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"But she's got to!" Dr. Loring's face started to redden. "Otherwise... she can't let him think..."
"I know," Larry said. "I know. But I'm afraid that Dan's right on the edge of a real mental crackup. He's
like a man who's gone outside and tethered himself to the level one wheel. He's spinning around and
around... and the more he spins, the wilder he feels."
It had been a quiet, tense dinner. Valery and Dan had eaten in the ship's main autocafeteria, in one of the
shadowy little booths
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far away from the main dining area and the pickup lines with their crowds and noise.
They had said very little. Val looked beautiful but very serious in a red jumpsuit. Dan was dark and silent
in a black coverall.
Now they were walking down a quiet corridor, back toward Dan's quarters, a one-room compartment
exactly like Larry's. It even had one of Val's paintings on its wall.
"You've decided on Larry, haven't you?" Dan asked abruptly.
She stopped walking, right there in the middle of the nearly deserted corridor. "I think so. I told
him-yes."
He took her arm and resumed walking; she had to quicken her former pace to keep up with him.
Without looking down at her, he asked, "You love him?"
"I love you both. You know that."
"But you want to marry him."
"He... he's asked me to."
"And you want your children to be the Chairman's son and daughter."
"No, it's not that!"
"And if I were Chairman?"
Valery shook her head. "You're not."
"I could be."
"No... not now. Larry has it and they'll re-elect him. You won't get another chance."
Still looking straight ahead, he asked, "Suppose he's voted out? Even before his first year's over?"
"What?" She stopped again and pulled her arm free. "What are you saying, Dan?"
With a shrug, he answered, "Chairmen have been voted out before their terms were up. When the
Council decides that the Chairman can't handle the job. Or when they think there's a better man
available."
"Don't try it," Valery said earnestly. "You'll be hurting Larry and you'll be hurting yourself even more."
"I deserve to be Chairman," Dan insisted. "But more than that much more! I want you. I love you,
Val. I've always loved you. I'd tear this ship apart to get you, if I had to."
"Oh, Dan... don't.,. please..."
He reached out and took her into his arms. "You're not going to marry Larry or anybody else Only me
You think you've made up your mind, but just wait By the time we go into orbit around the planet out
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there, you'll see everything differently. You'll see"
Something in her head was telling Valery to push free of him, but something even stronger made her stay
in his arms Looking up into his intent, deadly serious face, she said, "Dan... don't make me come
between you and Larry You've been friends... " It sounded pathetically weak, even while she was saying
it.
"Larry might have murdered my father."
"What?" In sudden amazement, she did push out of his grasp
"I don't think that fire was an accident. Somebody caused it Larry benefited from it."
"Dan, that's insaneILarry's own father..."
"What'll you think when I prove it?" Dan said, his voice rising to nearly a shout "Would you like to be
married to a murderer?"
"Dan, stop it!"
"Well, would yo?"
Valery turned suddenly and began running back down the corridor, the way they had just come.
"Val... wait . " He raced after her, caught her arm
"I'm going home!" She pulled her arm free. "If you have any sense of decency at all you'll never mention
such a crazy thing again. Do you understand? Not to me or anyone else!"
She left him standing there, looking suddenly alone and helpless and yet, as Valery glanced back
toward him, Dan also seemed darkly resolved, strong and purposeful She shuddered Larry, a murderer?
It was insane. But.. that meant that Dan was insane!
Which was it?
And with a final helping of horror, Valery realized,Whichever it is, I've helped to cause it'
Dan watched her hurry down the corridor, knowing that he had driven her away.
Maybe lam crazy,he said to himself.HowcouldLarry . he couldn't, not LarryI
But another part of his mind droned with remorseless logic.
Someone caused the fire Someone killed fifty people and kept you from your rightful position as
Chairman Someone wants to change everything, have everything his own way.
Feeling sick and confused and more angry with himself than anyone else, Dan made his way back to his
own quarters
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