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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b8131ed --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51321 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51321) diff --git a/old/51321-h.zip b/old/51321-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index aed1647..0000000 --- a/old/51321-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/51321-h/51321-h.htm b/old/51321-h/51321-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index e921186..0000000 --- a/old/51321-h/51321-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1215 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Prime Difference, by Alan E. 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Nourse - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Prime Difference - -Author: Alan E. Nourse - -Release Date: February 28, 2016 [EBook #51321] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRIME DIFFERENCE *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="368" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> -<h1>PRIME DIFFERENCE</h1> - -<p>By ALAN E. NOURSE</p> - -<p>Illustrated by SCHOENHEER</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Galaxy Science Fiction June 1957.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3"><i>Being two men rolled out of one would solve<br /> -my problems—but which one would I be?</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he -gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.</p> - -<p>Understand now—I've got nothing against marriage or any thing -like that. Marriage is great. It's a good old red-blooded American -Institution. Except that it's got one defect in it big enough to throw -a cat through, especially when you happen to be married to a woman -like Marge—</p> - -<p>It's so <i>permanent</i>.</p> - -<p>Oh, I'd have divorced Marge in a minute if we'd been living in the -Blissful 'Fifties—but with the Family Solidarity Amendment of 1968, -and all the divorce taxes we have these days since the women got -their teeth into politics, to say nothing of the Aggrieved Spouse -Compensation Act, I'd have been a pauper for the rest of my life if -I'd tried it. That's aside from the social repercussions involved.</p> - -<p>You can't really blame me for looking for another way out. But a man -has to be desperate to try to buy himself an Ego Prime.</p> - -<p>So, all right, I was desperate. I'd spent eight years trying to keep -Marge happy, which was exactly seven and a half years too long.</p> - -<p>Marge was a dream to look at, with her tawny hair and her sulky eyes -and a shape that could set your teeth chattering—but that was where -the dream stopped.</p> - -<p>She had a tongue like a #10 wood rasp and a list of grievances long -enough to paper the bedroom wall. When she wasn't complaining, she was -crying, and when she wasn't crying, she was pointing out in chilling -detail exactly where George Faircloth fell short as a model husband, -which happened to be everywhere. Half of the time she had a "beastly -headache" (for which I was personally responsible) and the other half -she was sore about something, so ninety-nine per cent of the time we -got along like a couple of tomcats in a packing case.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Maybe we just weren't meant for each other. I don't know. I used to -envy guys like Harry Folsom at the office. His wife is no joy to live -with either, but at least he could take a spin down to Rio once in a -while with one of the stenographers and get away with it.</p> - -<p>I knew better than to try. Marge was already so jealous that I couldn't -even smile at the company receptionist without a twinge of guilt. Give -Marge something real to howl about, and I'd be ready for the Rehab -Center in a week.</p> - -<p>But I'd underestimated Marge. She didn't need anything real, as I found -out when Jeree came along.</p> - -<p>Business was booming and the secretaries at the office got shuffled -around from time to time. Since I had an executive-type job, I got an -executive-type secretary. Her name was Jeree and she was gorgeous. As -a matter of fact, she was better than gorgeous. She was the sort of -secretary every businessman ought to have in his office. Not to do any -work—just to sit there.</p> - -<p>Jeree was tall and dark, and she could convey more without saying -anything than I ever dreamed was possible. The first day she was -there, she conveyed to me very clearly that if I cared to supply the -opportunity, she'd be glad to supply the motive.</p> - -<p>That night, I could tell that Marge had been thinking something over -during the day. She let me get the first bite of dinner halfway to my -mouth, and then she said, "I hear you got a new secretary today."</p> - -<p>I muttered something into my coffee cup and pretended not to hear.</p> - -<p>Marge turned on her Accusing Look #7. "I also hear that she's -five-foot-eight and tapes out at 38-25-36 and thinks you're handsome."</p> - -<p>Marge had quite a spy system.</p> - -<p>"She couldn't be much of a secretary," she added.</p> - -<p>"She's a perfectly good secretary," I blurted, and kicked myself -mentally. I should have known Marge's traps by then.</p> - -<p>Marge exploded. I didn't get any supper, and she was still going strong -at midnight. I tried to argue, but when Marge got going, there was no -stopping her. I had my ultimatum, as far as Jeree was concerned.</p> - -<p>Harry Folsom administered the <i>coup de grace</i> at coffee next morning. -"What you need is an Ego Prime," he said with a grin. "Solve all your -problems. I hear they work like a charm."</p> - -<p>I set my coffee cup down. Bells were ringing in my ears. "Don't be -ridiculous. It's against the law. Anyway, I wouldn't think of such a -thing. It's—it's indecent."</p> - -<p>Harry shrugged. "Just joking, old man, just joking. Still, it's fun to -think about, eh? Freedom from wife. Absolutely safe and harmless. Not -even too expensive, if you've got the right contacts. And I've got a -friend who knows a guy—"</p> - -<p>Just then, Jeree walked past us and flashed me a big smile. I gripped -my cup for dear life and still spilled coffee on my tie.</p> - -<p>As I said, a guy gets fed up.</p> - -<p>And maybe opportunity would only knock once.</p> - -<p>And an Ego Prime would solve all my problems, as Harry had told me.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was completely illegal, of course. The wonder was that Ego Prime, -Inc., ever got to put their product on the market at all, once the -nation's housewives got wind of just what their product was.</p> - -<p>From the first, there was rigid Federal control and laws regulating the -use of Primes right down to the local level. You could get a license -for a Utility model Prime if you were a big business executive, or a -high public official, or a movie star, or something like that; but even -then his circuits had to be inspected every two months, and he had to -have a thousand built-in Paralyzers, and you had to specify in advance -exactly what you wanted your Prime to be able to do when, where, how, -why, and under what circumstances.</p> - -<p>The law didn't leave a man much leeway.</p> - -<p>But everybody knew that if you <i>really</i> wanted a personal Prime with -all his circuits open and no questions asked, you could get one. Black -market prices were steep and you ran your own risk, but it could be -done.</p> - -<p>Harry Folsom told his friend who knew a guy, and a few greenbacks got -lost somewhere, and I found myself looking at a greasy little man with -a black mustache and a bald spot, up in a dingy fourth-story warehouse -off lower Broadway.</p> - -<p>"Ah, yes," the little man said. "Mr. Faircloth. We've been expecting -you."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>I didn't like the looks of the guy any more than the looks of the -place. "I've been told you can supply me with a—"</p> - -<p>He coughed. "Yes, yes. I understand. It might be possible." He fingered -his mustache and regarded me from pouchy eyes. "Busy executives often -come to us to avoid the—ah—unpleasantness of formal arrangements. -Naturally, we only act as agents, you might say. We never see the -merchandise ourselves—" He wiped his hands on his trousers. "Now were -you interested in the ordinary Utility model, Mr. Faircloth?"</p> - -<p>I assumed he was just being polite. You didn't come to the back door -for Utility models.</p> - -<p>"Or perhaps you'd require one of our Deluxe models. Very careful -workmanship. Only a few key Paralyzers in operation and practically -complete circuit duplication. Very useful for—ah—close contact work, -you know. Social engagements, conferences—"</p> - -<p>I was shaking my head. "I want a <i>Super</i> Deluxe model," I told him.</p> - -<p>He grinned and winked. "Ah, indeed! You want perfect duplication. -Yes, indeed. Domestic situations can be—awkward, shall we say. Very -awkward—"</p> - -<p>I gave him a cold stare. I couldn't see where my domestic problems were -any affairs of his. He got the idea and hurried me back to a storeroom.</p> - -<p>"We keep a few blanks here for the basic measurement. You'll go to our -laboratory on 14th Street to have the minute impressions taken. But I -can assure you you'll be delighted, simply delighted."</p> - -<p>The blanks weren't very impressive—clay and putty and steel, faceless, -brainless. He went over me like a tailor, checking measurements of all -sorts. He was thorough—embarrassingly thorough, in fact—but finally -he was finished. I went on to the laboratory.</p> - -<p>And that was all there was to it.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Practical androids had been a pipe dream until Hunyadi invented the -Neuro-pantograph. Hunyadi had no idea in the world what to do with it -once he'd invented it, but a couple of enterprising engineers bought -him body and soul, sub-contracted the problems of anatomy, design, -artistry, audio and visio circuitry, and so forth, and ended up with -the modern Ego Primes we have today.</p> - -<p>I spent a busy two hours under the NP microprobes; the artists worked -outside while the NP technicians worked inside. I came out of it pretty -woozy, but a shot of Happy-O set that straight. Then I waited in the -recovery room for another two hours, dreaming up ways to use my Prime -when I got him. Finally the door opened and the head technician walked -in, followed by a tall, sandy-haired man with worried blue eyes and a -tired look on his face.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="372" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Meet George Faircloth Prime," the technician said, grinning at me like -a nursing mother.</p> - -<p>I shook hands with myself. Good firm handshake, I thought admiringly. -Nothing flabby about it.</p> - -<p>I slapped George Prime on the shoulder happily. "Come on, Brother," I -said. "You've got a job to do."</p> - -<p>But, secretly, I was wondering what Jeree was doing that night.</p> - -<p>George Prime had remote controls, as well as a completely recorded -neurological analogue of his boss, who was me. George Prime thought -what I thought about the same things I did in the same way I did. The -only difference was that what I told George Prime to do, George Prime -did.</p> - -<p>If I told him to go to a business conference in San Francisco and make -the smallest possible concessions for the largest possible orders, -he would go there and do precisely that. His signature would be my -signature. It would hold up in court.</p> - -<p>And if I told him that my wife Marge was really a sweet, good-hearted -girl and that he was to stay home and keep her quiet and happy any time -I chose, he'd do that, too.</p> - -<p>George Prime was a duplicate of me right down to the sandy hairs on -the back of my hands. Our fingerprints were the same. We had the same -mannerisms and used the same figures of speech. The only physical -difference apparent even to an expert was the tiny finger-depression -buried in the hair above his ear. A little pressure there would stop -George Prime dead in his tracks.</p> - -<p>He was so lifelike, even I kept forgetting that he was basically just a -pile of gears.</p> - -<p>I'd planned very carefully how I meant to use him, of course.</p> - -<p>Every man who's been married eight years has a sanctuary. He builds it -up and maintains it against assault in the very teeth of his wife's -natural instinct to clean, poke, pry and rearrange things. Sometimes -it takes him years of diligent work to establish his hideout and be -confident that it will stay inviolate, but if he starts early enough, -and sticks with it long enough, and is fierce enough and persistent -enough and crafty enough, he'll probably win in the end. The girls hate -him for it, but he'll win.</p> - -<p>With some men, it's just a box on their dressers, or a desk, or a -corner of an unused back room. But I had set my sights high early in -the game. With me, it was the whole workshop in the garage.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>At first, Marge tried open warfare. She had to clean the place up, she -said. I told her I didn't <i>want</i> her to clean it up. She could clean -the whole house as often as she chose, but <i>I</i> would clean up the -workshop.</p> - -<p>After a couple of sharp engagements on that field, Marge staged a -strategic withdrawal and reorganized her attack. A little pile of wood -shavings would be on the workshop floor one night and be gone the next. -A wrench would be back on the rack—upside down, of course. An open -paint can would have a cover on it.</p> - -<p>I always knew. I screamed loudly and bitterly. I ranted and raved. I -swore I'd rig up a booby-trap with a shotgun.</p> - -<p>So she quit trying to clean in there and just went in once in a while -to take a look around. I fixed that with the old toothpick-in-the-door -routine. Every time she so much as set foot in that workshop, she had a -battle on her hands for the next week or so. She could count on it. It -was that predictable.</p> - -<p>She never found out how I knew, and after seven years or so, it wore -her down. She didn't go into the workshop any more.</p> - -<p>As I said, you've got to be persistent, but you'll win.</p> - -<p>Eventually.</p> - -<p>If you're <i>really</i> persistent.</p> - -<p>Now all my effort paid off. I got Marge out of the house for an hour -or two that day and had George Prime delivered and stored in the big -closet in the workshop. They hooked his controls up and left me a -manual of instructions for running him. When I got home that night, -there he was, just waiting to be put to work.</p> - -<p>After supper, I went out to the workshop—to get the pipe I'd left -there, I said. I pushed George Prime's button, winked at him and -switched on the free-behavior circuits.</p> - -<p>"Go to it, Brother," I said.</p> - -<p>George Prime put my pipe in his mouth, lit it and walked back into the -house.</p> - -<p>Five minutes later, I heard them fighting.</p> - -<p>It sounded so familiar that I laughed out loud. Then I caught a cab on -the corner and headed uptown.</p> - -<p>We had quite a night, Jeree and I. I got home just about time to start -for work, and sure enough, there was George Prime starting my car, -business suit on, briefcase under his arm.</p> - -<p>I pushed the recall and George Prime got out of the car and walked into -the workshop. He stepped into his cradle in the closet. I turned him -off and then drove away in the car.</p> - -<p>Bless his metallic soul, he'd even kissed Marge good-by for me!</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Needless to say, the affairs of George Faircloth took on a new sparkle -with George Prime on hand to cover the home front.</p> - -<p>For the first week, I was hardly home at all. I must say I felt a -little guilty, leaving poor old George Prime to cope with Marge all -the time—he looked and acted so human, it was easy to forget that -he literally couldn't care less. But I felt apologetic all the same -whenever I took him out of his closet.</p> - -<p>"She's really a sweet girl underneath it all," I'd say. "You'll learn -to like her after a bit."</p> - -<p>"Of course I like her," George Prime said. "You told me to, didn't you? -Stop worrying. She's really a sweet girl underneath it all."</p> - -<p>He sounded convincing enough, but still it bothered me. "You're sure -you understand the exchange mechanism?" I asked. I didn't want any -foul-ups there, as you can imagine.</p> - -<p>"Perfectly," said George Prime. "When you buzz the recall, I wait for -the first logical opportunity I can find to come out to the workshop, -and you take over."</p> - -<p>"But you might get nervous. You might inadvertently tip her off."</p> - -<p>George Prime looked pained. "Really, old man! I'm a Super Deluxe model, -remember? I don't have fourteen activated Hunyadi tubes up in this -cranial vault of mine just for nothing. You're the one that's nervous. -I'll take care of everything. Relax."</p> - -<p>So I did.</p> - -<p>Jeree made good all her tacit promises and then some. She had a very -cozy little apartment on 34th Street where we went to relax after -a hard day at the office. When we weren't doing the town, that is. -As long as Jeree didn't try too much conversation, everything was -wonderful.</p> - -<p>And then, when Jeree got a little boring, there was Sybil in the -accounting department. Or Dorothy in promotion. Or Jane. Or Ingrid.</p> - -<p>I could go on at some length, but I won't. I was building quite a -reputation for myself around the office.</p> - -<p>Of course, it was like buying your first 3-V set. In a week or so, the -novelty wears off a little and you start eating on schedule again. It -took a little while, but I finally had things down to a reasonable -program.</p> - -<p>Tuesday and Thursday nights, I was informally "out" while formally -"in." Sometimes I took Sunday nights "out" if things got too sticky -around the house over the weekend. The rest of the time, George Prime -cooled his heels in his closet. Locked up, of course. Can't completely -trust a wife to observe a taboo, no matter how well trained she is.</p> - -<p>There, was an irreconcilable amount of risk. George Prime had to -quick-step some questions about my work at the office—there was no -way to supply him with current data until the time for his regular -two-month refill and pattern-accommodation at the laboratory. In the -meantime, George Prime had to make do with what he had.</p> - -<p>But as he himself pointed out he was a Super Deluxe model.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Marge didn't suspect a thing. In fact, George Prime seemed to be having -a remarkable effect on her. I didn't notice anything at first—I was -hardly ever home. But one night I found my pipe and slippers laid out -for me, and the evening paper neatly folded on my chair, and it brought -me up short. Marge had been extremely docile lately. We hadn't had a -good fight in days. Weeks, come to think of it.</p> - -<p>I thought it over and shrugged. Old age, I figured. She was bound to -mellow sometime.</p> - -<p>But pretty soon I began to wonder if she wasn't mellowing a little too -much.</p> - -<p>One night when I got home, she kissed me almost as though she really -meant it. There wasn't an unpleasant word all through dinner, which -happened to be steak with mushrooms, served in the dining room (!) by -candlelight (!!) with dinner music that Marge could never bear, chiefly -because I liked it.</p> - -<p>We sat over coffee and cigarettes, and it seemed almost like old -times. <i>Very</i> old times, in fact I even caught myself looking at Marge -again—really <i>looking</i> at her, watching the light catch in her hair, -almost admiring the sparkle in her brown eyes. Sparkle, I said, not -glint.</p> - -<p>As I mentioned before, Marge was always easy to look at. That night, -she was practically ravishing.</p> - -<p>"What are you doing to her?" I asked George Prime later, out in the -workshop.</p> - -<p>"Why, nothing," said George Prime, looking innocent. He couldn't fool -me with his look, though, because it was exactly the look I use when -I'm guilty and pretending to be innocent.</p> - -<p>"There must be <i>something</i>."</p> - -<p>George Prime shrugged. "Any woman will warm up if you spend enough time -telling her all the things she wants to hear and pay all the attention -to her that she wants paid to her. That's elemental psychology. I can -give you page references."</p> - -<p>I ought to mention that George Prime had a complete set of basic texts -run into his circuits, at a slightly additional charge. Never can tell -when an odd bit of information will come in useful.</p> - -<p>"Well, you must be doing quite a job," I said. <i>I'd</i> never managed to -warm Marge up much.</p> - -<p>"I try," said George Prime.</p> - -<p>"Oh, I'm not complaining," I hastened to add, forgetting that a Prime's -feelings can't be hurt and that he was only acting like me because it -was in character. "I was just curious."</p> - -<p>"Of course, George."</p> - -<p>"I'm really delighted that you're doing so well."</p> - -<p>"Thank you, George."</p> - -<p>But the next night when I was with Dawn, who happens to be a gorgeous -redhead who could put Marge to shame on practically any field of battle -except maybe brains, I kept thinking about Marge all evening long, and -wondering if things weren't getting just a little out of hand.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The next evening I almost tripped over George Prime coming out of a -liquor store. I ducked quickly into an alley and flagged him. "<i>What -are you doing out on the street?</i>"</p> - -<p>He gave me my martyred look. "Just buying some bourbon. You were out."</p> - -<p>"But you're not supposed to be off the premises—"</p> - -<p>"Marge asked me to come. I couldn't tell her I was sorry, but her -husband wouldn't let me, could I?"</p> - -<p>"Well, certainly not—"</p> - -<p>"You want me to keep her happy, don't you? You don't want her to get -suspicious."</p> - -<p>"No, but suppose somebody saw us together! If she ever got a hint—"</p> - -<p>"I'm sorry," George Prime said contritely. "It seemed the right thing -to do. <i>You</i> would have done it. At least that's what my judgment -center maintained. We had quite an argument."</p> - -<p>"Well, tell your judgment center to use a little sense," I snapped. "I -don't want it to happen again."</p> - -<p>The next night, I stayed home, even though it was Tuesday night. I was -beginning to get worried. Of course, I did have complete control—I -could snap George Prime off any time I wanted, or even take him in for -a complete recircuiting—but it seemed a pity. He was doing such a nice -job.</p> - -<p>Marge was docile as a kitten, even more so than before. She sympathized -with my hard day at the office and agreed heartily that the boss, -despite all appearances, was in reality a jabbering idiot. After -dinner, I suggested a movie, but Marge gave me an odd sort of look and -said she thought it would be much nicer to spend the evening at home by -the fire.</p> - -<p>I'd just gotten settled with the paper when she came into the living -room and sat down beside me. She was wearing some sort of filmy affair -I'd never laid eyes on before, and I caught a whiff of my favorite -perfume.</p> - -<p>"Georgie?" she said.</p> - -<p>"Uh?"</p> - -<p>"Do you still love me?"</p> - -<p>I set the paper down and stared at her. "How's that? Of course I -still—"</p> - -<p>"Well, sometimes you don't act much like it."</p> - -<p>"Mm. I guess I've—uh—got an awful headache tonight." Damn that -perfume!</p> - -<p>"Oh," said Marge.</p> - -<p>"In fact, I thought I'd turn in early and get some sleep—"</p> - -<p>"Sleep," said Marge. There was no mistaking the disappointment in her -voice. Now I knew that things were out of hand.</p> - -<p>The next evening, I activated George Prime and caught the taxi at the -corner, but I called Ruby and broke my date with her. I took in an -early movie alone and was back by ten o'clock. I left the cab at the -corner and walked quietly up the path toward the garage.</p> - -<p>Then I stopped. I could see Marge and George Prime through the living -room windows.</p> - -<p>George Prime was kissing my wife the way I hadn't kissed her in eight -long years. It made my hair stand on end. And Marge wasn't exactly -fighting him off, either. She was coming back for more. After a little, -the lights went off.</p> - -<p>George Prime was a Super Deluxe model, all right.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>I dashed into the workshop and punched the recall button as hard as I -could, swearing under my breath. How long had this been going on? I -punched the button again, viciously, and waited.</p> - -<p>George Prime didn't come out.</p> - -<p>It was plenty cold out in the workshop that night and I didn't sleep -a wink. About dawn, out came George Prime, looking like a man with a -four-day hangover.</p> - -<p>Our conversation got down to fundamentals. George Prime kept insisting -blandly that, according to my own directions, he was to pick the first -logical opportunity to come out when I buzzed, and that was exactly -what he'd done.</p> - -<p>I was furious all the way to work. I'd take care of this nonsense, all -right. I'd have George Prime rewired from top to bottom as soon as the -laboratory could take him.</p> - -<p>But I never phoned the laboratory. The bank was calling me when I got -to the office. They wanted to know what I planned to do about that -check of mine that had just bounced.</p> - -<p>"What check?" I asked.</p> - -<p>"The one you wrote to cash yesterday—five hundred dollars—against -your regular account, Mr. Faircloth."</p> - -<p>The last I'd looked, I'd had about three thousand dollars in that -account. I told the man so rather bluntly.</p> - -<p>"Oh, no, sir. That is, you <i>did</i> until last week. But all these checks -you've been cashing have emptied the account."</p> - -<p>He flashed the checks on the desk screen. My signature was on every one -of them.</p> - -<p>"What about my special account?" I'd learned long before that an -account Marge didn't know about was sound rear-guard strategy.</p> - -<p>"That's been closed out for two weeks."</p> - -<p>I hadn't written a check against that account for over a year! I glared -at the ceiling and tried to think things through.</p> - -<p>I came up with a horrible thought.</p> - -<p>Marge had always had her heart set on a trip to Bermuda. Just to get -away from it all, she'd say. A second honeymoon.</p> - -<p>I got a list of travel agencies from the business directory and started -down them. The third one I tried had a pleasant tenor voice. "No, sir, -not <i>Mrs.</i> Faircloth. <i>You</i> bought two tickets. One way. Champagne -flight to Bermuda."</p> - -<p>"When?" I choked out.</p> - -<p>"Why, today, as a matter of fact. It leaves Idlewild at eleven -o'clock—"</p> - -<p>I let him worry about my amnesia and started home fast. I didn't know -what they'd given that Prime for circuits, but there was no question -now that he was out of control—<i>way</i> out of control. And poor Marge, -all worked up for a second honeymoon—</p> - -<p>Then it struck me. Poor Marge? Poor sucker George! No Prime in his -right circuits would behave this way without some human guidance and -that meant only one thing: Marge had spotted him. It had happened -before. Couple of nasty court battles I'd read about. And she'd known -all about George Prime.</p> - -<p><i>For how long?</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When I got home, the house was empty. George Prime wasn't in his -closet. And Marge wasn't in the house.</p> - -<p>They were gone.</p> - -<p>I started to call the police, but caught myself just in time. I -couldn't very well complain to the cops that my wife had run off with -an android.</p> - -<p>Worse yet, I could get twenty years for having an illegal Prime -wandering around.</p> - -<p>I sat down and poured myself a stiff drink.</p> - -<p>My own wife deserting me for a pile of bearings.</p> - -<p>It was indecent.</p> - -<p>Then I heard the front door open and there was Marge, her arms full of -grocery bundles. "Why, darling! You're home early!"</p> - -<p>I just blinked for a moment. Then I said, "You're still here!"</p> - -<p>"Of course. Where did you think I'd be?"</p> - -<p>"But I thought—I mean the ticket office—"</p> - -<p>She set down the bundles and kissed me and looked up into my eyes, -almost smiling, half reproachful. "You didn't really think I'd go -running off with something out of a lab, did you?"</p> - -<p>"Then—you knew?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly I knew, silly. You didn't do a very good job of instructing -him, either. You gave him far too much latitude. Let him have ideas of -his own and all that. And next thing I knew, he was trying to get me to -run off with him to Hawaii or someplace."</p> - -<p>"Bermuda," I said.</p> - -<p>And then Marge was in my arms, kissing me and snuggling her cheek -against my chest.</p> - -<p>"Even though he looked like you, I knew he couldn't be," she said. "He -was like you, but he wasn't <i>you</i>, darling. And all I ever want is you. -I just never appreciated you before...."</p> - -<p>I held her close and tried to keep my hands from shaking. George -Faircloth, Idiot, I thought. She'd never been more beautiful. "But what -did you do with him?"</p> - -<p>"I sent him back to the factory, naturally. They said they could blot -him out and use him over again. But let's not talk about that any more. -We've got more interesting things to discuss."</p> - -<p>Maybe we had, but we didn't waste a lot of time talking. It was the -Marge I'd once known and I was beginning to wonder how I could have -been so wrong about her. In fact unless my memory was getting awfully -porous, the old Marge was <i>never</i> like this—</p> - -<p>I kissed her tenderly and ran my hands through her hair, and felt -the depression with my fore-finger, and then I knew what had really -happened.</p> - -<p>That Marge always had been a sly one.</p> - -<p>I wondered how she was liking things in Bermuda.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Marge probably thought she'd really put me where I belonged, but the -laugh was on her, after all.</p> - -<p>As I said, the old Marge was never like the new one. Marge Prime makes -Jeree and Sybil and Dorothy and Dawn and Jane and Ruby all look pretty -sad by comparison.</p> - -<p>She cooks like a dream and she always brings me my pipe and slippers. -As they say, there's nothing a man likes more than to be appreciated.</p> - -<p>A hundred per cent appreciated, with a factory guarantee to correct any -slippage, which would only be temporary, anyhow.</p> - -<p>One of these days, we'll take that second honeymoon. But I think we'll -go to Hawaii.</p> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Prime Difference, by Alan E. 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Nourse - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Prime Difference - -Author: Alan E. Nourse - -Release Date: February 28, 2016 [EBook #51321] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRIME DIFFERENCE *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - PRIME DIFFERENCE - - By ALAN E. NOURSE - - Illustrated by SCHOENHEER - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Galaxy Science Fiction June 1957. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - - Being two men rolled out of one would solve - my problems--but which one would I be? - - -I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he -gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife. - -Understand now--I've got nothing against marriage or any thing -like that. Marriage is great. It's a good old red-blooded American -Institution. Except that it's got one defect in it big enough to throw -a cat through, especially when you happen to be married to a woman -like Marge-- - -It's so _permanent_. - -Oh, I'd have divorced Marge in a minute if we'd been living in the -Blissful 'Fifties--but with the Family Solidarity Amendment of 1968, -and all the divorce taxes we have these days since the women got -their teeth into politics, to say nothing of the Aggrieved Spouse -Compensation Act, I'd have been a pauper for the rest of my life if -I'd tried it. That's aside from the social repercussions involved. - -You can't really blame me for looking for another way out. But a man -has to be desperate to try to buy himself an Ego Prime. - -So, all right, I was desperate. I'd spent eight years trying to keep -Marge happy, which was exactly seven and a half years too long. - -Marge was a dream to look at, with her tawny hair and her sulky eyes -and a shape that could set your teeth chattering--but that was where -the dream stopped. - -She had a tongue like a #10 wood rasp and a list of grievances long -enough to paper the bedroom wall. When she wasn't complaining, she was -crying, and when she wasn't crying, she was pointing out in chilling -detail exactly where George Faircloth fell short as a model husband, -which happened to be everywhere. Half of the time she had a "beastly -headache" (for which I was personally responsible) and the other half -she was sore about something, so ninety-nine per cent of the time we -got along like a couple of tomcats in a packing case. - - * * * * * - -Maybe we just weren't meant for each other. I don't know. I used to -envy guys like Harry Folsom at the office. His wife is no joy to live -with either, but at least he could take a spin down to Rio once in a -while with one of the stenographers and get away with it. - -I knew better than to try. Marge was already so jealous that I couldn't -even smile at the company receptionist without a twinge of guilt. Give -Marge something real to howl about, and I'd be ready for the Rehab -Center in a week. - -But I'd underestimated Marge. She didn't need anything real, as I found -out when Jeree came along. - -Business was booming and the secretaries at the office got shuffled -around from time to time. Since I had an executive-type job, I got an -executive-type secretary. Her name was Jeree and she was gorgeous. As -a matter of fact, she was better than gorgeous. She was the sort of -secretary every businessman ought to have in his office. Not to do any -work--just to sit there. - -Jeree was tall and dark, and she could convey more without saying -anything than I ever dreamed was possible. The first day she was -there, she conveyed to me very clearly that if I cared to supply the -opportunity, she'd be glad to supply the motive. - -That night, I could tell that Marge had been thinking something over -during the day. She let me get the first bite of dinner halfway to my -mouth, and then she said, "I hear you got a new secretary today." - -I muttered something into my coffee cup and pretended not to hear. - -Marge turned on her Accusing Look #7. "I also hear that she's -five-foot-eight and tapes out at 38-25-36 and thinks you're handsome." - -Marge had quite a spy system. - -"She couldn't be much of a secretary," she added. - -"She's a perfectly good secretary," I blurted, and kicked myself -mentally. I should have known Marge's traps by then. - -Marge exploded. I didn't get any supper, and she was still going strong -at midnight. I tried to argue, but when Marge got going, there was no -stopping her. I had my ultimatum, as far as Jeree was concerned. - -Harry Folsom administered the _coup de grace_ at coffee next morning. -"What you need is an Ego Prime," he said with a grin. "Solve all your -problems. I hear they work like a charm." - -I set my coffee cup down. Bells were ringing in my ears. "Don't be -ridiculous. It's against the law. Anyway, I wouldn't think of such a -thing. It's--it's indecent." - -Harry shrugged. "Just joking, old man, just joking. Still, it's fun to -think about, eh? Freedom from wife. Absolutely safe and harmless. Not -even too expensive, if you've got the right contacts. And I've got a -friend who knows a guy--" - -Just then, Jeree walked past us and flashed me a big smile. I gripped -my cup for dear life and still spilled coffee on my tie. - -As I said, a guy gets fed up. - -And maybe opportunity would only knock once. - -And an Ego Prime would solve all my problems, as Harry had told me. - - * * * * * - -It was completely illegal, of course. The wonder was that Ego Prime, -Inc., ever got to put their product on the market at all, once the -nation's housewives got wind of just what their product was. - -From the first, there was rigid Federal control and laws regulating the -use of Primes right down to the local level. You could get a license -for a Utility model Prime if you were a big business executive, or a -high public official, or a movie star, or something like that; but even -then his circuits had to be inspected every two months, and he had to -have a thousand built-in Paralyzers, and you had to specify in advance -exactly what you wanted your Prime to be able to do when, where, how, -why, and under what circumstances. - -The law didn't leave a man much leeway. - -But everybody knew that if you _really_ wanted a personal Prime with -all his circuits open and no questions asked, you could get one. Black -market prices were steep and you ran your own risk, but it could be -done. - -Harry Folsom told his friend who knew a guy, and a few greenbacks got -lost somewhere, and I found myself looking at a greasy little man with -a black mustache and a bald spot, up in a dingy fourth-story warehouse -off lower Broadway. - -"Ah, yes," the little man said. "Mr. Faircloth. We've been expecting -you." - - * * * * * - -I didn't like the looks of the guy any more than the looks of the -place. "I've been told you can supply me with a--" - -He coughed. "Yes, yes. I understand. It might be possible." He fingered -his mustache and regarded me from pouchy eyes. "Busy executives often -come to us to avoid the--ah--unpleasantness of formal arrangements. -Naturally, we only act as agents, you might say. We never see the -merchandise ourselves--" He wiped his hands on his trousers. "Now were -you interested in the ordinary Utility model, Mr. Faircloth?" - -I assumed he was just being polite. You didn't come to the back door -for Utility models. - -"Or perhaps you'd require one of our Deluxe models. Very careful -workmanship. Only a few key Paralyzers in operation and practically -complete circuit duplication. Very useful for--ah--close contact work, -you know. Social engagements, conferences--" - -I was shaking my head. "I want a _Super_ Deluxe model," I told him. - -He grinned and winked. "Ah, indeed! You want perfect duplication. -Yes, indeed. Domestic situations can be--awkward, shall we say. Very -awkward--" - -I gave him a cold stare. I couldn't see where my domestic problems were -any affairs of his. He got the idea and hurried me back to a storeroom. - -"We keep a few blanks here for the basic measurement. You'll go to our -laboratory on 14th Street to have the minute impressions taken. But I -can assure you you'll be delighted, simply delighted." - -The blanks weren't very impressive--clay and putty and steel, faceless, -brainless. He went over me like a tailor, checking measurements of all -sorts. He was thorough--embarrassingly thorough, in fact--but finally -he was finished. I went on to the laboratory. - -And that was all there was to it. - - * * * * * - -Practical androids had been a pipe dream until Hunyadi invented the -Neuro-pantograph. Hunyadi had no idea in the world what to do with it -once he'd invented it, but a couple of enterprising engineers bought -him body and soul, sub-contracted the problems of anatomy, design, -artistry, audio and visio circuitry, and so forth, and ended up with -the modern Ego Primes we have today. - -I spent a busy two hours under the NP microprobes; the artists worked -outside while the NP technicians worked inside. I came out of it pretty -woozy, but a shot of Happy-O set that straight. Then I waited in the -recovery room for another two hours, dreaming up ways to use my Prime -when I got him. Finally the door opened and the head technician walked -in, followed by a tall, sandy-haired man with worried blue eyes and a -tired look on his face. - -"Meet George Faircloth Prime," the technician said, grinning at me like -a nursing mother. - -I shook hands with myself. Good firm handshake, I thought admiringly. -Nothing flabby about it. - -I slapped George Prime on the shoulder happily. "Come on, Brother," I -said. "You've got a job to do." - -But, secretly, I was wondering what Jeree was doing that night. - -George Prime had remote controls, as well as a completely recorded -neurological analogue of his boss, who was me. George Prime thought -what I thought about the same things I did in the same way I did. The -only difference was that what I told George Prime to do, George Prime -did. - -If I told him to go to a business conference in San Francisco and make -the smallest possible concessions for the largest possible orders, -he would go there and do precisely that. His signature would be my -signature. It would hold up in court. - -And if I told him that my wife Marge was really a sweet, good-hearted -girl and that he was to stay home and keep her quiet and happy any time -I chose, he'd do that, too. - -George Prime was a duplicate of me right down to the sandy hairs on -the back of my hands. Our fingerprints were the same. We had the same -mannerisms and used the same figures of speech. The only physical -difference apparent even to an expert was the tiny finger-depression -buried in the hair above his ear. A little pressure there would stop -George Prime dead in his tracks. - -He was so lifelike, even I kept forgetting that he was basically just a -pile of gears. - -I'd planned very carefully how I meant to use him, of course. - -Every man who's been married eight years has a sanctuary. He builds it -up and maintains it against assault in the very teeth of his wife's -natural instinct to clean, poke, pry and rearrange things. Sometimes -it takes him years of diligent work to establish his hideout and be -confident that it will stay inviolate, but if he starts early enough, -and sticks with it long enough, and is fierce enough and persistent -enough and crafty enough, he'll probably win in the end. The girls hate -him for it, but he'll win. - -With some men, it's just a box on their dressers, or a desk, or a -corner of an unused back room. But I had set my sights high early in -the game. With me, it was the whole workshop in the garage. - - * * * * * - -At first, Marge tried open warfare. She had to clean the place up, she -said. I told her I didn't _want_ her to clean it up. She could clean -the whole house as often as she chose, but _I_ would clean up the -workshop. - -After a couple of sharp engagements on that field, Marge staged a -strategic withdrawal and reorganized her attack. A little pile of wood -shavings would be on the workshop floor one night and be gone the next. -A wrench would be back on the rack--upside down, of course. An open -paint can would have a cover on it. - -I always knew. I screamed loudly and bitterly. I ranted and raved. I -swore I'd rig up a booby-trap with a shotgun. - -So she quit trying to clean in there and just went in once in a while -to take a look around. I fixed that with the old toothpick-in-the-door -routine. Every time she so much as set foot in that workshop, she had a -battle on her hands for the next week or so. She could count on it. It -was that predictable. - -She never found out how I knew, and after seven years or so, it wore -her down. She didn't go into the workshop any more. - -As I said, you've got to be persistent, but you'll win. - -Eventually. - -If you're _really_ persistent. - -Now all my effort paid off. I got Marge out of the house for an hour -or two that day and had George Prime delivered and stored in the big -closet in the workshop. They hooked his controls up and left me a -manual of instructions for running him. When I got home that night, -there he was, just waiting to be put to work. - -After supper, I went out to the workshop--to get the pipe I'd left -there, I said. I pushed George Prime's button, winked at him and -switched on the free-behavior circuits. - -"Go to it, Brother," I said. - -George Prime put my pipe in his mouth, lit it and walked back into the -house. - -Five minutes later, I heard them fighting. - -It sounded so familiar that I laughed out loud. Then I caught a cab on -the corner and headed uptown. - -We had quite a night, Jeree and I. I got home just about time to start -for work, and sure enough, there was George Prime starting my car, -business suit on, briefcase under his arm. - -I pushed the recall and George Prime got out of the car and walked into -the workshop. He stepped into his cradle in the closet. I turned him -off and then drove away in the car. - -Bless his metallic soul, he'd even kissed Marge good-by for me! - - * * * * * - -Needless to say, the affairs of George Faircloth took on a new sparkle -with George Prime on hand to cover the home front. - -For the first week, I was hardly home at all. I must say I felt a -little guilty, leaving poor old George Prime to cope with Marge all -the time--he looked and acted so human, it was easy to forget that -he literally couldn't care less. But I felt apologetic all the same -whenever I took him out of his closet. - -"She's really a sweet girl underneath it all," I'd say. "You'll learn -to like her after a bit." - -"Of course I like her," George Prime said. "You told me to, didn't you? -Stop worrying. She's really a sweet girl underneath it all." - -He sounded convincing enough, but still it bothered me. "You're sure -you understand the exchange mechanism?" I asked. I didn't want any -foul-ups there, as you can imagine. - -"Perfectly," said George Prime. "When you buzz the recall, I wait for -the first logical opportunity I can find to come out to the workshop, -and you take over." - -"But you might get nervous. You might inadvertently tip her off." - -George Prime looked pained. "Really, old man! I'm a Super Deluxe model, -remember? I don't have fourteen activated Hunyadi tubes up in this -cranial vault of mine just for nothing. You're the one that's nervous. -I'll take care of everything. Relax." - -So I did. - -Jeree made good all her tacit promises and then some. She had a very -cozy little apartment on 34th Street where we went to relax after -a hard day at the office. When we weren't doing the town, that is. -As long as Jeree didn't try too much conversation, everything was -wonderful. - -And then, when Jeree got a little boring, there was Sybil in the -accounting department. Or Dorothy in promotion. Or Jane. Or Ingrid. - -I could go on at some length, but I won't. I was building quite a -reputation for myself around the office. - -Of course, it was like buying your first 3-V set. In a week or so, the -novelty wears off a little and you start eating on schedule again. It -took a little while, but I finally had things down to a reasonable -program. - -Tuesday and Thursday nights, I was informally "out" while formally -"in." Sometimes I took Sunday nights "out" if things got too sticky -around the house over the weekend. The rest of the time, George Prime -cooled his heels in his closet. Locked up, of course. Can't completely -trust a wife to observe a taboo, no matter how well trained she is. - -There, was an irreconcilable amount of risk. George Prime had to -quick-step some questions about my work at the office--there was no -way to supply him with current data until the time for his regular -two-month refill and pattern-accommodation at the laboratory. In the -meantime, George Prime had to make do with what he had. - -But as he himself pointed out he was a Super Deluxe model. - - * * * * * - -Marge didn't suspect a thing. In fact, George Prime seemed to be having -a remarkable effect on her. I didn't notice anything at first--I was -hardly ever home. But one night I found my pipe and slippers laid out -for me, and the evening paper neatly folded on my chair, and it brought -me up short. Marge had been extremely docile lately. We hadn't had a -good fight in days. Weeks, come to think of it. - -I thought it over and shrugged. Old age, I figured. She was bound to -mellow sometime. - -But pretty soon I began to wonder if she wasn't mellowing a little too -much. - -One night when I got home, she kissed me almost as though she really -meant it. There wasn't an unpleasant word all through dinner, which -happened to be steak with mushrooms, served in the dining room (!) by -candlelight (!!) with dinner music that Marge could never bear, chiefly -because I liked it. - -We sat over coffee and cigarettes, and it seemed almost like old -times. _Very_ old times, in fact I even caught myself looking at Marge -again--really _looking_ at her, watching the light catch in her hair, -almost admiring the sparkle in her brown eyes. Sparkle, I said, not -glint. - -As I mentioned before, Marge was always easy to look at. That night, -she was practically ravishing. - -"What are you doing to her?" I asked George Prime later, out in the -workshop. - -"Why, nothing," said George Prime, looking innocent. He couldn't fool -me with his look, though, because it was exactly the look I use when -I'm guilty and pretending to be innocent. - -"There must be _something_." - -George Prime shrugged. "Any woman will warm up if you spend enough time -telling her all the things she wants to hear and pay all the attention -to her that she wants paid to her. That's elemental psychology. I can -give you page references." - -I ought to mention that George Prime had a complete set of basic texts -run into his circuits, at a slightly additional charge. Never can tell -when an odd bit of information will come in useful. - -"Well, you must be doing quite a job," I said. _I'd_ never managed to -warm Marge up much. - -"I try," said George Prime. - -"Oh, I'm not complaining," I hastened to add, forgetting that a Prime's -feelings can't be hurt and that he was only acting like me because it -was in character. "I was just curious." - -"Of course, George." - -"I'm really delighted that you're doing so well." - -"Thank you, George." - -But the next night when I was with Dawn, who happens to be a gorgeous -redhead who could put Marge to shame on practically any field of battle -except maybe brains, I kept thinking about Marge all evening long, and -wondering if things weren't getting just a little out of hand. - - * * * * * - -The next evening I almost tripped over George Prime coming out of a -liquor store. I ducked quickly into an alley and flagged him. "_What -are you doing out on the street?_" - -He gave me my martyred look. "Just buying some bourbon. You were out." - -"But you're not supposed to be off the premises--" - -"Marge asked me to come. I couldn't tell her I was sorry, but her -husband wouldn't let me, could I?" - -"Well, certainly not--" - -"You want me to keep her happy, don't you? You don't want her to get -suspicious." - -"No, but suppose somebody saw us together! If she ever got a hint--" - -"I'm sorry," George Prime said contritely. "It seemed the right thing -to do. _You_ would have done it. At least that's what my judgment -center maintained. We had quite an argument." - -"Well, tell your judgment center to use a little sense," I snapped. "I -don't want it to happen again." - -The next night, I stayed home, even though it was Tuesday night. I was -beginning to get worried. Of course, I did have complete control--I -could snap George Prime off any time I wanted, or even take him in for -a complete recircuiting--but it seemed a pity. He was doing such a nice -job. - -Marge was docile as a kitten, even more so than before. She sympathized -with my hard day at the office and agreed heartily that the boss, -despite all appearances, was in reality a jabbering idiot. After -dinner, I suggested a movie, but Marge gave me an odd sort of look and -said she thought it would be much nicer to spend the evening at home by -the fire. - -I'd just gotten settled with the paper when she came into the living -room and sat down beside me. She was wearing some sort of filmy affair -I'd never laid eyes on before, and I caught a whiff of my favorite -perfume. - -"Georgie?" she said. - -"Uh?" - -"Do you still love me?" - -I set the paper down and stared at her. "How's that? Of course I -still--" - -"Well, sometimes you don't act much like it." - -"Mm. I guess I've--uh--got an awful headache tonight." Damn that -perfume! - -"Oh," said Marge. - -"In fact, I thought I'd turn in early and get some sleep--" - -"Sleep," said Marge. There was no mistaking the disappointment in her -voice. Now I knew that things were out of hand. - -The next evening, I activated George Prime and caught the taxi at the -corner, but I called Ruby and broke my date with her. I took in an -early movie alone and was back by ten o'clock. I left the cab at the -corner and walked quietly up the path toward the garage. - -Then I stopped. I could see Marge and George Prime through the living -room windows. - -George Prime was kissing my wife the way I hadn't kissed her in eight -long years. It made my hair stand on end. And Marge wasn't exactly -fighting him off, either. She was coming back for more. After a little, -the lights went off. - -George Prime was a Super Deluxe model, all right. - - * * * * * - -I dashed into the workshop and punched the recall button as hard as I -could, swearing under my breath. How long had this been going on? I -punched the button again, viciously, and waited. - -George Prime didn't come out. - -It was plenty cold out in the workshop that night and I didn't sleep -a wink. About dawn, out came George Prime, looking like a man with a -four-day hangover. - -Our conversation got down to fundamentals. George Prime kept insisting -blandly that, according to my own directions, he was to pick the first -logical opportunity to come out when I buzzed, and that was exactly -what he'd done. - -I was furious all the way to work. I'd take care of this nonsense, all -right. I'd have George Prime rewired from top to bottom as soon as the -laboratory could take him. - -But I never phoned the laboratory. The bank was calling me when I got -to the office. They wanted to know what I planned to do about that -check of mine that had just bounced. - -"What check?" I asked. - -"The one you wrote to cash yesterday--five hundred dollars--against -your regular account, Mr. Faircloth." - -The last I'd looked, I'd had about three thousand dollars in that -account. I told the man so rather bluntly. - -"Oh, no, sir. That is, you _did_ until last week. But all these checks -you've been cashing have emptied the account." - -He flashed the checks on the desk screen. My signature was on every one -of them. - -"What about my special account?" I'd learned long before that an -account Marge didn't know about was sound rear-guard strategy. - -"That's been closed out for two weeks." - -I hadn't written a check against that account for over a year! I glared -at the ceiling and tried to think things through. - -I came up with a horrible thought. - -Marge had always had her heart set on a trip to Bermuda. Just to get -away from it all, she'd say. A second honeymoon. - -I got a list of travel agencies from the business directory and started -down them. The third one I tried had a pleasant tenor voice. "No, sir, -not _Mrs._ Faircloth. _You_ bought two tickets. One way. Champagne -flight to Bermuda." - -"When?" I choked out. - -"Why, today, as a matter of fact. It leaves Idlewild at eleven -o'clock--" - -I let him worry about my amnesia and started home fast. I didn't know -what they'd given that Prime for circuits, but there was no question -now that he was out of control--_way_ out of control. And poor Marge, -all worked up for a second honeymoon-- - -Then it struck me. Poor Marge? Poor sucker George! No Prime in his -right circuits would behave this way without some human guidance and -that meant only one thing: Marge had spotted him. It had happened -before. Couple of nasty court battles I'd read about. And she'd known -all about George Prime. - -_For how long?_ - - * * * * * - -When I got home, the house was empty. George Prime wasn't in his -closet. And Marge wasn't in the house. - -They were gone. - -I started to call the police, but caught myself just in time. I -couldn't very well complain to the cops that my wife had run off with -an android. - -Worse yet, I could get twenty years for having an illegal Prime -wandering around. - -I sat down and poured myself a stiff drink. - -My own wife deserting me for a pile of bearings. - -It was indecent. - -Then I heard the front door open and there was Marge, her arms full of -grocery bundles. "Why, darling! You're home early!" - -I just blinked for a moment. Then I said, "You're still here!" - -"Of course. Where did you think I'd be?" - -"But I thought--I mean the ticket office--" - -She set down the bundles and kissed me and looked up into my eyes, -almost smiling, half reproachful. "You didn't really think I'd go -running off with something out of a lab, did you?" - -"Then--you knew?" - -"Certainly I knew, silly. You didn't do a very good job of instructing -him, either. You gave him far too much latitude. Let him have ideas of -his own and all that. And next thing I knew, he was trying to get me to -run off with him to Hawaii or someplace." - -"Bermuda," I said. - -And then Marge was in my arms, kissing me and snuggling her cheek -against my chest. - -"Even though he looked like you, I knew he couldn't be," she said. "He -was like you, but he wasn't _you_, darling. And all I ever want is you. -I just never appreciated you before...." - -I held her close and tried to keep my hands from shaking. George -Faircloth, Idiot, I thought. She'd never been more beautiful. "But what -did you do with him?" - -"I sent him back to the factory, naturally. They said they could blot -him out and use him over again. But let's not talk about that any more. -We've got more interesting things to discuss." - -Maybe we had, but we didn't waste a lot of time talking. It was the -Marge I'd once known and I was beginning to wonder how I could have -been so wrong about her. In fact unless my memory was getting awfully -porous, the old Marge was _never_ like this-- - -I kissed her tenderly and ran my hands through her hair, and felt -the depression with my fore-finger, and then I knew what had really -happened. - -That Marge always had been a sly one. - -I wondered how she was liking things in Bermuda. - - * * * * * - -Marge probably thought she'd really put me where I belonged, but the -laugh was on her, after all. - -As I said, the old Marge was never like the new one. Marge Prime makes -Jeree and Sybil and Dorothy and Dawn and Jane and Ruby all look pretty -sad by comparison. - -She cooks like a dream and she always brings me my pipe and slippers. -As they say, there's nothing a man likes more than to be appreciated. - -A hundred per cent appreciated, with a factory guarantee to correct any -slippage, which would only be temporary, anyhow. - -One of these days, we'll take that second honeymoon. But I think we'll -go to Hawaii. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Prime Difference, by Alan E. Nourse - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRIME DIFFERENCE *** - -***** This file should be named 51321.txt or 51321.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/3/2/51321/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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