Zombies of the Gene Pool

And I got my book deal.' He grinned as he speared another pancake. 'So while some checkbook publishers spend a mint publicizing the Lanthanides to sell their crummy anthology, my company brings out a kiss-and-tell book by the celebrated S-F editor-'

'Jasmine Holt!' cried Lily. 'My God! She was married to two or three of them, wasn't she?'

'Yep. And she hasn't mellowed any with age, either,' said O'Malley cheerfully. 'Dirty laundry! That's what people want to read. Who cares what a bunch of postadolescent nerds actually wrote, for chrissake?'

'But they're writers,' said Lily. 'I thought they had fans.'

O'Malley looked at her. 'Would you want to bet a million dollars and your job title that there are enough S-F fans out there to buy fifty thousand copies of the over-the-hill gang's juvenilia in hardcover?'

'I guess not,' murmured Lily.

'Exactly. I got the Holt memoir for twenty-five K. And we won't have to pay that much to the person who really writes it, either.' He flashed her a feral smile. 'Literary judgment, Lily! That's what it's all about.'

Ruben Mistral was smiling as he put down the phone. The Lanthanides had gathered in the conference room for a catered brunch while they waited for Sarah Ashley to report the results of the auction. 'It's over,' he announced to the others. 'The anthology is sold.'

'What's the deal?' asked Woodard eagerly.

'One point two million dollars. It's a hard/soft deal, world rights, fifty/fifty on screen rights.'

'What does that mean exactly?' asked Angela.

'And how soon do we get it?' Woodard again.

Mistral smiled at their eagerness. 'Sarah will explain the business angles to anyone who is interested. As for the money, you'll get some of it in a few weeks, but don't go on a spending spree. You won't believe the tax bite!'

Jim Conyers stood up. 'I guess that's it, then. The reunion has accomplished its goal. We're all free to go, by the way. There will be no further investigation on the two deaths.'

'Understood,' said Mistral. 'And we're all sworn to secrecy.

Right, guys?'

'It doesn't feel right to leave it like this,' said Angela. 'Not to worry,' said Mistral. 'Well do a tribute to Stormy in the anthology. First-class stuff.'

Brendan Surn spoke up. 'It reminds me of our trip to Worldcon all those years ago. Remember then? We all worked and planned, and we didn't make it out of this valley. Finally, though, one by one, each of us did make it out. Some of us became famous and well off, but we always missed what we had here. Never quite found that anywhere else. And now we all come back for the big reunion and we find that we can't get back in. Not really.' He looked out at the red clay scar between wooded hills. 'We couldn't get back.'

'Yeah, sure, Brendan,' said Ruben Mistral. 'Can't go home again, right? Well, people, I got a plane to catch.' He shook hands with Conyers, hugged Angela, and headed for the door.

George Woodard hurried to catch up with him. 'Listen, can I talk to you for a minute?'

Mistral tried to glance at his watch without being too obvious about it. 'Sure, George,' he said. 'Another business question?'

'No. I have a favor to ask,' said George, looking nervously about. 'You see, in western Maryland we have a little science fiction convention every September. It's called Mason/Dixiecon. We have a few panel discussions, a little art show. We show old movies. You'd really like it, Bunzie. And I was wondering…' He took a deep breath. 'Would you consider being our guest of honor this year?'

Ruben Mistral winced at the thought of spending an entire weekend in a dreary burg in Maryland, signing autographs and telling high school kids how to make it in Hollywood. But before he could plead a prior commitment, his mouth opened, and he could hear Bunzie saying, 'Sure, George. I'd like that. Count me in.'

They walked out together, with Woodard prattling happily about Star Trek blooper reels and fifties starlets.

Lorien Williams was packing Brendan's belongings in his old leather suitcase while he stood at the window looking out on the barren shore.

'I heard the drawdown is ending today,' she said to him. 'The hotel clerk said that the dam is repaired, so next week they'll be letting the lake fill up again.'

He did not seem to have heard her. After a moment, she shrugged and went on packing. He was much better today; more alert and in good spirits. She wondered if the time change had bothered him. It was a pity to put him through it again so quickly, but at least she'd know what to expect when they got back to California. She'd have to field all the phone calls until Thursday at least. She looked longingly at the new Bob Cameron paperbacks she had bought to read on the trip. She still hadn't got around to them. Too bad. Bob Cameron was a really great author. She loved his futuristic stories. Lorien sighed and looked back at Brendan.

Someone knocked at the door. Lorien waited a moment to see if Brendan would respond, but he seemed not to have heard. She decided to answer it.

'I'm getting ready to go,' said Angela Arbroath, setting her suitcase inside the door. 'I thought I'd just stop in and say goodbye.' She was dressed in a shapeless brown dress for traveling, and her hair was pulled into an unattractive bun: the invisible woman.

Brendan Surn turned away from the window. 'Hello, Beanpole!' he called out. 'Good to see you!'

Angela smiled at the look of surprise on Lorien's face. 'He means me, all right,' she told the girl. 'You should have seen me back in '54.'

'You're better today, aren't you?' she said to Brendan Surn. She sat down on the bed beside him, reaching up to brush a lock of silver hair away from his face. 'You look better this morning.'

He sighed. 'It comes and goes, Angie. It's like a sea mist. Sometimes my mind can't see a foot ahead in any direction, and at other times it's as clear as it ever was. I just take my pills and hope.'

Angela took a deep breath. 'Listen, Brendan,' she said briskly. 'I hear you've got a big fancy house in California, and I have to tell you, I have no interest in even visiting anyplace like that. But I tell you what: I do have the prettiest little white cottage in Mississippi that you ever saw. I have a herb garden, and cats, and the warmest, sunniest kitchen in the world. And I have a guest room.'

He nodded, beginning a smile.

'Brendan, nobody's promising anything right now, but would you like to come and stay with me for a while, and see if you like it? I think maybe Lorien has places of her own to go.'

Brendan Surn looked down at her with his wisest, gentlest smile. 'Yes, Angela,' he said. 'I'd like to sit in a garden now. I've seen what there is in the sea. Can I come today?'

Angela motioned for Lorien to come over. 'Let's talk it over, Brendan,' she said. 'All three of us. We have all the time there is.'

Jay and Marion were carrying their bags out of the lodge when they met Jim Conyers. He slung a suitcase into the back of his station wagon and followed them to their car.

'Is it over?' asked Marion. Her face was still strained and swollen-eyed.

'Yes,' said Conyers. 'The police are calling off the investigation on both deaths, and the auction went as planned. A little over a million, Bunzie said.'

'I'm sorry about the way it turned out,' said Jay Omega. 'I was trying to help.'

The lawyer nodded. 'You were right. A murder investigation wouldn't have made things any better. And I think that when Stormy had found out that it wasn't Pat, it would have ended just the way it did.'

'Brendan Surn was the only one who didn't tell lies,' mused Marion. 'Remember, he kept saying that Pete wasn't dead. We thought he was just senile.'

'I wish it could have been a better reunion for you,' said Jay.

Jim Conyers looked out at the dead lake. 'It was the right reunion,' he said at last. 'Bickering, posturing, arrogance, and occasional lapses of genuine affection. They were my best friends, God help me.' He smiled. 'They were the best friends I ever had.'

In the office of a small print shop in Cato, Mississippi, an elderly man was reading People magazine. He was sitting with his feet propped up on the old oak desk, a few inches away from a computer screen glowing green in the shadows beyond his reading lamp. His black-framed glasses slipped down on his sloping nose, revealing bulging eyes that made him faintly resemble a frog. The top of his head was a hairless dome, but the fringe that remained encircling his ears was still jet black, emphasizing the pallor of his wrinkled skin.