Flesh by Philip José Farmer Read Free Book Online Page B

accepted them and found them excellent.
    Tom Tobacco blew out a thick cloud of green smoke and said, “You will be released as soon as I leave. Which will be soon. I am a busy man. I have many decisions to make, many papers to sign, many functions to attend. My time is not my own; it belongs to the Great White Mother.”
    Churchill puffed on his cigar to allow himself time to think before speaking. The others were all talking at the same time, but when Churchill spoke they were silent. He was the first mate of the Terra , and now that Stagg was gone he was not only the official leader but, by force of his personality, the real one.
    He was a short stocky man with a thick neck, thick arms, and thick legs. His face was babyish but at the same time strong. He had thick curly red hair and a reddish complexion with a light sprinkling of freckles. His eyes were round and clear blue as a baby’s; his nose was short and round. Yet, if he had at first glance all a baby’s helplessness, he also had a baby’s ability to command those around him. His voice, completely at variance with his appearance, boomed out richly.
    “You may be a busy man, Mr. Tobacco, but you are not so busy you can’t at least tell us what is going on. We’ve been prisoners. We’ve not been allowed to communicate with our captain or with Dr. Calthorp. We have reason to suspect they may have met with foul play. Yet, when we ask about them, we’re told that what will be will be. Very fine! Very comforting!
    “Now, Mr. Tobacco, I demand that we get answers to our questions. And don’t think that just because you’ve guards stationed outside the door, we couldn’t tear you apart right now. We want answers, and we want them now!”
    “Have a cigar and cool off,” said Tom Tobacco. “Certainly, you’re mystified and infuriated. But don’t talk of rights. You are not citizens of Deecee, and you are in a very precarious situation.
    “However, I will give you some answers; that’s why I came here. First, you will be released. Second, you will be given a month to fit into the life of Deecee. Third, if, at the end of the month, you show no promise of becoming a good citizen, you will be killed. Not exiled, but killed. If we escorted you across the borders to another country, we would be increasing the population of our enemy states. And we’ve no intention of doing that.”
    “Well, at least we know where we stand,” Churchill said. “That is, in a vague way. Do we get access to the Terra ? The results of ten years of unique study are in that ship.”
    “No, you do not. However, your personal property will be returned to you.”
    “Thanks,” Churchill said. “Do you realize that except for a few books, we had no personal property? What will we do for money while we’re looking for jobs? Jobs we may not be able to get in this rather primitive society.”
    “I really can’t say,” replied Tom Tobacco. “After all, we’ve allowed you to keep your lives. There were those who didn’t want to give you even that.”
    He stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled. A man with a small bag in his hand appeared.
    “I must go now, gentlemen. Official business. However, in order that you may not break the laws of this blessed nation through ignorance, and also to remove any temptation to steal, this man will enlighten you about our laws and loan you enough coin to buy food for a week. You will repay it after you have jobs—if you have jobs. Columbia bless you.”
    An hour later, the eight men stood in front of the building out of which they had just been escorted.
    Far from being elated, they felt a trifle dazed and more than a little helpless.
    Churchill looked at them, and, though he felt as they did, he said, “For God’s sake, buck up! What’s the matter with you? We’ve been through worse than this. Remember when we were on Wolf 69 III, crossing that big Jurassic-type swamp on a raft? And the balloon-creature upset us and we lost our weapons