That restaurant in Hagerstown has its own "environment".The beautiful grass slopes meander down to the lake, and dining tables are scattered in twos and threes.More dining tables are set among the branches of three giant trees.Jill wanted to eat in the trees, but Ben bribed the head waiter to set up another table far out by the water, with an aquarium-style stereo TV next to it.
Jill complained: "If you can't eat on the tree, and you have to endure the noise of the TV, why pay more to come here?"
"Be patient, baby. The table in the tree has a microphone for calling the waiter. It's not safe. This one doesn't—I saw the head waiter pull it out of a lot of tables. As for the TV, there is no TV at mealtimes. Isn't it so un-American? Besides, the noise can interfere with directional monitoring—Gudaulas' spies are everywhere, so maybe they suddenly take an interest in us."
"You really think we're being followed, Ben?" Jill shuddered. "I'm not made to be a criminal."
"Ah bah! Back when I was investigating the General Chemical scandal, I changed my residence every day, never lived in the same place twice, and ate only food in unopened packages. You'd love it, Jill, it could be exciting. Metabolism."
"My metabolism doesn't need to be stimulated. All I want is an old, frail, wealthy patient."
"You want to marry the old man, but you don't want to marry me?"
"After my future husband kicks his legs, I will marry you. Maybe I will be so rich that I can keep you as a pet."
"How about starting tonight and keeping me as a pet?"
"After my husband is finished."
While eating, the deafening music program on TV suddenly stopped, and a smiling host appeared. "Hello everyone, this is New World Television Network. We and our sponsor, Daughter Pills, will be honored to suspend this program and transfer the broadcast time to the federal authorities of the free world to broadcast a major event that will surely go down in history. News. Friends, please remember that every smart girl uses 'Daughter Pills'. It is easy to carry, tastes good, and has high efficacy. It complies with Article 1312 of the "Drug Administration Law" and requires no prescription. , as you buy and use. Why take the risk of using the immoral, painful, and unsafe old method? With the old method, you may lose his love and respect." The cute and anxious host turned to the side Glancing at it, he sped up his speech, "The following is the advertisement for 'Daughter Pills', followed by Mr. Secretary-General!"
A three-dimensional hot girl comes out in style, glamorous and seductive, almost making all men turn off ordinary beauties.After scratching her head and posing, the stunner said in a guttural voice unique to the bed: "I only use——'daughter pills'.
The girl melted away, and the band began to play the solemn "Peace Above all".Ben said, "Do you use the 'daughter pills'?"
"None of your business!" Jill said angrily, adding, "It's just a liar's elixir. Besides, why do you think I need it?"
Ben Caxton didn't answer.As soon as the image was turned, the fatherly face of Douglas, the federal secretary, was switched out. "Friends!" he said, "Fellows of the Federation! It is a great honor to meet you tonight. Since the triumphant return of the 'Victor'..." What followed was nothing more than congratulations to all the peoples of Earth for their success communicate with another planet, another race, and so on.He also made every effort to suggest that this great achievement was at the same time the personal achievement of each of his fellow countrymen, each of whom, if he had not been obsessed, could lead this interstellar expedition—as for himself, Secretary Mr. Douglas, Mr. Long, is but a humble instrument for the will of the people.The point had always been made implicitly, that the common man was as good as anybody, all good men of high character--and he, good old Douglas, was just such a common man.With a crooked bow tie and disheveled hair, Douglas reveals a "folk" image everywhere.
Ben Caxton wondered, Who actually wrote this manuscript?Probably Jim Sanvers.Jim is the best at picking out a bunch of adjectives, flattering and flattering.Before entering politics, this person was originally a writer of advertisements, no matter what he wrote, he would not be condemned by his conscience.That's right, the "big hand that nudged the cradle" just now is exactly Jim's style.Jim Sunvers, the man who can do the nasty thing of seducing little girls with candy bars.
"Closed!" Jill said.
"Be quiet, baby, I have to listen."
"...My friends, it is my honor to present to you our fellow Valentine Michael Smith, A Man From Mars!, we know that you are not fully recovered and are not in very good health--however, would you please Would you like to say a few words to your friends?"
The screen flashed, and the medium-focus lens captured a person in a wheelchair, with Douglas standing condescendingly next to him, and a beautiful nurse with a dull expression on the other side.
Jill gasped. "Shh! Be quiet!" Ben whispered.
There was a shy smile on the clean doll face of the man in the wheelchair.He looked at the camera and said, "Hi everyone! Please forgive me for not standing up, I am still very weak." He seemed to struggle to speak, and at one point a nurse felt worried for his pulse.
The Man from Mars continued to answer Douglas' questions.He expressed his respect for Captain Van Tropp and his expedition, and thanked everyone who rescued him.He said that the successful contact with the Earth people made all Martians rejoice, and hoped that his arrival would help the two planets form a friendly relationship.Later, the nurse interjected, trying to end the conversation, but Douglas said gently, "Mike, how are you doing, can you hold on a little longer and answer one last question?"
"Of course, Mr. Douglas—if I can answer."
"Mike, what's your opinion of Earth girls?"
"Wow!"
The baby-like face of the visitor from Mars suddenly showed ecstasy, and then flushed.The camera pans back to Douglas' upper body. "Mike asked me to tell everyone," his voice was still paternal, earnest, "he will see you again as soon as possible, maybe next week, but the doctor's permission is required. You know, his muscles need to be strengthened." Then , TV began to broadcast the "Daughter Pill" advertisement again, and it ended with a short play: a girl became pregnant because she didn't take the "Daughter Pill", became mentally disturbed, and became an ugly monster, which was avoided by men in the past.Ben changed the channel, looked sad, and sighed. "Alas, Douglas has total control over The Man from Mars. I just tore up the column I just wrote."
"Book!"
"Ok?"
"That's not a visitor from the fire house!"
"What? Are you sure, baby?"
"Of course I dare. It looks a bit like it, but it's definitely not the one I saw in the guarded ward!"
Ben pointed out that there were at least a few dozen people who met Smith: guards, doctors, paramedics, the captain and all the expedition members, and maybe others.Among them, some of them must have watched the news program broadcast just now, and the fact that the Martian visitor was transferred will definitely be exposed-this situation can be fully estimated by the authorities, and it is unlikely to do so.After all, it is too risky to change the package plan.
Jill just pouted and insisted that the patient on TV was fake, not the one she had seen.Ben still didn't believe it.Finally, Jill got angry and yelled, "Come on, think what you like!"
"Okay, Jill..."
"send me home!"
Ben rented a car.He didn't dare to rent one next to the restaurant, but walked a few more steps and picked one at random on the tarmac of a distant hotel.On the way back, Jill's face was cold and icy.Ben took out the drafts of the recordings, looked at them for a while, and thought about them for a while. "Jill?"
"What is it, Mr. Ben Caxton?"
"Well, I ended up being 'sir.' I was wrong! I apologize."
"What made you figure it out?"
Ben slapped the transcript into the palm of his hand. "Here. There's no way the Smith who talked and behaved like yesterday could never be the way he is on tonight's show. He'll flip the switch off... and go into that coma."
"Thank you for discovering such an obvious fact."
"Jill, would you please just kick me and leave this shit behind? You know what that means?"
"It means they got an actor, what else! I told you about it an hour ago."
"That's right, the actor, and a good actor at that, perfectly fit to the prototype, and well-trained. But it's more than that. I guess there are two possibilities: one, Smith is dead; two—"
"Death!" Jill couldn't believe her ears.The strange and solemn appearance of the visitor from Mars immediately appeared in front of her eyes, and she once again felt that weird, gentle, otherworldly personality.Unbearable pain suddenly came to my heart.
"It's possible. If it were, the play would go on for as long as the authorities needed it, and the impostor would continue to 'live' and not 'die' until his part was over. Then, he would be fooled Go somewhere in the middle of nowhere and give him a big shot of sleeping pills. Or hypnotize him so that he'll have asthma if he wants to tell the truth. Or cut off his white matter. But if Smith does die , we have to pull back because we will never be able to verify what we know to be true. This is a dead end, so let's just assume that Smith is still alive."
"Well, I wish he was alive!"
"" Ben Caxton paraphrased, "if he's alive, there's probably no conspiracy involved. Public figures often use doubles. In two or three weeks, our friend Smith may be ready to deal with the public. The pressure of showing up. They're going to make his grand debut until then. It's possible -- but I really doubt it's possible."
"why?"
"Use your brains. Douglas tried and failed to trick Smith into signing a proclamation renouncing sovereignty over Mars. And he couldn't afford to fail. So I think he's going to bury Smith deeper than ever Much more... We fear we will never see a real visitor from Mars."
"Kill him?" Jill said slowly.
"Does it need to be violent? Find a secret custody room and lock him in it with a lock. He will not learn anything about the earth and human beings."
"Oh my God! What are we going to do, Ben? Something has to be done."
Ben frowned, and said: "The ball and the racket belong to others, and the rules are also made by them. How do you say this game is played? However, I plan to find a notary and a powerful lawyer to break in with me. Strongly demand to see Smith. Maybe I can bring the conspiracy to light."
"I'll go with you!"
"Damn it. You said it yourself, it's going to ruin your career."
"With me here, I can help you distinguish between real and fake visitors from Mars!"
"Just face to face, who is a visitor from Mars and who is an actor, who was raised by humans and who is not, I will definitely be able to tell. If there is a change, you are the secret trump card in my hand: the one who knows their tricks, the one who can break in Inside Bethesda Ambulance. Baby, if you don't hear from me, you'll have to do it yourself."
"Ben, they're not going to hurt you, are they?"
"Don't worry, I'm not fighting them alone."
"Ben, I don't like this. Look, what if you manage to meet the visitor from Mars?"
"I will ask him if he wants to leave the hospital. If he says yes, I will let him go with me. With the presence of a notary, forgive them for not daring to do anything to me?"
"Well... what then? He needs care, Ben, and he's not capable of taking care of himself."
Ben's brow furrowed again. "I'm thinking about that too. I can't nurse him, but if we take him back to my apartment—"
"—then I'll nurse. We'll do it together, Ben!"
"Don't worry. Douglas will come up with other tricks, not only to catch Michael back, but even lock us up together." Ben raised his brows, "I know someone, he will find a way."
"Who?"
"Jubbal Harshaw, have you heard the name?"
"Him? Who hasn't heard of it?"
"He has three advantages: first of all, his popularity. A well-known celebrity who everyone knows, who would dare to attack him? Second, he is a doctor and a lawyer. It is natural to attack someone like him. It is doubly difficult. Finally, and most importantly, Jubal is a desperate man and an individualist through and through. As long as he thinks it is reasonable, he dares to fight with the entire Federation, even with a knife. To subdue this I know him in a treason court, and he is a reliable friend. If I can get Smith out of Bethesda Ambulance, I will send him immediately Go to Jubal's place in the Poconos. Let those guys go there! With Jubal's combative spirit and my column, we'll give the authorities a taste of it."
Notes: In it, she is Priam's wife and Hector's mother.
Notes: In it, she is Priam's wife and Hector's mother.