John turned to regard a rushing vehicle, dust boiling behind it. Red took several steps forward.

"Halt! Right there!" John spun and raised one hand, his eyes flashing. "If this is a trick, it won't work. And if it is not, I welcome the opportunity to kill that bird with this same stone. Mondamay! Burn Red Dorakeen down to a cinder!"

Mondamay raised his right arm, extruding a tube which he pointed at Red. Lights flashed in the vicinity of his shoulder. There came a crackling sound. A tiny wisp of smoke curled upward from out of the tube.

"Shorted again," he declared.

."What do you mean 'again'?" John said. It's been that way for thousands of years." "Then! disintegrate him! Blow him up! Bomb him! I

dontt care how you do it!"

A whirring sound began deep within Mondamay.

His lights flashed rapidly. Clicking noises emerged from various units. A tiny whine began somewhere.

"Uh—John," Red said, "did you never stop to wonder why that alien race left a piece of complicated equipment like Mondamay behind?"

"I'd rather assumed it was for purposes of knocking us back to barbarism if our civilization took some turn of which they disapproved."

"Naw, nothing that sophisticated," Red said. "Massive systems failures. He couldn't be repaired, so they abandoned him. Felt a little sorry for him since he was sentient, so they left him with his hobbies and his disguises. After all, he was harmless—"

"Mondamay! Is that true?"

Smoke was emerging from all of Mondamay's joints, and the whine had risen to a wail. The lights still flashed, the clanking was constant now.

"Afraid so, John," he replied. "I guess I just burned one world too many in my younger days—"

"Why didn't you tell me this?"

"You never asked me."

Red moved forward again.

"And so," he said, "you will have to earn your fee the hard way."

John turned back toward him, a smile on his lips.

"So be it. You get your wish and I get my hands dirty," he said, moving to meet him. "I will even save you the trouble of anticipating me by telling you how I will proceed. I am going to raise you above the ground by the neck, hold you at arm's length and strangle you with one hand while you dangle there. I would not imagine you think me cap—"

His eyes widened and he halted. He raised both hands slowly to his face.

"What-?"

"You never asked me whether I cared to get my hands dirty," Red said, turning Flowers slowly to follow John's collapse. "I don't."

John fell and lay still. A trickle of blood emerged from his left ear.

"See? I'd always wanted that speaker with the ultrasound range," Flowers observed, "and if you'd gotten me the better model, you wouldn't even have had to edge up this close."

Red went to Mondamay, turned and withdrew the crystal key, and was handing it to him as the roadster came into the parking lot.

"You'd better keep this thing in a safe place or destroy it," he said.

"I was not even aware that this one existed," Mondamay replied. "Perhaps it was specially manufactured, or maybe it comes from some other branch of the Road. I barely recognized you. You look younger. What—"

John moaned and began to rise. Red leaned over and struck him on the jaw. He fell again.

"Well, all's well now," Red said. "I was just coming to visit you."

The car had braked to a halt. Its door slammed.

"How pleasant—"

"Hold Flowers a moment, would you? I want to speak with this gentleman."

Red turned toward the giant figure with the black bag who was now striding toward him.

"Hello again. Sorry to trouble you if we were mistaken," he said, glancing down, "but is this the guy you were looking for?"

The big man nodded and opened his bag.

''He is. Are you all right?"

"Can't complain. He's just had an ultrasound jolt

and a left to the jaw, though."

The golden-eyed man examined John's ears and eyes, listened to his heartbeat. He filled a syringe from an ampule, knelt and gave him a large injection in the right biceps. He drew a pair of handcuffs from his hip pocket and fastened John's hands behind his back. He then proceeded to search the yellow-clad form, remov ing various small devices from cuffs, collars, sleeves and boots,

"That about does it," he said, closing his bag and rising. "As I told you before, he is a very dangerous, man. What did you do to warrant his attentions?"

"He was hired to get me."

"Then someone must want you very badly, to pay the sort of fee he'd charge."

"I know. I'm going to have to do something about it pretty soon."

The other regarded him for a moment.

"If you would like my help in resolving this matter, I will be glad to give you a hand."

Red drew his teeth across his lower lip and slowly shook his head.

"Thanks, Doc. I appreciate it But no thanks. This is a very special sort of thing."

The big man smiled faintly and nodded.

"You know your situation best"

He stooped and raised the supine figure effortlessly with one arm. His shirt tore across his back as he did so. Slinging John over his shoulder, he turned and extended his hand.

"Thanks for my patient then, and best of luck with your—problem."

"Thanks. Good-bye, Doc."

"Good-bye."

He watched the other walk back to his car, deposit his burden, get in and drive off.

"Good to see John get his," said Mondamay, extending a metal hand, the firing tube now retracted, and placing it on Red's shoulder. "By the way, he was able to monitor your progress by means of a broadcasting device secreted somewhere on your vehicle. It was placed there at a repair shop you recently visited. He'd mentioned it to me. Perhaps we had best locate it and remove it before we do anything else."

"Good idea. Let's have a look." They moved off toward the truck. "How come you didn't detect it,

"Must be an odd wavelength. I don't know. I'll start

a scan." .. "You did not introduce me, Mondamay said.

"Huh? Oh, he was so busy with John that I didn't want to interrupt him."

"Not the doctor. Flowers of Evil, here. I did not realize I was holding a sophisticated intelligence when you handed me a book."

"Sorry. Extenuating circumstances. Mondamay, I want you to meet Flowers of Evil. Flowers, this is Mondamay the killing machine."

"I am pleased," Mondamay said.

"Likewise. I find your plight extremely distressing— carrying around all those dead circuits, being deprived of function."

"Oh, it's not all that bad. I enjoy what I'm doing just as much as what I used to do."

"What is that?"

"I'm a potter, among other things. Any sort of precision work in the arts appeals to me."

"How fascinating. I think I'm almost ready for some degree of manual ability myself. At least I'd like to try. I'd love to see your pots sometime—"

"Flowers," Red asked, "have you spotted the broadcast unit yet?"

"Yes. It's affixed to the underside of the body a little

forward of the left rear tire." "Thanks."

Red moved to, the rear of the truck and crouched. "You're right," he said after a moment. "Here it is." Detaching the device, he crossed to the front of the

ground-effect car and fastened it to a spot within the

front bumper. He returned then to where Mondamay

stood leafing through Flowers.

"Just to let them know we caught it," he said.

"... And this Paysage is certainly a lovely one, Mondamay was saying.

"Thank you."

"It's nearly dinnertime," Red said. "Come keep me company and tell me how things have been. I've a 1ot I want to ask you."

"Delighted," Mondamay replied. "By the way, I'm sorry about this whole business."

"Not your fault. But I'd be grateful for some advice on it."

"Certainly. And I'm anxious to hear your story."

"Let's go then."