" Did he come back?" " He's down in the lab now." "I locked the door." "You'd better take this with you." " I thought he'd come back." "He's like an animal now." "He comes back to where he was fed the last time, but he never should have gotten out in the first place." "He visited a house in our village last night." "It's not easy to keep a thing like that from attracting too much attention." "I'm afraid there's only one thing to do Genji now." "Genji." "Genji!" "Genji!" "Be quiet, Emiko." "I can kindly let you out of there." "I was careless with Genji and look what happened." "You don't understand me anymore, do you?" "I'm sorry, Emiko." "Genji, get back!" "You've changed even more, haven't you?" "Back Genji." "Back." "I don't suppose you understand me now any more than she does." "You were my brother." "You're an experiment that didn't work out." "I'm sorry, Genji." "' Yes?" " Seems silly to ask you this at Dr. Robert Suzuki's place, it's the only place around here." " I'm afraid you can't see the doctor now." " Oh, now, wait a minute." "I've come all the way from Tokyo and halfway up the mountainside in a taxi they saved from the ark, and then by making like a mountain goat for the last few hundred yards." "Now, where's the good doctor?" " Are you the man from world press?" " That's right." "Larry Stanford, the brilliant and highly underpaid foreign correspondent." "Tell you the truth, from what my boss says," "I don't think there's much of a story here, but if there is I wanna get it." " Perhaps the doctor can give you a few minutes." "I'll tell him you're here." "Please come in." " Thank you." " Mr. Stanford, I'm sorry I kept you waiting." "I've forgotten about your appointment." "As a matter of fact your chief, Mr. Matthews, more or less pushed me into it over the phone." "I'm not sure my work is ready for publicity yet." " Well, from what the boss said," "I gather you're working on the secrets of evolution or something like that." "Sounds great, but will it sell newspapers?" " Well, I'm a theoretical scientist." "Most of my work goes down on paper." " Have you anything ready for publication yet, doc?" " Not yet." "I can only tell you this." "Look into the sky at night, and you will see a star maybe one billion light years away." "The light that you see started from that star, even before this world existed." "That's my work." "The principles of existence." "But sometimes it frightens me." " Good, then maybe we got a story." "One more good one before I leave Japan." " Oh, are you leaving?" " Yeah, after this assignment." "This globe trotting is gettin' me down." "Besides, I have a wife in New York that I haven't seen for a long time, far too long." " How old are you, Mr. Stanford?" " 35." " Forgive me." "I ask personal questions sometimes." "It's the scientist in me." "I'm interested in the way people develop." "The glandular type and so on." "May I ask a few more questions?" " Well, I'm supposed to be the interviewer, but if you wanna, go ahead." " You look like a strong man." "Have you ever had any major illnesses?" " Well, this sounds like the army all over again." "Nothing worse than chicken pox." " And in this time you've been separated from your wife, have you been, dare to say," "have you had any other kind of companionship?" " Well, I've been a good boy, if that's what you mean, doc, but now maybe we are getting just a little personal." " I'm sorry." "You want to hear about my work, don't you?" "All right." "Could use a little refreshment while we're talking." " As long as it's daytime size." "Scotch?" " A local version of it." " I thought it tasted different." "Well, doc, what's the story?" " Well, Mr. Stanford, are you familiar with later thinking about cosmic rays and evolution?" " Vaguely- the rays come out of space, and every thousand years or so they cause a mutation, cause some animal to give birth to a slightly different species, that right?" " That'll do." "Now you can understand what I mean when I tell you that I've a theory as to the cause of this changing species, this mutation." "I believe it can be done." "Not with radiation, Mr. Stanford, but chemically." "I've tried a few experiments with plants and fungus." " You got any samples?" " Unfortunately, nothing I can show." "Only theoretical records." "But I don't think they make sense to you." " Well, it sounds great in scientific circles, doc, but it's not exactly what I'd call front page stuff." "You know, it's kind of stuffy in here." " It's the heat from the mountain." "I use it sometimes for experiments." "Will you excuse me, Mr. Stanford?" "I'll go down to the lab and bring you up some photos of my fungus experiments." "They might prove interesting to you." " I'd appreciate that." " Robert, are you sure what you're doing is absolutely right?" "' Right?" "Don't you see him?" "He's perfect for it." "Besides, I've changed the enzyme." "It's got to work this time." "A physical and a psychological change." "We'll keep records on every move he makes." " That's not what I mean." "Do you have the right to do this to him?" "After all, the others were different, they volunteered." " But Tara, he's exactly the type I need." "This is for science, for human knowledge." "What happens to one man doesn't make any difference." "You didn't seem to care for the others, Tara." " I forgot how to care about anybody a long time ago." "You ought to know that." " Good." "Keep it that way." " Oh, hello doc." "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, but I just couldn't keep my eyes open." " Oh, I feel that way myself, many times up here." " Seem to have collected myself a kink in the neck too." " These are the pictures" "I thought you might be interested in." " Well, I'll take those back to Tokyo with me if you don't mind, doc." " Oh, by all means." "How about one for the road?" " That's not a bad idea." "Might wake me up." " I'll be coming down to Tokyo very shortly." "We must get together there." "I could use a little vacation from my work." " Sure, that'll be fine." " Here's the morning report for you." " Thanks." " I'm forced to agree with you, Larry." "Not much to this Dr. Suzuki report." "I understand he's independently wealthy, one of these wealthy crackpots." " Oh, he's not such a bad guy." "He serves lousy whiskey though, gave me a hangover on two of them." "As a matter of fact, he phoned up this morning, said he was coming to Tokyo." "Wants to take me out on some fancy dinner or something." " Geisha party?" " Who knows?" "Anyway, I'm just filling in time 'til I head for New York and Linda." "This globe trotting almost broke us up." " By the way, Larry, you're gonna be here a few days." "I've got a report here on some smuggling going on down in Hong Kong." "I wonder if you could hop a plane and go down there." " Uh-uh, no dice, Ian." "You pull this one more story routine on me once too often." "This time I'm going home." "I'll tell you what you can do with that report." " What's that?" " Make a paper airplane out of it, and sail it out the window." " Matthews." "Oh yes, just a moment." "Larry, it's for you." "New York." " Can't imagine who it might be." "Okay, I'll take it over here, and how about some privacy." "Put that call through here." " Oh darling, it's wonderful to hear your voice." "What?" "Oh, everything's all right." "I just wanted to hear you." "When are you coming home, Larry?" " In just a few more days, darling." "There's lots of paper work and stuff, you know how it is." "After that, no more traveling." "We can make a real start all over again." "Huh?" "I love you too, darling, but how do you know you love me," "I might not be the same person." " I'm sure you're the same, darling." "I haven't changed either." "I've been thinking about you all the time." "I've had a picture of you in my mind." "It's a nice picture, but it's not the same as the real thing." " It won't be long now, darling." "I'll be thinking of you all the time." "We're going to some kind of party tonight," "I'll pretend you're along." " Oh, well, have a good time, Larry." " Larry, as they say in Japan..." " As we say in America, bottoms up." "You know, doc, I don't know which I like better." "Japanese sake or Japanese geisha." " What's the difference?" "Plenty of both here." " No, seriously doc, I never had time before to do this sort of thing." "You've no idea how stuffy this political interviews and press conferences can be." " With so little time left, please, let me be your host, and let me show you things you have never seen before in Japan." "I've been working rather hard myself lately." "Larry, I like you, and I'd like to show you more of Japan." " Doc, you got yourself a deal." "Kanpal" " bottoms up." " Hey doc, tell her it's an old American custom called smooch, huh." "And tell her she smooches good." " Oh, I don't know..." " No, I haven't finished yet." "Tell her she smooches good, and tell her I'd like to give her some advance lessons, huh." " I don't have to tell her anything, Larry." "I think she understands you very well." " Maybe, but let's find out." "Hey, listen girls," "I think you're all very beautiful." "Very beautiful." "But I got a special date." "All right, Ian, I'm a week overdue on New York, and I've been like this for three days." "Let's have the ceremony and get it over with." " You know me better than that, Larry." "Your wife called again." " So she called, so what?" " Look, it's really none of my business, but you were supposed to be home by now." " Listen to me, Ian," "I've been workin' very hard for a good many years, and now I'm supposed to go back and chain myself to a desk in a New York office." "Okay, if that's the way it's gotta be, it's gotta be, but before I go I'm gonna do some of the things" "I never had a chance to do before." "This guy, Suzuki, just came into my life in time." "Oh, that reminds me." "I've got a train to catch." "He's taking me to a hot Springs hotel." " And Linda?" " You already said it, Ian." "It's none of your business." " How about a little sake before our bath?" " Suits me." " The bath's ready now." "Larry, you're about to experience one of my country's greatest pleasures." "Hot mineral water from deep in the earth." "It has wonderful effects, and sometimes strange effects." " Well, I've had hot baths before, but never in such fancy surroundings." "You know, doc, it's amazing what I never got to see and do in this country all the time I've been here." "I didn't realize what fun I was missing." "Still, I'll have to leave sometime." " Yes, I know." "Oh, I have another surprise for you." " Oh, what's that?" " Do you remember my assistant, Tara?" "You met her at the lab." "She happens to be here at the hotel." "I think you'll find her especially interesting." "' Why especially?" " Her talent." "She's first of all, an exceptionally beautiful woman." "She's been to nearly any country you can name." "She's intelligent, affectionate, and, well, how should I say it?" "Not unwilling to have a little adventure now and then." " Sounds too good to be true." "Tell me, when do I meet this lovely mythical creature again?" " Why not now?" " I'm sure you two remember each other." " Well, hello again." "I guess we must have your bath here." "You go ahead, we'll wait." "' Why wait?" "I can see you're not familiar with Japanese customs, Mr. Stanford." " You mean everybody together, same bath?" "Well..." " Larry, just actually remembered something." "I promised to make a phone call to Tokyo." "Very important." "I wonder if you two will excuse me." " With pleasure." "Well." " Follow me." " Well, now I've seen everything, or I'm about to." " There are two baths, Mr. Stanford." "One for you and one for me." " I see." "And what's this, the wall of Jericho?" " We operate on the honor system here." " You been this is a Japanese equivalent of a bundling bar?" " Well, it keeps us apart, but not too far apart." " The doctor tells me these are mineral baths and good for me." "I hope he's right." " How do you like it, Mr. Stanford?" " My name is Larry." "I think it's great, having a wonderful time, wish you were here." " Well, I'm not very far." "Tell me more about yourself." " Well, there's not very much to tell." "I worked pretty hard all my life, and now I'm just starting to enjoy myself." "How about you, where are you from?" "You speak English beautifully." " I speak many languages." "Is the water hot enough for you?" " Yeah, plenty hot." " The real Japanese bath should be as hot as you can take it." "That way you get benefit of the minerals in the water." " I seem to be getting some sort of benefit right now." " Is anything the matter, Larry?" " Yeah, I've had enough, I'm gettin' out." "It's a great little song in a great little country." "Hey, I've gotta show you where I live." "Can you mix a martooni?" " What is that?" " That's a miserable Martini." " Hello Larry." " Well, this is quite a surprise." " I think I'd better go." " I think you'd better stay." "We've all got some things to talk about." " Anybody mind if I fix myself a drink?" "You know, Ian, there's a name for a guy who'd pull a trick like this." " Ian had nothing to do with it." "I dragged him here." "I flew in today, Larry." "I couldn't stand it any longer." "Ian wouldn't tell me a thing." "It wasn't hard to guess that you'd found company." " Sorry Larry." " Yeah, sure." "All right, let's not draw this one out." "Let's make it front page, top banner line now." "So you found out, so what?" " Darling, I came here so I could see you." "So you could see me." "I don't want things to go on this way, Larry." "You've gotta make a choice right now." "The girlfriend or me." " Tara, I don't think we're wanted here." "Let's go some place and finish the evening." " Goodnight, Mrs. Stanford." " Larry, I'll wait here 'til midnight, then I'm leaving." "The choice is yours." " I made my choice." " Oh Ian, Ian, what am I gonna do?" "What am I gonna do?" " Fight, that's all you can do." " I want to fight, Ian." "But he's changed, he's so different." " There's still hope." " Look, I'll wait here 'til midnight," "I could talk to him alone." "If he's not back I'll go to the hotel." " And then?" " And then I've lost the battle." "And what else can I do." " You want me to stay here for a while?" " No." "No, please go" "I've gotta work this out for myself." " Good luck, Linda." " Thanks Ian." " Hey, how about that?" "You know, Tara, I figured you'd live in a place like this." "It fits you, it's beautiful." " Larry, why did you come with me tonight?" "Why did you make that choice?" " I'll tell you the truth, Tara." "It's you I want." "I feel comfortable with you." "But something strange has been happening to me, lately." "I can't explain it." "You're the only one that seems to understand." "Don't ever leave me." " No, Larry, not this way." " What do you mean, not this way?" " When I belong to a man, no one else does." "If it can't be that way, then I don't want him." " You're thinkin' about Linda?" " Yes." "She's not gonna give up so easily, Larry." "I know how a woman thinks." "If I'm not mistaken, she's waiting for you at your apartment right now." " She said she'd leave if I didn't come back." " That won't settle it." "You must go and tell her it's finished." "It would be best that way." " You'll wait for me here?" " I'll wait for you to come back, if you'll come back." " Go Linda, go home!" " Larry, what's the matter?" "What is it?" "Can I help you?" " Nothing's the matter, I don't need any help." "I just want you to leave." " I know I shouldn't have stayed here, but I couldn't give up that easily." " Give up what?" "What we never had?" "After being here all this time, you know I've asked you to join me overseas more than once." " Larry, what sort of a life is that?" "Living in hotels, places not even on the map." "Picking up and moving every time there's a new war or a revolution." " You married me, you knew I was foreign correspondent." " Yes, I know, but I figured one day you could settle down." " Settle down, that's a good way to put it." "Settle down like mud in a pool." "Bridge on Wednesdays, cocktail Thursdays," "PDA Fridays." "I can't give you this kind of stuff, Linda." "Go home and find someone else." " Larry, what's happened to you?" " I don't know, Linda." "I just want you to let me alone, that's all." "Just leave me alone, go away." " I won't let you alone, Larry." "I'm fighting with something that belongs to you and me." "I don't know how it happened, but it won't last." "This woman, she's got you all mixed up so you can't think straight." "I don't know how it started." "Maybe a weak moment." " Weak!" " Maybe you." " You think I'm weak?" "Do you think I covered all those wars and revolutions 'cause I was weak?" "Or maybe it's because I never put you in your place before, never slapped you down when you needed it." " Larry, what's gotten into you?" " Nothing's gotten into me!" "I just became my real self for once, that's all." "Nobody's gonna tie me down anymore, nobody's gonna tell me what to do." "I heard you singin'." "I don't know why I came in, I was just passing by." "I guess you don't know what I'm talking about." "Maybe that's just as well, makes it easier to talk." "I've gotta talk to someone." "I've gotta get it out of me." "You've gotta get it out of me." " I thought you weren't coming back." "You were a long time." " I told you, after Linda left I went out for a walk." " Where did you go?" " I don't know." "Fix me another drink, will you?" "It was like a dream, a sort of nightmare." "Only I don't know where the dream stopped and the real thing began." "I came to a temple, I remember that." "And then I was walking, just walking." " Does your hand hurt?" "Those prayer beads, where did you get them?" " I don't know, picked them up some place." "I can't remember." "I have a feeling I don't wanna remember." "I wanna forget." " That's something I can do." "Help you forget." " I like everything about this place, but the music." "Well, maybe I'm getting a little senile." " You're as young as you ever were, Ian." "And as kind." "It's sweet of you to bring me here." "You know, I was getting a bit lonely." "That's an understatement." "I was getting to scream." " Linda, I asked you here, because I wanna talk to you about Larry." "What the devil's gotten into him lately?" " I don't know." "Maybe it's what you just said." "The devil's gotten into him." " He used to be a good reporter, Linda." "All reliable." "Now when I want him, I can hardly find him." "And when I do, I can't seem to break though to him." "You say hello, and he starts an argument." "I've never seen anyone change so quickly." " Yeah." "Yeah, he doesn't seem the same person." " What are you gonna do?" "You can't stay here in Tokyo forever and watch Larry go to pieces like this." " I don't know exactly what I'm gonna do, Ian." "But I'm sure of one thing." "I still love Larry, and I'm not gonna run away." "Guess I'll just have to stick around for a while, and hope." " Well, I knew if I kept looking, I'd find you." " All right, you found me, now what?" " We've got a pretty big story to cover this morning." "What's the matter with your hand?" " I burned it." " When are you coming back to work, Larry?" " Seems to me I got some vacation due." " Yes, you have, but you're still being carried in my books." "I think I have a right to know what your plans are." " Plans?" "Who has any plans?" "Ian, do me a favor." "If you're not drinking, leave me alone, will you?" " I was about to." "I've got an office to take care of, you know." "But I have a suggestion." "How about tonight?" "You and I used to go on some pretty good binges together." " Not tonight." " Look, Larry." "Confession's good for the soul and all that." "Are you sure there isn't something you'd like to tell me?" " You're pressing your luck, Ian." " All right, Larry." "All right." "Whatever what's eating you stops eating." "You've got a job waiting." "But remember this, it can't wait forever." "Where'd you get those?" " Get what?" " Those." " I don't know, picked 'em up somewhere." " They're Buddhist prayer beads." " You don't say!" " Oh, I just thought it odd you had them." "They're common around here, but I've never seen you with anything like that before." " There must be a lot of things you've never seen, Ian." " Yes." "But Buddhist prayer beads." " As a matter of fact," "I talked to quite a few Buddhists recently." "I found out one very good thing about them." " What's that?" " They mind their own business." " All right, Larry." " Look at that, Tara." "There's a definite cycle." "That proves another theory of mine." "That change doesn't come all at once." "Larry Stanford right now is going through the metamorphosis." "This is his old self here at the bottom of each curve." "And this is his new self, actually a different species of men, at the top." "But notice how the waves are rising." "Before long, he'll be entirely on the top, entirely a new being." " Robert, I don't like it." " That's your privilege." "Not everyone's interested in mutation." " That's not what I mean." "I don't like what I'm doing." "I know you had to keep him in Tokyo, and at first I didn't care." "Any emotion I ever had was killed in me a long time ago." "But, maybe I've just a little left, and I don't like watching it happen to him." " Are you falling in love with him, Tara?" " I don't think I'm able to fall in love." "You don't have any illusions about us, do you?" "You know where you found me." "And you know what happens to me if I have to go back there." "That's the only reason I stayed with you, Robert." "Can I make it any clearer than that?" " Look at her, Tara." "Take another look at Emiko." "You knew her, Tara, when she way, oh, what shall we say?" "When she was an ordinary woman." "Not a bad looking woman." "Remember?" "Can you hear me, Emiko?" "Can you understand what I'm saying?" "You think I'm heartless, don't you, Tara?" "You like to pretend to be a woman without a soul, but these things really bother you, don't they?" "I think you forget that Emiko was my first human experiment." "That she begged me to try to enzyme out on her." "And when I wouldn't, she took it herself." "And you forget that my brother, Genji, volunteered, after I gave him full warning." " I know all that." "Is that supposed to excuse you?" " I don't have to make excuses to anyone, Tara." "I'm just trying to remind you of something." "Your very good friend, Larry Stanford, is going to change completely." "Nothing can stop that now." "I might be able to separate his new self, but I'm not gonna take that chance." "Do you know what that means, Tara?" "It means when he changes he'll be an alien thing, a species that's never walked this earth before." "Do you think they'll let a thing like that live?" "Do you think anybody will?" "Think it over, Tara." "Ask yourself if you can afford to fall in love with a monster like..." "Like Emiko, the woman who used to be my wife." " Come in." " Hello Larry." "I'm glad we found you in." " Any reason why you wouldn't?" " Put out the sputtering fuse, will you?" "Are you gonna ask us in?" " All right, come in, you know where the drinks are." "This is my friend Dr. Jennsen, Larry." "I happen to be with him tonight, and asked him to come along." "I hope you don't mind." " Why should I?" "Hi doc." " How do you do?" " Larry, I think you can guess why I wanna talk to you." "I think you know your behavior lately has not been exactly like your old self." " Now, listen to me Ian..." " Don't blow your cork." "I've got a couple of questions I mean to ask whether they're my business or not." " All right, go ahead and ask it." " First question." "Do you remember when I saw you in a bar after that old Buddhist priest was murdered?" "You had a string of Buddhist prayer beads with you, and you never did say why." "Now, I suppose this is far fetched, but I couldn't help feeling there was a connection." "Now, tell me the truth, Larry." "Did you accidentally see the murder or something like that?" "Did it set you off, put you in that rotten mood?" " Yeah, I'll tell you the truth, Ian." "I don't know what you're talking about." " All right." "Second question." "Do you realize that your behavior lately has had every aspect of a man flipping his lid?" " What are you trying to say, Ian?" " Larry, Dr. Jennsen is a psychiatrist." "The best in Tokyo." "That's why I brought him." "I'd like you to let him talk to you." "World press will pick up the bill." " So you're a witch doctor, eh?" " Well, some people do call us that." "I can see right now that your case would be most interesting." "Here's my card." "What about an appointment tomorrow morning?" "Say 10 o'clock?" " Get out of here, both of you!" "Doc, you go and rattle your bones somewhere else." "I gotta look after my own problems." "You shut up and get out of here!" "Just let me alone, that's all." "Get out!" "Just let me alone, that's all!" "Just let me alone!" "Leave me alone!" " Hello, police." "This is Dr. Jennsen." "Akasaka." "Five." "One three two." "Please send police here immediately." "This is urgent." " All right, fellas, go on back to the office and write this up." "I'll see you in about a half an hour." "I'm afraid I've got a personal interest in this from the superintendent." "I knew Dr. Jennsen very well." " Mr. Matthews, I'm going to ask a favor." "I wish you wouldn't print this story just yet." " Print it, now wait a minute." "Dr. Jennsen was internationally known." "This is news." " Mr. Matthews, there's a killer loose in Tokyo." "The worst known in 30 years, and I've gotta stop him." "Now, so far we've reported every murder he's committed." "This time I want to throw him off guard." "Perhaps he'll wonder why it wasn't reported." "Perhaps he'll come back." " When you say don't print this story, you're asking quite a bit." "I have a responsibility to my readers, you know." " You also have one to your friend, Dr. Jennsen." "Believe me, Mr. Matthews," "I'm determined to catch this murderer." "I have to answer to my own superiors, and if I don't catch him," "I'll be obliged to resign." " Well, I'll hold off for the time being, but you can't keep a thing like this quiet for long." " Tomorrow, they'll be a press conference in my office at five o'clock." "I'll try to have something more definite for you by then." " All right, and perhaps by that time" "I'll have something for you." "Larry." "Larry, are you here?" "Larry." "You must be the cleaning woman." " Gentlemen, the killings have been at these places." "Usually, we get a pattern from something like this, but not this time." "He seems to strike blindly, without reason." " That's a very impressive map, superintendent." "But just exactly what are you doing about these murders?" " Well, we've doubled the police on duty, and every officer carries extra arms, and we've deployed our men so that reinforcements are always nearby." " I'd like to know, sir, when do you expect to catch the killer?" " I'm sorry, I don't know." "If we could find a pattern, I might be able to estimate, but this killer, well, he doesn't even seem to be human." "Anymore questions, gentlemen?" " Is that all you've got for us?" " That's all I have right now." " Well, thanks, superintendent." "The next time you call us in," "I hope you've got more of a story." " Well, Mr. Matthews, I suppose you're not satisfied either." " Superintendent, I've come to a decision." "Not an easy one." "But I'm thinking of your men out there, and all the others who may shortly find themselves victims." " Yes." " I'm afraid I have something very important to tell you." " Yes, it does look bad." "But still, you can never tell about evidence." "It can be very deceiving." " Hi." "Hmm, hmm." "Well, he's killed someone else." "This time one of my policemen." " Are you sure it was the same killer?" " No doubt." "And he got away again." " I just can't believe it was Larry." " Well, whether we're sure of it or not, Mr. Matthews, the time has come to take some precautions." " Pick up Larry?" " Yes, if we can find him." " Well, he's bound to return to his apartment sooner or later." "I suppose you can put a stake out on him." " I'm gonna handle this personally." "And I'd like you to come along." " Larry." "Larry." " There he goes." " What happened?" " He got away." " I think I know where he's going, to Tara's." "Follow me." " All right." "Well, it's fortunate she wasn't here." "But I wonder where she went to." "He's gonna try and get her." " Still looking for that pattern, superintendent?" " No, I'm afraid I'm just trusting to luck now." " Superintendent." " Yes." " When you find him, will you, will you remember that something's happened to him?" "Something he can't control." "I know Larry." " Are you asking me not to shoot to kill?" " Yes, I am." " I'm sorry, Mrs. Stanford," "I can't promise anything right now." "He's been sighted at the shipyards." "Come on." "There he goes!" "Try not to shoot." "Take him alive." " No, Linda, you better wait here." " Well, between this and heat treatment, there's a chance." "I'm not sure, but there's bound to be some sort of change." " If he comes back." " He'll be here." "Genji came back, remember?" "At the risk of being over poetic, let me put it this way." "He was conceived in the mountain, he'll return to the mountain." " You shouldn't have done it, Robert." "You shouldn't have started the whole thing." " I suppose I'm just beginning to realize that." "Still, look what I've given to science." "It's all in this notebook." "The whole case history, except for one detail." "The formula for the enzyme." "I don't want this experiment repeated." "Even" " I don't know what your plans are, but don't destroy him, not the way you destroyed Genji, promise me that." " You did fall in love with Larry Stanford, didn't you?" "Tara, some of us aren't meant to know love." "Not as ordinary people do." "I haven't had very good luck myself in that respect." " But you've got to try with Larry, you got to try to bring him back." " I tried with Genji, and I kept trying with Emiko even when I knew it was hopeless." "I'm afraid that was a mistake." "But with this new injection on heat, lots of heat, it may work." "He might separate completely, split into two human beings." "But Tara, what will they be?" " I'm leaving you, Robert." " You can't leave me, Tara." "We've gone through this before." "Do you wanna go back to where I found you?" " Yes, I'll go back to that if necessary." " Don't talk like a child." "Haven't I treated you well?" "Bought you anything you wanted." "What else do you want?" "The illusion of respectability?" "All right, if that's what you want, I'll marry you." "That can be arranged now." " You may need this, Robert." "Police department." "Inspector Aida, please." " Try to understand, Emiko, and you can try harder." "Try this time." "You used to be my wife, and before that" "you were my sweetheart." "Remember?" "We went to America." "We went to the university together." "We had wonderful plans, didn't we?" "We were gonna be great scientists." "Like Pierre and Marie curie." "But it didn't work out that way, did it, Emiko?" "I'm sorry." "I don't know why." "Maybe I offended the gods." "Funny." "I didn't used to believe in gods." "Forgive me." " But did you give him my message?" "I see." "I see." "Come on." "Don't be afraid." "You know me." "Give me your hand." "Gimme your hand." " Let me go, let me go!" "Larry!" "Larry!" "Larry." "Larry." " Well, I guess there's nothing else we can do now." "Except wait." " I'll wait, I'll wait as long as I have to." " It may be quite a while." "I'll have to make a formal arrest when he's well enough." "I have no choice." " I understand, superintendent." " It's gonna pose quite a legal problem." "Who really did all these things?" " It wasn't Larry." "It couldn't have been Larry." "Must have been something, someone else." "But why did it have to happen, why?" " I don't know, Linda." "He was an average sort of guy." "The image of us all." "How can I say this?" "There was good in Larry and there was evil." "The evil part broke through, took hold." "Call it an accident or call it a warning." " A warning?" " I'm a reporter, not a mystic, Linda." "But there are things beyond us, things perhaps we're not meant to understand." "If what's happened has made this all clear, well then, perhaps it makes sense after all." "Have faith, Linda." "Have faith in the good that's still in Larry." "And in all men."