With banking on my mind I turned to the financial page.

BANK DEPOSITS HIT NEW LOW FETORR CREDIT RATE SHAKEN MUNICIPAL BOND SALES SPURRED

I yawned, very glad that James was the banker, not I. This sort of thing made very dull reading. I turned to the 3D crossword puzzle and dug out my stylo.

It was almost like a day off-something I had not enjoyed since our disastrous picnic attempt, the day when Chaise had forced his obnoxious presence into our lives. I could not relax completely, not with my Angelina still in jeopardy. But I could make the attempt.

I dallied as long as I could over the newspaper. Then threw it away and, most reluctantly, returned to the warehouse. I carried Kaia’s computer into my monastic cell, where I ran the virtual reality program a few more times to hone my skills in finding my way about the depository. Then I hooked through to the television function of the computer and found I could access over a thousand stations. A plethora of crap I quickly discovered. Who was it who said that there were a lot more garbagemen than college professors in this universe? It didn’t take a genius to figure out who most of the programs were made for. Igor’s peer group. Finally, by paying extra-Kaizi’s account could bear it-I found a historical channel. All about planetary settlements and the destruction of indigenous lifeforms. I watched it with enthusiastic participation since there were a few other life-forms I could name that could do with a little destruction.

Chaise arrived late the next morning carrying a small suitcase. “There has been a change of plan.. .”

“There certainly has. We don’t talk about that or anything else until I have seen your home video. Give.”

He produced the memory card and I slipped it into the computer. The screen lit up and I smiled, relaxed, not realizing how uptight I had been.

“Hello, Jim,” she said. “As you can see I am doing fine, as is Gloriana.” I heard the echo of a little grunt when her name was mentioned. “Though I think I am putting on weight without any exercise.”

“You are gorgeous!” I shouted.

“Here is the headline you wanted to see, about the successful crime of the century, as they call it. I will not congratulate you since I imagine all of the profit will go to the loathsome presence holding the camera. Turn that back on!” she added as the picture faded. She appeared again suddenly.

“Sorry about that pause. But I had to convince a certain party that, in these days of technological wonders, the previous bit of this interview could have been electronically faked. What cannot be faked is a fact known only to you and me. So cast your mind back down the long light-years to the time when we first met. I always wore a locket around my neck. Do you remember what was in it?”

How could I ever forget? A photograph I had only glimpsed for an instant as she destroyed it. Of her in what might be called an earlier existence. Not beautiful-not even pretty. It was easy to understand how her embittered early self could get involved in crime. To get the large sums needed for plastic surgery. Until this moment we had never talked about that picture again. Her mentioning it now was a message of some kind. Trapped in her cell I could easily imagine how she felt.

“My photograph. Take care of yourself, darling.”

Then she was gone. “Let’s get to work,” I said, sadly.

“There has been a change in strategy, as I said. The bearer bonds have waited a long time in their vault. They can wait a bit longer. You will have a different assignment first-”

“Wait just a moment. Where is this going to end? How many of these assignments are you going to send me on before we end our enforced relationship?”

Chaise rubbed his jaw. “That’s a fair question. I must not let your morale lag by thinking that your work, and your wife’s captivity, will stretch out into the endless fixture. My business ventures will reach a satisfactory conclusion soon. If you follow my orders, I guarantee that the bearer-bond retrieval will be our last job together. You will be free to leave. In fact I very much want you off this planet.”

“Alone?”

“Of course not. You and your wife will leave on the spacer together.”

I didn’t believe a word of what he was saying. But I had very few options open. I had to get on with it.

“All right. What’s next?”

“Atomic energy and the generation of electricity. It keeps our technological society running. What do you know about it?”

“Nothing. Or rather the knowledge, or faith, that when I press a button the lights come on.”

“Look at these.” He opened his bag and took out a set of blueprints and a map. “This is the atomic generator on Sikuzote Island. Here, you can see it on this map. It is just off the southern coast and separated from the mainland by the channel of the same name. You will go there-”

“How?”

“By maglev train. There is a direct service from the central station here. You will have a new identification to go with your new face. You will go as a tourist. The south coast is known for its pebble beaches, simple amusements. As well as the gambling casino in Swartzlegen. It is much favored by the workers on their holidays.”

“Don’t they go north to the sunny joys of Sunkist-by-the-Sea?”

“No. They are not welcome there.” Irony did not penetrate his sense of superiority. “Since it rains a good deal in the south the beaches are not much frequented. The indoor entertainments are much favored, as you can imagine. One of them is the guided tour of the atomic facility. Quite popular, and also free. You will go on that tour.”

“Look, Chaise, can you give me some slight idea what this is all about? There is nothing to steal down there, is there?”

He sat back and thought about that. “You are right. There is nothing financial about your role in this matter. I will take care of that. You will be involved in a simple bit of industrial sabotage.”

“Like what? Blowing up-or melting down-the nuclear reactor?”

“Yes. That is what I had in mind.”

“No way!” I jumped to my feet and paced the room. “This is not down my alley. If I go anywhere near that place I’ll probably end up glowing in the dark.”

He was not impressed. “Shut up. Sit down. Look at this.”

This was the floor plan and elevations of the nuclear plant. Filled with highly unattractive labels like radioactive waste, coolant rod storage, reactor room.

“What you must do is interrupt the electrical supplies from this generator.”

“For how long?”

“Weeks at least. Preferably months. This nuclear generator supplies nearly a third of the electrical capacity of Fetorr. There will be financial repercussions.”

I was beginning to see what he had in mind. “It’s money again, isn’t it Chaise? We are going through troublesome economic times here on good old Fetorr, if you can believe what you read in the news. Bank robberies, currency robberies, disruption among the working classes. And next-an electrical crisis. Why if someone knew this was going to happen he might snap up a lot of stock in nonnuclear electrical generation plants.

Then that person might make an awful lot of money. Don’t you think?”

“I think you are getting very out of line, diGriz. You stick to what you do best-and let me worry about finances and profits. So-how can you cut off the electrical supply?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea.” I held the plans up to the light, but no inspired thoughts flowed. “Shutting down the nuclear reactor would certainly do the trick. But that has to be the last option. It would mean penetrating the plant, avoiding guards and alarms. And then what? I have no technical knowledge about this kind of thing.” I folded the plans. “I suggest that I get down there as a tourist and look things over. Then call you. I don’t know anything about buying the material that I will need when I am there. Can you send any supplies I require by truck?”