Gene Wolfe - An Evil Guest

“To see me.”

“Correct. I wanted to tell you what the situation was, and see whether they had gone after you.”

“Is that all?”

“I wanted to see you and hear your voice. One more time, knowing it might be the last time.” Gideon, who did not often meet her eyes, was meeting them now. “I don’t think Reis is going to hurt you. Not soon at least, and perhaps not ever. But he’s decided to kill me, and he may succeed.”

She took his hand. “I said I didn’t want to talk about biology, Gid, but we’re talking about biology.”

He nodded.

“Is he watching this place?”

“I don’t know. He may well be. If it was watched when I came in, I may have been seen. If it’s watched now, they may get me when I go out. I have no way of knowing.”

“You’re certain this wasn’t just some criminal?”

“I am. They don’t do that. Fire at a man walking down a hall? Fire without warning, without any demand for money?” Gideon took a deep breath and let it out. “He wanted to kill me. That was his objective. I know of no one other than Reis who might want me dead, so it seems safe to assume Reis sent him. From what I’ve learned, he must have hundreds of millions. Perhaps a billion or more. He could pay for any number of assassinations and never feel the pinch.”

“From poisoned gold.”

“Poisoned gold and other things. I can’t prove it, but I’m confident the gold’s his principal business. He’d prefer that it weren’t poisoned, presumably; but he can’t decontaminate it, so he sells it as is. I’d be very much surprised to learn that he handled big shipments himself.”

“So would I. Want a drink? Last chance — we close in five minutes.”

“No, thanks.”

“Well, I do.” Cassie disappeared in the direction of the kitchen and returned with a glass of wine. “Can I ask a question?”

“About biology? Certainly.”

“Nope. About Dr. Gideon Chased.”

He tried to smile.

“Margaret was in here. So was the man who fixed my wall. You showed up as soon as the coast was clear. Was that coincidence?”

He shook his head. “You’re very perceptive. I was listening.”

“Where the people have gone to Europe?”

“Correct. You’re going to say that the repairman was in there. You’re right; he was. I tried to stay out of his way until he left.”

“The man you know just slightly.” Cassie sat down and sipped. “Sure you don’t want one of these, Gid? It’s just Chablis.”

She made a living portrait, Gideon thought: Lady in a Spring-Green Gown . Aloud he said, “Very unsure. I do want one. In fact, I want half the bottle. It’s simply that I can’t afford to drink half a glass.”

“They’re looking for your car, the brown one. Did you know?”

“No, but I’m not surprised.”

“If they find it, will they find you?”

He shook his head.

“I didn’t think so. Aren’t you afraid they’ll come here? You think our friend’s had you watched. Anybody who’s been watching you would guess you might come here.”

“You’re right. I’m testing. I don’t think Reis will want you to see me die. If I’m right, I’m safer here than almost anywhere else; if I’m wrong, I’ll find out when they break down your door.”

“What if they’re watching the building?”

Gideon shrugged. “I think they are. Certainly I have to behave as though they are. As I will.’

He picked up his walking stick. “Biology, and then I’ll go. I’m not sure where I ought to begin, so let’s try this. Are you aware of shape-changers? Werewolves and their ilk?”

“I suppose everybody’s heard of them. Are you going to say there really are such things?”

“There are. I know a few. Some human beings can transform themselves, Cassie. The cells of their bodies rearrange themselves. It’s actually a lot more complex than that, but that’s the basic idea. The weight has to stay the same, you understand. If a hundred-pound woman becomes a she-wolf, it’s a hundred-pound she-wolf. Wolves, dogs, and leopards are the most common forms.”

Cassie set down her glass. “Either you’re kidding me, or you’re crazy. Which is it?”

“Neither.” He shook his head. “The most common forms, I said. The most common forms but not the only forms. Keep that in mind, please. It’s important.”

“I’ll try. Wait a minute! You were talking about that advisor — I forget his name.”

“John.”

“Right. He said they knew more biology on Woldercan. Are you going to tell me they can change themselves into dragons or something?”

“They cannot transform as we do. Not at all. What they can do — this is a side issue — is the thing that made John think they knew more biology. You see, he knows what they can do, but not what his own kind can do.”

“My life was so simple before I met you.” Cassie sighed. “I ought to dump you and go back. Why don’t I do that?”

Gideon’s hands flexed the walking stick as though he wanted to break it. “Because you know I love you. With all my faults... I have a great many, believe me.”

“I don’t.” Some unfamiliar emotion had Cassie by the throat. “I don’t know anything about any faults of yours, and I wish you’d come over here.”

“You’ll encounter more as we go along.” A painful smile flickered and died. “Indifference to you will never be one of them, however. Hasn’t it ever seemed strange to you that though some humans can become animals, we never hear of animals becoming human?”

“Weremen, Gid?” She wondered whether she sounded as puzzled as she felt.

“That would be man-men. But yes, that’s the idea.”

“I’d never even thought of it.”

“It almost never happens because it is much, much easier to go down than to go up. It’s so easy to go down that werewolves have trouble maintaining their human forms at times.”

“I still don’t believe you.” Cassie looked stubborn.

“You’re beautiful like that. Of course all your other expressions are beautiful, too. You must believe me, but that doesn’t worry me. You will.”

“John didn’t.”

“We didn’t even discuss this. He knows that male Wolders can hybridize with lower animals, the males having the ability to alter the DNA in their semen enough to make it acceptable to the female’s reproductive system. Like you, he doesn’t believe that any human has the ability to transform.”

“I should be talking to him. Are you going to tell me you’re a werewolf?”

“Let’s get that out of the way. No, I’m no werewolf. I don’t have the ability to transform at all. Not down, and certainly not up. Those human beings who can transform up find it almost impossibly difficult. In almost every case, they require expert assistance.”

Bewildered, Cassie shook her head. “I don’t get it. Do they become angels? Or — or...” She froze, one hand clutching her glass, the other clenched.

“Yes.” With the help of the walking stick, Gideon rose. “I may die today. It’s entirely possible and almost probable. It is easy, terribly easy, for someone who has transformed up to slip back down; and it wouldn’t be right for me to die without having warned you. Without having warned you and without having told you I love you. I have, and now I’ll go.”

NOT long afterward, the maintenance man who had repaired Cassie’s wall loaded a large cardboard box into the back of his pickup. Lettering on the box indicated that it contained a toilet particularly adapted to the needs of invalids and the handicapped. It was clearly heavy; but he was just as clearly strong, lifting it from his cart and sliding it onto the back of his truck with only a small grunt of effort.