"You sound strange."
"Cold coming on, I think. Vladimir, tell me--what happened to the girl?
You know, Anna Myinkov?"
"Why should you be interested in her? Anyway, you _know_ what happened.
Don't tell me the living brain of Stalin frightened you so much you
didn't even see what was going on?"
"Y-yes. That was it, Vladimir."
Chenkov snorted. "And the mantle of powers is yours. Well, Ruscar said
Anna was from some enemy force and since she was his enemy she was
also ours. I had a hard time explaining my way out of that one, but
Ruscar must have realized I hold enough power here to give him trouble
if he tries to give me some. He probably has Anna in the Lubianka
Prison and I intend to do something about it, although why you should
be interested, I don't know."
Dorlup was a doleful-looking Malenkov, but the features were
identical--the tiny eyes, high forehead, thick jowls, petulant lips.
Hiding in the dressing alcove, Tedor wondered how long the ruse would
hold.
"I was just curious, that's all."
"It seems to me other things should be on your mind. I'm the Chief of
Staff, so it's not my problem. But with Ruscar and Stalin--"
"Stalin? I--"
"Stalin's brain, Georgi. His brain. Ruscar resurrected it, not I. If
the war goes badly--it shouldn't, but if it does--the people will have
a resurrected Stalin to turn to for faith, and hope. It was a stroke
of genius, I think. But right now you and Molotov should be conferring
with the military leaders, getting things ready, planning...."
"It's arranged," Dorlup said evasively. "It's all arranged."
"So quickly? That's preposterous. You don't start a vast war-machine
functioning in mere hours. We're planning on quick victory with a
sudden, devastating atomic attack on the United States."
"I--know."
"I know you know, Georgi. You hardly seem concerned. Even Comrade
Zhubin pointed out how nervous you seemed today, and Zhubin usually
minds his own business. You seem even worse now."
* * * * *
Dorlup nodded, clearly struggling for words and a way to prolong the
conversation. "I--I'm not myself," he said, mopping his brow.
"Well," said Chenkov, irritably, "is that all you wanted me for?"
Dorlup stood there, fidgeting. Chenkov snorted, began to leave the room.
"Just one moment, Comrade Marshal." It was Tedor, who had emerged from
behind the drapery.
"Eh? By Lenin, what are _you_ doing here Archevski? Am I going crazy? I
thought I sent you to find this, uh--Barwan."
"You did, Comrade Marshal, but--"
"But I told him not to," said Dorlup.
"You? What for? Ruscar wanted him brought at once."
"I know that," said Dorlup.
"But the Comrade Premier told me not to go, anyway. Then Comrade
Premier further told me that Ruscar had concluded his usefulness after
we had Stalin's resurrected brain. The Comrade Premier--"
"Let him talk for himself, Archevski! And I'll see you later for
disobeying my orders."
"No you won't."
"He's in my employ now," Dorlup told Chenkov. "What he was saying is
this: why do we need Ruscar? Let Ruscar go back where he came from. We
can handle everything ourselves."
"Georgi, you don't mean it."
"I mean it."
"Then you are _not_ yourself! You had better see a doctor. Why, only
the day before yesterday we spoke with Ruscar about what all this
could mean. Defeating the United States we could conquer the earth,
of course. But what is the Earth here and now, this year, when with
Ruscar's help we can have all Earth, through all the centuries, for all
time?"
"What makes you think we can trust this Ruscar?"
"That's fantastic. Everything is arranged. Perhaps later, much
later--after we have consolidated our position in time, then we can
think of doing without Ruscar's help. But not now."
"Well--" said Dorlup, at a loss for words.
The door opened. It was Georgi Malenkov who stood there.
* * * * *
"Vladimir, I was told I could find you here in conference with someone,
they didn't know who. They--Vladimir!" Malenkov looked at Dorlup. His
small eyes bulged.