a．TheydrovetothebackofthebuildingwhereDimitriusedhismastercardtounlocktheentraheundergroundparkinglot．Thegaragedoorrolledupslowly,likeanenormousmonsteropeningitsrgeandfierce-lookingmouth-aproduodernsce．Theeborateelectricsystemwaslikenervesspreadingovereverypartofitsbody-theairditioning,itsbreathingsystem；ipes，itscolossalbloodvessels；steelstructure,itsskeleton；a,itsstrongunyieldingmuscles．Intheyearsofdeeprecession，itwasleanandfamishedasawildanimal,leftdestituteihofwinter，aremitieswouldnotbeadversetoswallowingitsmaster．Usinghismastercard，Dimitriledhislittlegroupintothebuilding,magicallyopeningallthedoors．Hewasnotfamiliarwiththebuilding,buttheystumbledonuntiltheycametothebighall,hisfamiliarndmark．Notknowinganyshortcuts,hetooktheonlyrouteheknew,uptoMr.Kaffee’sofficeatthetopofthebuildingandthendownagaintothevaultviatheprivateelevator．Theyseemedtobegoingfromthestomachofthegiantmonsteralonghisspiohishead,theheadquartersofthetralnervoussystemandthendownagaintohisabdomen,whereallthericheswerestored．Whattheydidnotknowwas,assoonastheysteppedintothebuilding,theycameuhesurveilnceofvideocameras．

    IroomsurrouVss,Mr．Kaffeewascloselymonittheireverymove．Behindhimwerehistrustedlieutenants,AllenandSteven．Uglyandft-facedStevenstoodthere，stodmuscur，lightshiningonhisalmostbaldhead，coveredwithonlyafewstrandsofhair．Allen’ssharpeyesweregluedtothesasfiguresflickeredby,silentastheshadowsandreflesdriftier．Theclose-uptenanitri，Richardaappearedonthesonebyone．Mr．Kaffeelookedilyatallthesedriftingfaces,whichweresilentasthephantomsfloatingaboutinthecemeteries．Hehadtodestroythemall．Itwashisstceatsurvival,ortheoofallmaybehimself．Hehadbeenjugglingwiththebookswiththehelpofhighlypaidandnotsoscrupulousgeniusesofating,sothegradualtransitionoffundshadescapedthesharpandevervigihegover．Now,hehadboughtbackallthesharesthathadinallybeloohimattheexpenseofhists,whoseatsheruthlesslyplundered．Butwhathecouldn’tpossiblyhavepredictedwastherecession，whichbotchedallhispns．Itwasn’tjustpersonalbadluck,fortheever-deepeningrecessionwasworldwideandtotallybeyondhistrol．Hisloadwasgettingheavierandheavier,andhisembezzlementwouldiablybeexposed，unlesshecouldruboutDimitri．Itwashisonlyhopeofsurvival,onewhichhecouldgo．Sohesatinthesecretroom,tautlyscrutinizilegroup．Dimitrioherhand，wassurveyingthebrilliantlylitemptyhallinsatisfa.EvidentlyMr．Kaffeehadcarriedouthisordersmeticulously．ThenaiveandvivaciousYokowalkeduptohim,linkedherfingersinhisandwhisperedsoftly，

    "Doyouremembertellingmeooallersintomyhome?Aren’tyoudoingjustthatnow?"

    "Thesituationisdifferent,”saidDimitri,lookingathersmilingly．"Hereyoumakeyourselvesathome.”

    12

    Thefactofthematterwas，inthesebadeictimes，graveyardshiftsweren’treallynecessaryastherewasn’tmuchurgentworkthatobeatteoatonce．Peopleakeuseottherecessiooreverttoamandleisurelylifestyle．Theclerksmightaswellspeimesaunteringthroughtheparks．Thegrandbuildingwithitsorderlyrowsofdesksandmodernteologicalequipmentwaslikeaquietgraveyardinthesuburbs．MaraandYokowereliketybirds，flittingaro

a．TheydrovetothebackofthebuildingwhereDimitriusedhismastercardtounlocktheentraheundergroundparkinglot．Thegaragedoorrolledupslowly,likeanenormousmonsteropeningitsrgeandfierce-lookingmouth-aproduodernsce．Theeborateelectricsystemwaslikenervesspreadingovereverypartofitsbody-theairditioning,itsbreathingsystem；ipes，itscolossalbloodvessels；steelstructure,itsskeleton；a,itsstrongunyieldingmuscles．Intheyearsofdeeprecession，itwasleanandfamishedasawildanimal,leftdestituteihofwinter，aremitieswouldnotbeadversetoswallowingitsmaster．Usinghismastercard，Dimitriledhislittlegroupintothebuilding,magicallyopeningallthedoors．Hewasnotfamiliarwiththebuilding,buttheystumbledonuntiltheycametothebighall,hisfamiliarndmark．Notknowinganyshortcuts,hetooktheonlyrouteheknew,uptoMr.Kaffee’sofficeatthetopofthebuildingandthendownagaintothevaultviatheprivateelevator．Theyseemedtobegoingfromthestomachofthegiantmonsteralonghisspiohishead,theheadquartersofthetralnervoussystemandthendownagaintohisabdomen,whereallthericheswerestored．Whattheydidnotknowwas,assoonastheysteppedintothebuilding,theycameuhesurveilnceofvideocameras．

    IroomsurrouVss,Mr．Kaffeewascloselymonittheireverymove．Behindhimwerehistrustedlieutenants,AllenandSteven．Uglyandft-facedStevenstoodthere，stodmuscur，lightshiningonhisalmostbaldhead，coveredwithonlyafewstrandsofhair．Allen’ssharpeyesweregluedtothesasfiguresflickeredby,silentastheshadowsandreflesdriftier．Theclose-uptenanitri，Richardaappearedonthesonebyone．Mr．Kaffeelookedilyatallthesedriftingfaces,whichweresilentasthephantomsfloatingaboutinthecemeteries．Hehadtodestroythemall．Itwashisstceatsurvival,ortheoofallmaybehimself．Hehadbeenjugglingwiththebookswiththehelpofhighlypaidandnotsoscrupulousgeniusesofating,sothegradualtransitionoffundshadescapedthesharpandevervigihegover．Now,hehadboughtbackallthesharesthathadinallybeloohimattheexpenseofhists,whoseatsheruthlesslyplundered．Butwhathecouldn’tpossiblyhavepredictedwastherecession，whichbotchedallhispns．Itwasn’tjustpersonalbadluck,fortheever-deepeningrecessionwasworldwideandtotallybeyondhistrol．Hisloadwasgettingheavierandheavier,andhisembezzlementwouldiablybeexposed，unlesshecouldruboutDimitri．Itwashisonlyhopeofsurvival,onewhichhecouldgo．Sohesatinthesecretroom,tautlyscrutinizilegroup．Dimitrioherhand，wassurveyingthebrilliantlylitemptyhallinsatisfa.EvidentlyMr．Kaffeehadcarriedouthisordersmeticulously．ThenaiveandvivaciousYokowalkeduptohim,linkedherfingersinhisandwhisperedsoftly，

    "Doyouremembertellingmeooallersintomyhome?Aren’tyoudoingjustthatnow?"

    "Thesituationisdifferent,”saidDimitri,lookingathersmilingly．"Hereyoumakeyourselvesathome.”

    12

    Thefactofthematterwas，inthesebadeictimes，graveyardshiftsweren’treallynecessaryastherewasn’tmuchurgentworkthatobeatteoatonce．Peopleakeuseottherecessiooreverttoamandleisurelylifestyle．Theclerksmightaswellspeimesaunteringthroughtheparks．Thegrandbuildingwithitsorderlyrowsofdesksandmodernteologicalequipmentwaslikeaquietgraveyardinthesuburbs．MaraandYokowereliketybirds，flittingaro