Deathwish World

quite so darling.'

Lee didn't quite know how to respond to that. To cover the fact, she looked at the desk and said, 'Marvelous.'

It was done in sandalwood and was adorned with lapis lazuli, amethysts, and other semi-precious stones. In the front it had twelve small amethyst columns, and at the top, gilt statuettes representing the Muses and Apollo seated under a laurel tree.

The other chuckled and said, 'Isn't it beautiful—in a repulsive sort of way? I couldn't resist; had it moved in from the Room of the Desks. One of the others there is possibly even worse. It's done in ebony with twenty-eight ivory bas reliefs, and the central relief is a copy of Michelangelo's Last Judgment. A real monstrosity. We'll get it for your office, if you'd like. But do sit down, darling. You're Lee Garrett, of course. I'm Sheila Duff-Roberts.'

Feeling a little overwhelmed, Lee took the sixteenth century chair the other indicated. She said, 'Yes, Ms. Duff-Roberts. I was given instructions by Gary McBride to…'

'Yes, of course.' Sheila Duff-Roberts strode briskly around her ornate desk, resumed her chair, and touched a sheaf of papers before her. 'I've been going over your qualifications. Very impressive, my dear.'

Lee said, 'What qualifications? I haven't the slightest idea what my duties are. Mr. McBride only told me I was to work for the Central Committee of the World Club.'

The other smiled her sparse smile and dispatched her cigarette in an elaborate ceramic work never meant, by the artist who had conceived it half a millennium ago, as an ashtray.

She said, 'You were selected by our computers as my secretary, darling.'

Lee let out her breath, trying to disguise exasperation. 'But what is your position? What do you do? What are these qualifications I'm supposed to have?'

'Relax, dear. I'm the secretary.' She took another cigarette from a medieval gold and ivory box and lit it with a modern gold desk lighter. 'One of your qualifications is that you don't need the job. Or any other job, for that matter. You're filthy rich, dear.'

Lee looked at her blankly.

The Junoesque woman said, 'So are all our other upper-echelon personnel. If they were not born with such resources, we make them available. In short, none of us is motivated by desire for money. We already have money. We are motivated by the dream.'

'What dream?' Lee said, still far out of her depth.

The other let heavy smoke flow from her nostrils. 'The dream is to create a stable world, Lee. It's been dreamed before, throughout history. For limited periods it has even been achieved, here and there—in Egypt for centuries; in Mexico by the Mayans; in China, at least to a certain degree, before the coming of the Europeans.'

Lee said, 'What do you mean by stability?'

'For the first time, darling, the human race finds itself in a position to achieve a stable, unchanging society on a worldwide basis. No national disorders, wars, or extreme poverty.'

'It sounds like quite a dream,' Lee said skeptically. 'I knew the World Club was a nonprofit think-factory seeking solutions to current problems, but I had no idea its scope was so all-embracing. Frankly, I'm having second thoughts. It sounds—well, impossible. It's true that I want it to be something rational. Not a… forgive me… pipe dream.'

The secretary of the World Club chuckled throatily again. 'Lee, darling, do you approve of GAS in the United States of the Americas?'

'I think so. I can't think of any other manner of dealing with mass unemployment brought on by automation.'

'And do you approve of the United States taking in any North or South American country that wished statehood?'

'I think it was one of the most intelligent acts my country has ever performed.'

'Both were subtly engineered by the World Club.'

'But that's ridiculous. I've never even heard a rumor of such a thing.'

Sheila smiled. 'I said 'subtly,' did I not? First steps, darling. You see, our basic desire is to maintain the status quo in society, based on what now prevails in America and Common Europe. However, we are not really a conservative organization, certainly not a reactionary one. The World Club is quite revolutionary, in the broadest sense of the word. It aims at a stable, desirable world for the overwhelming majority. It cannot be all things to all people, but it can aim at making a stable society for the average person. To do this we must align ourselves against subversive elements: nihilist terrorists, the Wobblies in the States, Eurocommunists in Common Europe, even the Anti-Racist League. But we are not reactionary.'

'I see,' Lee said, somewhat less doubtfully. 'What are some of the other ills that the World Club thinks it can solve?'

The handsome Amazon shrugged. 'Bringing all religions together under the leadership of the United Church, perhaps. A universal language based on Esperanto. We already have a committee working on this. Meanwhile, English is the nearest to a universal language that we now have. Elimination of differences in religion and language will help guarantee a world society which will last indefinitely.'

'English, a universal language?' Lee said. 'I thought there were a billion Chinese who spoke Mandarin.'

Sheila chuckled in her humorless manner. 'Touche,' she said. 'But most all of them are in China. The problem of assimilating China into our world society will have to be held in abeyance for the time. By the way, are you a women's rights advocate?'

'In most ways,' Lee nodded. 'However, I don't claim that women are equal to men in all respects.'

The other looked at her sharply. 'Why not? Certainly women are equal to men in all respects.'

'For one thing,' Lee said wryly, 'they don't have as long a penis. We can carry this chip on our shoulder to ridiculous extremes. It's like the contention that blacks are the same as whites in all respects. Nonsense. One has a darker complexion than the other. So far as women are concerned—well, there has never been a female heavyweight champion of the world. A second-rate male pro would flatten the best female fighter who ever lived; they simply have more upper-body strength! On the other hand, I've always thought the first astronauts should have been women. We're generally smaller and take up less space, use less food and oxygen, and on an average, we're more deft with our hands. We seem to have more endurance under stress. I wonder how the average man would hold up under a difficult childbirth.'

The tall Sheila eyed her. 'You have one quality that doesn't come out in the computer reports—the strength to state strong opinions, darling. Do you have any other questions?'

'Yes,' Lee said definitely. 'I'm surprised that both you and Mr. McBride have revealed so much to me, even before I've consented to take the position. You've told me that most workers for the World Club don't even know it exists. But you've bared everything to me.'

The other lit still another cigarette. 'Not quite everything, dear,' she said dryly. 'You must realize that our computers selected you above all others. The computers seldom make mistakes in these things. We are assured that you are the best person for the position and the computers are of the opinion that you will take it. Obviously, it was required that you know what you are stepping into.'

Lee took a deep breath and said in resignation, 'What would my duties be?'

'This first week, to give members the chance to become acquainted with you, since in this position you will be privy to many of their innermost decisions. The committee is now in session and will be for the rest of this month. Most of them are now in residence. These regular sessions are held twice a year. They're informal, and consist largely of their sitting around, two by two or in larger groups, and discussing developments of the program. Not all are present at this session. Grace Cabot-Hudson, who is rather old and infirm, remained at her residence in North America.' Sheila Duff-Roberts looked at her timepiece. 'But now, my dear, you must be tired, and will wish to see your suite and freshen up. And I have duties, of course.' Her eyes shifted slightly. 'By the way, there is to be apanous tonight. Would you be interested?' Lee shook her head. She wasn't shocked, not in this age, but she was somewhat surprised. She said, 'No, I'm not interested in group sex.' The Amazon's brows went up. 'Lesbian?'

'No.'

'Pity,' Sheila said. 'However, perhaps in time you'll change your mind. Which reminds me. We have a staff of