Read Online This Immortal by Roger Zelazny - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Roger Zelazny
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This may make them somewhat happier. I decided a B.F.M.I, operation would go over best."
"B.F.M.L?"
"Brute Force and Massive Ignorance-Look at them jamming it up, will you?-following the cam-era, lying down and standing up quickly when it swings in their direction. They'll be collapsing all over the place in the finished product. But then, this is the first Earthfilm in years. They're real excited."
DOS Santos regarded Red Wig's bared teeth and the bunched muscles beneath her eyes. He glared at the pyramid.
"You are a madman!" he announced.
"No," I replied. "The absence of a monument can, in its own way, be something of a monument also."
"A monument to Conrad Nomikos," he stated.
"No," said Red Wig then. "There is destructive art as surely as there is creative art. I think he may be attempting such a thing. He is playing Caligula.
Perhaps I can even see why."
"Thank you."
"You are not welcome. I said 'perhaps.' -An artist does it with love."
"Love is a negative form of hatred."
" *I am dying, Egypt, dying,' " said Ellen.
Myshtigo laughed.
"You are tougher than I thought, Nomikos," he observed. "But you are not indispensable."
"Try having a civil servant fired-especially me."
"It might be easier than you think."
"We'll see."
"We may."
We turned again toward the great 90 percent THIS IMMORTAL 65
pyramid of Cheops/Khufu. Myshtigo began taking notes once more.
"I'd rather you viewed it from here, for now," I said. "Our presence would waste valuable footage.
We're anachronisms. We can go down during coffee break."
"I agree," said Myshtigo, "and I am certain I know an anachronism when I see one. But I have seen all that I care to here. Let us go back to the inn. I wish to talk with the locals."
After a moment, "I'll see Sakkara ahead of schedule, then," he mused. "You haven't begun dismantling all the monuments of Luxor, Karnak, and the Valley of Kings yet, have you?"
"Not yet, no."
"Good. Then well visit them ahead of time."
"Then let's not stand here," said Ellen. "This heat is beastly."
So we returned.
"Do you really mean everything you say?" asked Diane as we walked back.
"In my fashion."
"How do you think of such things?"
"In Greek, of course. Then I translate them into English. I'm real good at it."
"Who are you?"
"Ozymandias. Look at my works ye mighty and despair."
"I'm not mighty."
"I wonder. ..." I said, and I left the pan of her face that I could see wearing a rather funny expression as we walked along.
"Let me tell you of the boadile," said I.
Our felucca moved slowly along that dazzling 66
ROGER ZELAZNY
waterpath that burns its way before the great gray colonnades of Luxor. Myshtigo's back was to me.
He was staring at those columns, dictating an occasional impression.
"Where will we put ashore?" he asked me.
"About a mile further up ahead. Perhaps I had better tell you about the boadile.'*
"I know what a boadile is. I told you that I had studied your world."
"Uh-huh. Reading about them is one thing . . ."
"I have also seen boadiles. There are four in the Earthgarden on Taler."
". . . and seeing them in a tank is another thing."
"Between yourself and Hasan we are a veritable floating aresenal. I count three grenades on your belt, four on his."
"You can't use a grenade if one is on top of you
-not without defeating the purpose of self-defense, that is. If it's any further away you can't hit it with one. They move too fast."
He finally turned. *
"What do you use?"
I reached inside my galabieh (having gone native) and withdrew the weapon I always try to have on hand when I come this way.
He examined it.
"Name it." .
"It's a machine-pistol. Fires meta-cyanide slugs
-one ton impact when a round strikes. Not real accurate, but that's not necessary. It's patterned after a twentieth century handgun called a Schmeisser."
"It's rather unwieldy. Will it stop a boadile?"
"If you're lucky. I have a couple more in one of the cases. Want one?"
THIS IMMORTAL 67
"No, thank
"B.F.M.L?"
"Brute Force and Massive Ignorance-Look at them jamming it up, will you?-following the cam-era, lying down and standing up quickly when it swings in their direction. They'll be collapsing all over the place in the finished product. But then, this is the first Earthfilm in years. They're real excited."
DOS Santos regarded Red Wig's bared teeth and the bunched muscles beneath her eyes. He glared at the pyramid.
"You are a madman!" he announced.
"No," I replied. "The absence of a monument can, in its own way, be something of a monument also."
"A monument to Conrad Nomikos," he stated.
"No," said Red Wig then. "There is destructive art as surely as there is creative art. I think he may be attempting such a thing. He is playing Caligula.
Perhaps I can even see why."
"Thank you."
"You are not welcome. I said 'perhaps.' -An artist does it with love."
"Love is a negative form of hatred."
" *I am dying, Egypt, dying,' " said Ellen.
Myshtigo laughed.
"You are tougher than I thought, Nomikos," he observed. "But you are not indispensable."
"Try having a civil servant fired-especially me."
"It might be easier than you think."
"We'll see."
"We may."
We turned again toward the great 90 percent THIS IMMORTAL 65
pyramid of Cheops/Khufu. Myshtigo began taking notes once more.
"I'd rather you viewed it from here, for now," I said. "Our presence would waste valuable footage.
We're anachronisms. We can go down during coffee break."
"I agree," said Myshtigo, "and I am certain I know an anachronism when I see one. But I have seen all that I care to here. Let us go back to the inn. I wish to talk with the locals."
After a moment, "I'll see Sakkara ahead of schedule, then," he mused. "You haven't begun dismantling all the monuments of Luxor, Karnak, and the Valley of Kings yet, have you?"
"Not yet, no."
"Good. Then well visit them ahead of time."
"Then let's not stand here," said Ellen. "This heat is beastly."
So we returned.
"Do you really mean everything you say?" asked Diane as we walked back.
"In my fashion."
"How do you think of such things?"
"In Greek, of course. Then I translate them into English. I'm real good at it."
"Who are you?"
"Ozymandias. Look at my works ye mighty and despair."
"I'm not mighty."
"I wonder. ..." I said, and I left the pan of her face that I could see wearing a rather funny expression as we walked along.
"Let me tell you of the boadile," said I.
Our felucca moved slowly along that dazzling 66
ROGER ZELAZNY
waterpath that burns its way before the great gray colonnades of Luxor. Myshtigo's back was to me.
He was staring at those columns, dictating an occasional impression.
"Where will we put ashore?" he asked me.
"About a mile further up ahead. Perhaps I had better tell you about the boadile.'*
"I know what a boadile is. I told you that I had studied your world."
"Uh-huh. Reading about them is one thing . . ."
"I have also seen boadiles. There are four in the Earthgarden on Taler."
". . . and seeing them in a tank is another thing."
"Between yourself and Hasan we are a veritable floating aresenal. I count three grenades on your belt, four on his."
"You can't use a grenade if one is on top of you
-not without defeating the purpose of self-defense, that is. If it's any further away you can't hit it with one. They move too fast."
He finally turned. *
"What do you use?"
I reached inside my galabieh (having gone native) and withdrew the weapon I always try to have on hand when I come this way.
He examined it.
"Name it." .
"It's a machine-pistol. Fires meta-cyanide slugs
-one ton impact when a round strikes. Not real accurate, but that's not necessary. It's patterned after a twentieth century handgun called a Schmeisser."
"It's rather unwieldy. Will it stop a boadile?"
"If you're lucky. I have a couple more in one of the cases. Want one?"
THIS IMMORTAL 67
"No, thank
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