"four, five, six... seven, eight, nine, ten." "Gentlemen, please wait." "Go, go, go." "There go our Wheat Thins." " Right." "You're right." " Are you part of the organization?" "Huh?" "We're ComTeg." "We just" " We just pick up and deliver." "Yeah." "Pizza." "Chinese food." "Relax, Mr. Vorodny." "I'll be your guide tonight." "Thank you." "Are you connected with the C.l.A.?" " The what?" " The C.l.A." "What's the C.l.A.?" "Circumcised ltalian-Americans." "Chinese lnbreds" " That's no shit." " We don't know nothin' about the C.l.A." "Not really." "Not too much." "We're a private intelligence agency." " Where to now?" " You're goin' to a duck farm." "We're gonna party." "Sixty-three, 64, 65... 66, 67, 68... 69, 70, 7 1... 72, 73." "Whaddya think, George?" "A bottle of greens couldn't get me past 50." "I concede." "That's a copout." "You deserve the best, baby." "You belong to Mike." "Okay, folks, the party's over." "Let's go." "Gotta go to bed." "You want me to wake you up?" "Well, you wind up with the paper." "Come on, sweet thing." "Try something' that'll help ya." "Let's go. 5:00." "Let's go." "5:00." " Let's go." " Oh, man." "Please, five more minutes." "They screwed us out of 20 minutes yesterday." "Better go." "I gotta shower and shave." "Here's your juice." "You can shower there." "Let's go." "Well" " Excuse me, honey." "I got some news." " Yeah?" "What is it?" " Bad." "Bad news." "Bad, bad news?" "What is it?" "You feel all right?" " Tell me I got some bad" " You okay?" " What'd you do in there?" " What's the matter with you?" "Ridin' on that blue river train" "Ridin' on that blue river Ridin' on that blue river" "Ridin' on that blue river train" "Gimme $100." "What can you do with this stuff now?" "It's Monopoly money." " Just get rid of it." " Yeah." "What do you think of that chick you left in bed?" "Pretty nice." "You're a fag, you know." "She thinks we're fags 'cause we split the rent." " Not me, buddy boy." " Why not?" "I'm a nosy bastard." "I was snooping' around in her purse." "I came across a very important document." "That's why girls don't go for you." "You're always doin' stuff like that." " That's really bad news." " "Dear Miss Summers..." "Your pap test returned and is negative... but you do show conclusive evidence of vaginal infection." "Please call for an appointment to see me as soon as possible." "Respectfully yours, Dr. L. Wolfberg."" "Oh, God." "Dirty?" "God." "Dirty." "Oh, Dr. Wolfberg." "Holy Jesus." "What does vaginal infection mean?" "That don't have to mean nothin'." "Vaginal infection means she's got a disease." "It's a disease." " Flipper." " What's a purple duck go like?" "Gimme the Maryland state bird, man." " Why didn't you stop me?" " What?" " Why didn't you stop me?" " From what?" "From goin' on." "You know, I think you deserve a round of applause." "Ramona I hear the mission bells a-call" " Are you gonna" " Calling" "Ramona" " Come on." "Keep singing." " l-- l hear a song" " Caress you" " Vaginal infection?" "I'm gonna be sick." "The bums are late." "Our bums or someone else's?" "That's your signal." "Sing it out!" "I said sing it out!" "Genie with the light brown smash." "How would you rate her from one to ten?" "He's a good man." "Not like you, you dirty bastard." "Why'd you leave me in there all night without tellin' me?" "I know you don't have any prejudice." "Besides, I knew you were sleeping." "I didn't wanna disturb you." " l'll get even." " You'll never get a chance." " Comin' in, Scotty." " Okay, one at a time." "Come in." "Sorry we're late." "Yeah, sure you are." "Yesterday we ran 20 minutes late, and now you guys are damn near 40." "We watched some horny ducks on The Late Late lnfrared Show." "Ever see a duck make it?" " l don't wanna discuss it." " Wait a minute." "I don't wanna talk about it." "It's a good show. lt's not a great show, but it's a good show." "See you tomorrow. 3:00 sharp." "And how are you, Mr. Vorodny?" " lmpatient." " Mm-hmm." " Today" " Today what?" "I was supposed to have been taken out by Wednesday." "That was the agreement." "Well, we're not the C.l.A. We don't know nothin'." "We're hired to protect the goods, and you're good to somebody." "Think of us that way and you'll stay alive and be much happier." "I'm told you've never lost one of us yet." "Well, you're wrong." "Mr. Gunther Rachman." " Rachman hanged himself." " l ain't talkin' to you." "Look, I was only kidding, grouch." "I had 50 of these printed up." "All I have to do is fill in the blank." "What?" " That's not for real?" " We've passed 'em... all over North Beach." " Oh, my God." " So you say it's a phony?" " Think that's funny?" " l thought it was funny." " l don't." " You're safe now." "Dirty guy." "I've requested a town in Oregon." "Crazy world." "One more foreigner in a small town somewhere... with a pension." "I've asked for a town where l can raise hops." "Without hops we have no beer." "I will call myself Thomas Mix." "Do you like the name "Mr. Mix"?" "You're a ward of the C.l.A., Brewmeister Mix." "Ask them." "You all look alike, you young mercenaries." "No matter what country." "We're all idealists." "Think we do it for the money?" "I don't feel well." "Maybe it's our water." "You have no idea... what it's like to live in a closed society." "I guess I don't." "How ya doin', Red?" "Huh?" "Who's watchin' the store?" "Come on." "What, are you nuts?" "What's wrong with you?" "You just retired, Mike." "Enjoy it." "You can't wait out here." "We'll page you as soon as we know anything." "Okay. I'm gonna go over and check the instruments." "Better get gloves on. I wanna check the wound." "Got the drop sheet?" " Gently." "Two, three." " Setting him up?" " Okay." "Gurney outta the room." " We'll get some gloves on." "I'd like some orthopedic instruments." " lrregular pulse." " Go ahead." "I'll check the elbow." "Check his knee." "The bullet is probably out." "Patella is completed shattered... and the knee seems completely unstable." "We need a double prep and double draping." " How's his pressure?" " lt's fair." "All right, that's good enough." "We better start the elbow." "We're gonna need some irrigation." "We don't have any here." "Would you hold his arm?" "Can we have our irrigation now, please?" " Okay." "We'll go out and scrub." " ...an irrigation tank." "And a sponge." "You want me closer or further?" " How is he, Joe?" " Pretty good." "We'll wake him up soon." "Soon as we get the cast on, you can wake him up." "When we finish, we'll transfer him over." " We're low on water." " Bring the gurney in." "Gurney." "Cut the shorts off." "See if you can lift him up." "Slowly and gently on three." "Two, three." "Watch his arm here." "Okay." "Y'all set?" "All right." "Get ready to transfer him." "Three." "Get his l.V. over." "It's time to take your vital signs." "You're in l.C.U." "I'm gonna take your blood pressure." "Just relax." "You belong to me now." "It's all right by me, honey." " Care for a little more ham?" " No." "How 'bout some tomato?" "Hey, hey." "I wanna hear somethin'." "Didn't hurt you there, did I?" "Slip it." "Put this on my ear." "Here you are." "You gotta stick it in your ear." " l gotta what?" " You gotta stick it in" "You gotta stick it in your ear." "Yeah, right." "There you go." "I don't hear nothin'." "It's all over." " Wait a minute." " Call my mother." "Oh, say, can you see" "All right, all right." "Let's see if you're still alive." "Oh, yeah, it's still tickin'." "I think you're all right." "All right." " Gonna take that garbage outta here?" " No more of this garbage." "Okay." "You're comin' back?" "You know it, sweetheart." "We'll be seein' a lot of each other." "Well, I'll just be hangin' around." "Hello, Mike." "Hey, gentlemen." "Well." "I asked 'em to hang me out on that clothesline." "Thought I'd dry out faster." "They're givin' me some good-feelin' stuff, I'll tell you that." "I'm learnin' all about that anatomy." "Like, um... femurs, patellas, fibulas." "All that good stuff." "I talk to them at night." "No autographs yet?" "I'm savin' the first spot for my roomie, but he hasn't come by to sign it yet." "We turned over every rock." "Nothing." "Whoever made him a better offer... is keeping him off the market." "Yep." "He, uh, sure was sweet." "Not one wrong move." "Just can't figure out why he didn't put that third one in my head." "He's your buddy cat." "Yeah." "Yeah, I guess you're right." "Well, he owed me one." "Well, let's hear it." "It's in the plus column." "Normal grade five disability's a thousand a month." "Mr. Weyburn thinks he can get you 1,500." "Oh, that's nice." "I'm comin' back full-duty." "Sure, but in the meantime... be thankful you're working for a private company and we turn a profit." "If you were still with the government, you'd be getting 200, and the G.l. bill." "I'm your number one boy, Mr. Weyburn." "Numero uno." "I got that in writing from you, along with a nice Christmas bonus." "Remember?" "My father was a minister." "That's what he wanted me to be." "Who cares?" "I checked with the staff doctors, Mike." "I also called a friend who is considered to be... one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the world." "He's says given a year maybe you'll be able to walk up a flight of stairs." "That leg of yours will never be... anything... but a wet noodle." "You're humpty-dumped." "Face it." "Thank you very much for cheering' me up." "Oh, thanks for the flowers." "Very lovely." "We'll stop in from time to time." "Anything we can send you?" "Yeah." "Some hash and a couple broads." "You guys got connections, don't ya?" "Under the circumstances, that seems appropriate." "You may feel the stitches come out." "I hate a guy that's always right." "Don't know how good your knee will be, but the scar is beautiful." " This is gonna hurt a little bit." " Swell." "You're right." "Hold it, hold it." "Wait." "There's somethin' grabbing' me on the elbow." "No." "On the bottom." "Just take the cast away." "You all right?" " lt's all over." " l got a headache now." "Mmm." "That's a beautiful one too." "I don't feel that." "How come?" "Well, you probably severed some nerve from the skin, but that'll grow back." "I hope not." "I like not feelin' it." "Down again." "Okay." "All right." "Now, let's try some leg-raisings." "Up." "That's right." " Pull it up higher." " Higher?" "That's far enough." "Let it" " Try to lower it yourself." "That's it." "You got it." "All right." "Good." "Good." "You got it." "I'll redo it." " See." "Look." " Well, it's" "Forgot about my good right." "That's enough for one day." "Got someplace else to go?" "Somethin' else to do?" "My time is your time." "Okay, Amy, lift his leg up." "You may feel some discomfort as it goes over the knee." " Yeah, scar's a little tender." " All right." "Little higher." "There it goes." " We're gonna hook a boot on to this." " Right." "This here, to your arm." "Good." "Okay, tighten up the Velcros." "Okay, you got five, ten." "Now let's try 15." "Let's see that one." "Try a little higher." "Higher." "Fine." "I thought I'd just stop up." "Here." "Well, don't." "Go on." "Get outta here." "Go on." "Here." " Taste it?" " Yeah, thank you." "Yeah, that's good." "I'll take it." "Thank you." " l'm sorry." " lt's okay." "Don't worry about it. I've always wanted to take a bath in champagne." "It's okay." "It's... locked." "What's wrong?" "Did it jam on you?" "It's all right." "Thank you." "Thank you. lt's okay." "It's all right." "Thank you." "It's all right." "I'm sorry." "First you put your left leg close up tight" "Then you move your right crutch further to the left" "You bring your legs together nice and tight" "Then you do it, do it through the night" "Then" "You take your" "Ugh!" "Your ah, crutches" "Without despair" "You take them in your hand and you throw them in the air" "And that's what I call" " Up your bird" " Looks like you're ready." "Well, all right." "Not bad." "Where's the bedroom?" "Upstairs." "Can you make it all right?" "Nothin' to it." "What, are you nuts?" "Hey, come on, Mike." "Take it easy." "You're trying too hard." " Hey, man." " Thought you were in a wheelchair." " Forget rolling' around." " Let's get to work." " l need it." " l need it too." "Uh-oh." "Excuse me." " How ya doin', my friend?" " All right, Cap." "I'm already started." "Would you like a little" " What's your usual?" "Carrot juice these days." "Oh, listen, Mike." "I gotta tell ya." "Weyburn and the others... what the hell do they know?" "They think you're becoming a ridiculous spectacle driving yourself like this." "And just to show how screwed up the world is becoming... would you believe heroism has become old-fashioned?" "No, really." "All the traitors, the terrorists, they're gonna get the sympathy now." "That's how Hansen made his move up." "The Hansens of the world are in." "And the... cleft chins and true hearts are out." "Weyburn will never put you back in harness." "No way, Mike." "And, uh... if you don't mind, don't drop around the shop, huh?" "The higher-ups don't like it." "And it makes the boys nervous-- you know, clump clumping around." "Doesn't fit in with the muzak." "Well... if a guy can't blow up his best friend, where's the morality in the world?" "You're wearing it." "Listen to me." "You limp, right?" "You'll limp the rest of your life." "You're a cripple." "When you get that through your head... I want you to come to my office... and I'll give you a decent, dignified job." "How 'bout it?" "I just want to get closer to George." "God." "So you find him and you zap him." "Will that change Weyburn's mind?" "Will that give you back your knee and your elbow?" "No, no." "But wherever they are, I know they'll be a lot happier." "Well, I'll see ya, Cap." "I'll just, uh, limp on outta here." "Yeah." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Hey, I'm sorry." "You all right?" "I won't be playin' the violin again." " Put that mother back." " Like this?" "See, man, that's not right." "All I have to do is" "Flex up like this." "That's an instant reflex." "You hit a guy there, he's not gonna lose any sleep." "But use the same block you made, pivot toward me." "Bring your-- Bring your hip toward me." "Right." "Right." "Bring your elbow to my temple." "You'll spill my brains." "Let's try it." " Try it?" " Yeah, let's go, man." "Boy, you're gettin' cocky, huh?" "Same old dirty self." "Western Airlines, flight 419 from Mexico City now arriving Gate 39." "ComTeg tape library." "Hold on a second, please." "Mr. Collis." "Collis here." "Your friend O'Leary's in the office." "Come up." "O'Leary?" "What does the son of a bitch want now?" " Everything, as usual." " Right up." "Feed that railroad projection through." "Back in a few minutes." "Talking to them isn't enough." "Their longevity lies within the context of your communication." "Oh, I know. I know. I know." "I even recite the love sonnets of Elizabeth Barrett Browning... to the poor thing." "It's probably dying of boredom." "Danny, how are ya?" "Did ya ever consider, my dear Cap, how much energy you've wasted... over your 47 years mustering up that good fellow smile... and that insincere handshake?" "What corner has he painted us into now?" "The C.l.A. gives us 11 percent of our gross." "We can live without it." "Then give me ten minutes of your time." "Surely 11 percent of your gross... will buy me that." "Why so unusually hostile, Cap?" "Hansen sold out." "He killed one of our most important clients." "Your client, by the way." "He shot up our top man." " You still think we were behind that?" " What aren't you behind?" "Would you like it book, chapter and verse?" "Or just the morning paper?" "I can read." "So what have you got for us now?" "San Francisco airport this morning." "It'll be in the papers by now." "They didn't quite match the massacre at Tokyo airport... but they gave it a nice try." "Yuan Chung, the clear target... of a rather substantive assassin group... defended himself with his usual skill." "Chung-- l thought somebody had taken care of him." "Just a question of time." "But it's not in the national interest that it should happen today... or for that matter, tomorrow." "It's especially central that it doesn't happen under any circumstances... within the confines of the United States." "What happens to him Friday... after he's gone... is no longer our concern." " Who tried to kill him this time?" " We're not sure about that... except it's something off the Far East circuit." "We've had word that Negato Toku may be in the country." "Who is he?" "Godfather of all the ninja assassins, but he's never been outside Japan." "Well, if he is here, it's either for compelling personal reasons... or he's been paid a lot of yen." "The point is, we do know that Yuan Chung is here." "We've got to keep him alive until he connects with a ship." "The position of our agency is, for once, manifestly clear." "We don't wish to and will not become involved... any further than we already are." "Then why should we?" "We don't want Chung killed in the United States." "Right now we can't afford the publicity." "You still haven't given us a reason... why we should take this on." "All right." "The clincher." "We've had word... that after the chop suey at the airport this morning... the Japanese assassin group had been augmented... by a backup team, an American expert" "George Hansen." "We just took the job." "San Francisco's a beautiful place." "Try to adjust." "Be happy here." "Hold it!" "You're not authorized here." "Let me see your identification." "Officer, will you look at this?" "Will you let 'em by, please?" "Let's go." "Wait a minute!" "What's goin' on here?" "Hold it!" "Gary." "May I see your identification, please?" "Thank you." "I want a first-rate team on the job before dark." "Where do they pick up on your boy?" "When you have the team assembled... call my office." "You know the number." "I'll give you an address." "Give this to Locken, Cap." "Let him pick his own team." "Let him sub-contract it himself." "In fact, give him the complete responsibility." "What about the window?" "Ah, win a few, lose a few." "You'll pay for it, right?" "We'll take care of it. I'll pay a buck to the first guy who gets my cane back." "Thank you." "Impressive." " Thank you." " At close range." "What happens when your opponent is 20 feet away holding a 12 gauge pump gun?" "Well, I, uh-- l guess I just shoot him with mine." " Where would you get it?" " Where you got yours, ya jackass." "We need to talk." "Donnie, I'll call you guys later." "Thanks a lot, huh?" "Take it easy." "Bye-bye." "Bye-bye." " How ya doin'?" " Hello, Cap." " Ahh, you're lookin' good." " Yeah." "Feelin' good." "Well." "Well, you're back in." " We need you." " Why?" "Would you excuse us for a minute?" "Who's my sheep?" "An Asian politician." "Just keep alive till we can get him out on a ship." " When do I start?" " Now." "First you'll need a driver and a backup." "What for?" "Me and my cane." "You're up against a team of international assassins." "You need all the firepower you can get." "Also, the entire San Francisco Police Department is looking for your man." "He left some debris at the airport this morning." "I'll guess I'll get Mac and Miller." "One's retired and the other one's crazy." "ComTeg won't stand for it." "Am I calling' the shots?" " How much time have I got?" " 5:00." "And when does East meet West?" "Our contractee will let us know." "You call me when you're set-- two minutes to 5:00." "Well, I'm gonna, uh, need some things." "Get 'em." "is there a bullish market on Asian politicians?" "Oh, there's, uh-- there's someone on the visitors team we'd like you to tag for us." "George Hansen has finally surfaced." "He's shopping for the Oriental." "Well." "Why up here?" "I like it up here." "You like it." "I guess that's good enough." "Still dealing' in original sin?" "Waiting for a shipment." "Brand new AK-47 s." "Best combat rifle in the world." "Got a buyer, but the guns are running late." "Well, I got somethin' a little better than clay pigeons for ya." "I heard they retired you." "No, not yet." "I don't think your company'd hire me." "They got me tapped as a psycho." "Well, they just don't understand you, Miller." "You're not a psycho." "You're, uh" "You're the patron poet of the manic depressives." "I'll give you 500 a day." "How many days?" "Don't know yet." "Can't be too long, though." "I don't think anybody can handle three days of what we got." "Well, I need a little vacation." "Besides, you always did enchant me, Locken." "Oh, did I?" "Well, hell, we'll just pick out some furniture and get goin'." "Meet ya at Mac's garage, 1874 Fuller."