"Chet, my comrade, let's not begin to torture ourselves again."
"There must be something we can do!"
"Hah! I'm going to be replaced in ten days and you have your black superpatriot snarling at your heels."
"So whatever we do, it's got to be done in the next ten days."
Leonov said nothing. Kinsman could sense his disap- proval.
"Come on, Pete'" he snapped. "Do you have a plan of action?" the Russian asked softly.
"I wish I did." Kinsman stamped his booted foot, stirring up a cloud of dust. His legs felt itchy and it was impossible to scratch them inside the cumbersome suit.
"So," said Leonov. "You talk and worry and stay awake nights—but you have no idea of what can be done."
"Do you?"
Leonov raised both hands above his heimet. "Spare me this endless self-flagellation!"
"Now, don't get excited," said Kinsman. "Before we can lay any plans we've got to agree on how far we're willing to go."
"In what direction?"
"Well ..." Kinsman suddenly realized that he had known the first step all along. "To begin with, suppose you refused to return Earthside. Suppose you requested that you remain in Lunagrad. What then?"
The shoulders of Leonov's red suit moved vaguely, as if he were shrugging inside it. "I have several weeks' leave due to me. I could ask to spend it in Lunagrad rather than at home. But it would be a very suspicious move."
"Suppose you refused to relinquish command of Luna- grad?"
"Mmm . . ." The Russian's voice grew somber. "That would be a direct disobedience of orders. Treason against the state. Very serious."
"What about your wife and children?"
"I doubt that the security police would bother them. Nothing like that has been done in twenty years, despite the horror stories concocted by your Western press. But, frankly, I would worry about the children."
"And your wife?"
He almost laughed. "My darling wife would be quite happy to see me shot. It would free her completely."
