The Ego Machine

Martin was observed to slump slightly—perhaps with hopelessness. Then, again, perhaps not.

'I'm sorry,' DeeDee said. 'I liked working for you, Tolliver. But I have to do what Raoul says, of course.' And she moved toward the window.

Martin had slumped further down, till his knuckles quite brushed the rug. His angry little eyes, glowing with baffled rage, were fixed on DeeDee. Slowly his lips peeled back, exposing every tooth in his head.

'You,' he said, in an ominous growl.

DeeDee paused, but only briefly.

* * *

Then the enraged roar of a wild beast reverberated through the room. 'You come back! ' bellowed the infuriated Mammoth-Slayer, and with one agile bound sprang to the window, seized DeeDee and slung her under one arm. Wheeling, he glared jealously at the shrinking Watt and reached for Erika. In a trice he had the struggling forms of both girls captive, one under each arm. His wicked little eyes glanced from one to another. Then, playing no favorites, he bit each quickly on the ear.

'Nick!' Erika cried. 'How dare you!'

'Mine,' Mammoth-Slayer informed her hoarsely.

'You bet I am,' Erika said, 'but that works both ways. Put down that hussy you've got under your other arm.'

Mammoth-Slayer was observed to eye DeeDee doubtfully.

'Well,' Erika said tartly, 'make up your mind.'

'Both,' said the uncivilized playwright. 'Yes.'

'No!' Erika said.

'Yes,' DeeDee breathed in an entirely new tone. Limp as a dishrag, the lovely creature hung from Martin's arm and gazed up at her captor with idolatrous admiration.

'Oh, you hussy,' Erika said. 'What about St. Cyr?'

'Him,' DeeDee said scornfully. 'He hasn't got a thing, the sissy. I'll never look at him again.' She turned her adoring gaze back to Martin.

'Pah,' the latter grunted, tossing DeeDee into Watt's lap. 'Yours. Keep her.' He grinned approvingly at Erika. 'Strong she. Better.'

Both Watt and DeeDee remained motionless, staring at Martin.

'You,' he said, thrusting a finger at DeeDee. 'You stay with him. Ha?' He indicated Watt.

DeeDee nodded in slavish adoration.

'You sign contract?'

Nod.

Martin looked significantly into Watt's eyes. He extended his hand.

'The contract release,' Erika explained, upside-down. 'Give it to him before he pulls your head off.'

Slowly Watt pulled the contract release from his pocket and held it out. But Martin was already shambling toward the window. Erika reached back hastily and snatched the document.

'That was a wonderful act,' she told Nick, as they reached the street. 'Put me down now. We can find a cab some—'

'No act,' Martin growled. 'Real. Till tomorrow. After that—' He shrugged. 'But tonight, Mammoth-Slayer.' He attempted to climb a palm tree, changed his mind, and shambled on, carrying the now pensive Erika. But it was not until a police car drove past that Erika screamed….

* * *

'I'll bail you out tomorrow,' Erika told Mammoth-Slayer, struggling between two large patrolmen.

Her words were drowned in an infuriated bellow.

Thereafter events blurred, to solidify again for the irate Mammoth-Slayer only when he was thrown in a cell, where he picked himself up with a threatening roar. 'I kill!' he announced, seizing the bars.

'Arrrgh!'

'Two in one night,' said a bored voice, moving away outside. 'Both in Bel-Air, too. Think they're hopped up? We couldn't get a coherent story out of either one.'

The bars shook. An annoyed voice from one of the bunks said to shut up, and added that there had been already enough trouble from nincompoops without—here it paused, hesitated, and uttered a shrill, sharp, piercing cry.

Silence prevailed, momentarily, in the cell-block as Mammoth-Slayer, son of the Great Hairy One, turned slowly to face Raoul St. Cyr.