He took time to give her one more smile and a half-wink, and swung back
to the Personnel Manager.
"Now. Let's get this thing straightened out. I've got--" He stopped to
look at his watch. "Six hours and a few minutes. They're fueling the
beast right now."
"Do you know how much red tape you'd have to cut?"
Ish shook his head. "I don't want to sound nasty, but that's your
problem."
The Personnel Manager hesitated. "Look--you feel you've got a job
unfinished. Or, anyway, that's the way you'd put it. But, let's face
it--that's not really what's galling you. It's not really the job, is
it? It's just that you think you've been cheated out of what you devoted
your life to."
Ish could feel his jaw muscles bunching. "Don't put words in my mouth!"
he snapped. "Just get me back, and we'll split hairs about it when I get
around this way again." Suddenly, he found himself pleading. "All I need
is a week," he said. "It'll be a rough week--no picnic, no pleasures of
the flesh. No smoking, no liquor. I certainly won't be breaking any
laws. One week. Get there, putter around for two days, and back again.
Then, you can do anything you want to--as long as it doesn't look like
the trip's responsible, of course."
The Personnel Manager hesitated. "Suppose--" he began, but Ish
interrupted him.
"Look, they need it, down there. They've got to have a target, someplace
to go. We're built for it. People have to have--but what am I telling
_you_ for. If you don't know, who does?"