It looked that way here. The eyes were jerking and rolling about in their sockets. The mouth sagged, shut, then sagged again as muscular strength drained away.
"Looks like he's trying to say something," Remo said.
"Can you hear me, cur of Nishi?" Chiun asked. "I spit upon you."
The eyes suddenly got organized. They seemed to fall into focus on the Master of Sinanju's angry face.
The mouth struggled, then gaped all the way open, as if in surprise.
Chiun spit into the mouth.
FURIO BATSUKA FOUND himself looking into the face of the old Korean. His first thought was How did he beat me to Mobile?
His second was I am taller that he. Why does he seem as tall as I?
Then the room spun and spun, and Furio Batsuka saw the window glass zooming at him, shatter, and enjoyed an exhilarating view of the Denver skyline before his dead head dropped into an open Dumpster, where squirming maggots soon made a temporary home.
BACK AT THE HOTEL Remo picked up the telephone and heard a rush of static. He said, "moshi moshi, " and getting no response, hung up.
"Better check in with Smith," suggested Remo.
Harold Smith's voice was ghastly when Remo got him on the line.
"I assume you were successful?" he croaked thickly.
"How do you assume that?" wondered Remo.
"Because I had all outgoing telephone calls from the Denver Hilton rerouted to my office and I have a headless samurai warrior lying on my desktop," Smith said jerkily.
"Nice catch," said Remo.
Chiun was stamping about in circles, waving the trophy battle-ax in frustration. "It is ronin! Why can you two not get this straight?"
Harold Smith said, "Have you learned Nishitsu's true objective?"
"Yeah. They're pushing the horror of steel wheels on rail on one hand and the joys of magnetic levitation on the other. I think that says it all."
"They cannot be allowed to enjoy the fruits of their scheme."
"We could have some fun with their demonstration model," suggested Remo.
"Do so." Smith hung up.
Remo hung up. "Okay, Little Father. Once we tie up the loose ends, we're done."
Chiun tossed the battle-ax on the bed, but Remo recovered it. He had the remaining katana in hand.
"Can't leave these lying around to give the maid ideas."
They left the room.
"What is this thing called anyway?" Remo asked Chiun, hefting the ax.
"It is an ono. A battle-ax."
"That explains Yoko," Remo said as the elevator door opened to admit them.
Chapter 27
The white-coated Nishitsu demonstration team stood before the waiting maglev engine and its single car, extolling the virtues of magnetic-levitation transportation.
Melvis Cupper heard the words, but he was like a Baptist at a Hindu widow-burning ceremony. He understood the reasoning; he just flat out did not believe in the procedure.
"Magnetic revitation is the future. Magnetic revitation is superior to arr other rair technorogies. The many viorent derairments America now experiencing proves that ord technorogy is no ronger good for America. Nishitsu magrev is the future for America. If this demonstration convinces you, write congressmen and senators. Write White House. Terr them you want safe rair transporation, not train wrecks."
"Man, he is layin' it on thick, ain't he?" Melvis muttered.
K.C. punched him playfully. "Hush, Mel. Open your mind, not just your ears."
"Now it is time to board the Nishitsu Express to future," the corporate spokesman said.
The door hummed open, and they began boarding.
"Man, I hope I got the stomach for this," Melvis said.
K.C. said, "I won't force you, Melvis. You gotta take this step on your own."
Melvis's face scrunched up. "Oh, Lord, give me the strength. What I do, I do for love and not out of disrespect for rail and country."
Closing his eyes, Melvis allowed himself to be guided onto the humming car. He felt like Jonah in more ways than one.
"You can open them now," K.C. prompted.
Melvis did.
It was like being inside a pneumatic tube, he decided. All slicked up, plush, polished and featureless. The seats hardly looked like seats. And they were facing every which way.
"Prease take seats," a crisp Japanese voice said over the intercom.
Melvis waved K.C. into a seat and sat beside her. The car soon filled up.
Melvis noticed his knees were knocking together. He wasn't sure if it was because he had found true love or because he was letting himself be carried off by heathen rail technology.
A sudden increase in the humming warned him the brief trip was about to start.
"Magrev operates on principre of opposing porarity," the intercom voice continued.