"It's a rush-order, Sheriff. Can you get the warrants tonight and pick
up the animals in the morning?"
"Easy on those warrants, boy. Judge Charleman can't be disturbed just
any time. I can get the newts to you by noon, I guess, provided we
don't have to get a helicopter posse to chase down the mothers."
"That'll be all right. And listen, Yates--fix it so the charges will
be dropped if they cooperate. Don't shake those warrants around unless
they just won't listen to reason. But get those neutroids."
"Okay, boy. Gotcha."
Norris gave him the names and addresses of the three unwilling mothers.
As soon as he hung up, Anne touched his shoulders and said, "Sit
still." She began smoothing a chilly ointment over his burning cheek.
"Hard day?" she asked.
"Not too hard. Those were just three out of fifteen. I got the other
twelve. They're in the truck."
"That's good," she said. "You've got only twelve empty cages."
He neglected to tell her that he had stopped at twelve for just this
reason. "Guess I better get them unloaded," he said, standing up.
"Can I help you?"
He stared at her for a moment, saying nothing. She smiled a little and
looked aside. "Terry, I'm sorry--about this morning. I--I know you've
got a job that has to be--" Her lip quivered slightly.
Norris grinned, caught her shoulders, and pulled her close.
"Honeymoon's on again, huh?" she whispered against his neck.
"Come on," he grunted. "Let's unload some neutroids, before I forget
all about work."
* * * * *
They went out to the kennels together. The cages were inside a
sprawling concrete barn, which was divided into three large rooms--one
for the fragile neuter humanoid creatures, and another for the lesser
mutants, such as cat-Qs, dog-Fs, dwarf bears, and foot-high lambs that
never matured into sheep. The third room contained a small gas chamber
with a conveyor belt leading from it to a crematory-incinerator.
Norris kept the third locked lest his wife see its furnishings.
The doll-like neutroids began their mindless chatter as soon as their
keepers entered the building. Dozens of blazing blond heads began
dancing about their cages. Their bodies thwacked against the wire mesh
as they leaped about their compartments with monkey grace.
Their human appearance was broken by only two distinct features: short
beaverlike tails decorated with fluffy curls of fur, and an erect
thatch of scalp-hair that grew up into a bright candleflame. Otherwise,
they appeared completely human, with baby-pink skin, quick little
smiles, and cherubic faces. They were sexually neuter and never grew
beyond a predetermined age-set which varied for each series. Age-sets
were available from one to ten years human equivalent. Once a neutroid
reached its age-set, it remained at the set's child-development level
until death.
"They must be getting to know you pretty well," Anne said, glancing
around at the cages.
Norris was wearing a slight frown as he inspected the room. "They've
never gotten this excited before."
He walked along a row of cages, then stopped by a K-76 to stare.
"_Apple cores!_" He turned to face his wife. "How did apples get in
there?"
She reddened. "I felt sorry for them, eating that goo from the
mechanical feeder. I drove down to Sherman III and bought six dozen
cooking apples."
"That was a mistake."