I stared at him with my mouth open. I hadn’t even read that radiotype, let alone answer it. Had Reagan gone psychopathic, or had I? I remembered shoving it in the drawer of my desk. I jerked open the drawer and pulled it out. My hand shook a little as I read it.
REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL ASSISTANT GRANTED. WHOM DO YOU WANT FOR THE JOB?
I looked up at Reagan again. I said, “You’re trying to tell me I sent an answer to this?”
He looked as dumfounded as I felt.
“You told me to,” he said.
“What did I tell you to send?”
“Ike Witt.” He stared at me. “Chief, are you feeling all right?”
I felt so all right something seemed to explode in my head. I stood up and started for Michaelina. I said, “Mike, will you marry me?” I got my arms around her, just in time, before midperiod closed down on us, so I couldn’t see what she looked like, and vice versa. But over her shoulder, I could see what must be Reagan. I said, “Get out of here, you ape,” and I spoke quite literally because that’s exactly what he appeared to be. A bright yellow ape.
The floor was shaking under my feet, but other things were happening to Inc, too, and I didn’t realize what the shaking meant until the ape turned back and yelled, “A flight of birds going under us, chief! Get out quick, before—”
But that was as far as he got before the house fell down around us and the tin roof hit my head and knocked me out. Placet is a crazy place. I like it.