D’Courtney’s face was blanched and staring. Finally he whispered: “Yes. You asked… I accepted.”

“You what?”

“Accepted. Waiting for years. Accepted.”

“Accepted!”

D’Courtney nodded. His lips formed the letters: “WWHG.”

“What? WWHG? Acceptance?”

The old man nodded again.

Reich shrieked with laughter. “You clumsy old liar. That’s refusal. Denial. Rejection. War.”

“No, Ben. No…”

Reich reached down and yanked D’Courtney to his feet. The old man was frail and light, but his weight burned Reich’s arm, and the touch of the old skin burned Reich’s fingers.

“So it’s to be war, is it? Death?”

D’Courtney shook his head and tried to make signs.

“No merger. No peace. Death. That’s the choice, eh?”

“Ben… No.”

“Will you surrender?”

“Yes,” D’Courtney whispered. “Yes, Ben. Yes.”

“Liar. Clumsy old liar.” Reich laughed. “But you’re dangerous. I can see it. Protective mimicry. That’s your trick. You imitate the idiots and trap us at your leisure. But not me. Never.”

“I’m not… your enemy, Ben.”

“No,” Reich spat. “You’re not because you’re dead. You’ve been dead ever since I came into this orchid coffin. Man With No Face! Can you hear me screaming for the last time? You’re finished forever!”

Reich tore the gun out of his breast pocket. He touched the stud and it opened like a red steel flower. A faint groan escaped from D’Courtney when he saw the weapon. He backed away in horror. Reich caught him and held him fast. D’Courtney twisted in Reich’s grasp, his face pleading his eyes glazed and rheumy. Reich transferred his grasp to the back of D’Courtney’s thin neck and wrenched the head toward him. He had to fire through the open mouth for the trick to work.

At that instant, one of the orchid petals swung open, and a half-dressed girl burst into the room. In a blaze of surprise, Reich saw the corridor behind her, a bedroom door standing open at the far end; the girl, nude under a frost silk gown hastily thrown on, yellow hair flying, dark eyes wide in alarm… A lightning flash of wild beauty.

“Father!” she screamed. “For God’s sake! Father!”

She ran toward D’Courtney. Reich swung quickly between them, never relaxing his hold on the old man. The girl stopped short, backed away, then darted to the left around Reich screaming. Reich pivoted and cut viciously at her with the stiletto. She eluded him but was driven back on the couch. Reich thrust the point of the stiletto between the old man’s teeth and forced his jaws open.

“No!” she cried. “No! For the love of Christ! Father!”

She stumbled around the couch and ran toward her father again. Reich thrust the gun muzzle into D’Courtney’s mouth and pulled the trigger. There was a muffled explosion and a gout of blood spurted from the back of D’Courtney’s head. Reich let the body drop and leaped for the girl. He caught her while she fought and screamed.

Reich and the girl were screaming together. Reich shook with galvanic spasms that forced him to release the girl. The girl fell forward to her knees and crawled to the body. She moaned in pain as she snatched the gun from the mouth where it still hung. Then she crouched over the twitching body, silent, fixed, staring into the waxen face.