came apart down the sides. He lifted it off and laid it casually aside,
revealing a hard, blocky face, slightly in need of a shave, with cool
blue eyes and blond brows. His hair was graying slightly at the temples,
with a fortyish hairline.

* * * * *

The Red nodded. "Greetings, human. I doubted that you would."

"Why not?" growled Smith.

"Because you fear your Stand-ins, as appointees, not subject to your
'rabble'. Our ruling clique selects its own members, but they are
subject to popular approval or recall by referendum. I fear nothing from
them."

"Let's not compare our domestic forms, Peoplesfriend."

"I wanted to point out," the Asian continued calmly, "that your system
slipped into what it is without realizing it. A bad was allowed to grow
worse. We, however were reacting against unreasonableness and stupidity
within our own system. In the year 2001--"

"I am aware of your history before the Big Silence. May we discuss
pertinent matters--?"

The Asian stared at him sharply. The frown grew deeper. The black eyes
looked haughty. "If you _really_ want to discuss something, John Smith,
suppose we arrange a personal meeting in a non-walled, neutral region?
Say, Antarctica?"

John Smith XVI, unaccustomed to dealing without a mask, let surprise
fill his face before he caught himself. The Asian chuckled but said
nothing. The President studied the border of the teleview screen for a
moment.

"I shall have to consider your proposal," he said dully.

The Peoplesfriend nodded curtly, then suggested a time for the next
interview. Smith revised it ahead to gain more time, and agreement was
reached. The screen went blank; the interview was at an end. The
Sixteenth Smith took a slow, worried breath, then slowly donned the mask
of office again. He summoned the nine Primaries immediately.

"That was dangerous, John," one of them warned him as they entered. "You
may regret it. They knew you were in here alone. We're not all identical
from the neck-down you know. When we come out, they might compare--"

He cut the man off with a curt gesture. "No time. We're in a bad
situation. Maybe worse than I guess." He began pacing the floor and
staring down at the metallifiber rug as he spoke. "He knows more about
us than he should. It took me awhile to realize that he's speaking our
latest language variations. A language changes idiom in forty years, and
slang. He's got the latest phrases. 'Gre