noyes thought. He said, “It’s me, Gloria, just Charlie. Your womb-mate.”
    The screen cleared, and the face and shoulders of Gloria Loeb appeared. She wore