The Master of Sinanju puffed out his cheeks in anger. "He has insulted Sinanju!" he cried. "For that I will-"
Remo got in his way. "No, Little Father. Do you want to make things worse?"
"There, see! The little guy wants to kill me!" the Vice-President said triumphantly. "That's proof."
Adonis stepped in front of the Master of Sinanju. "Do not fear. He will not harm a hair on your head as long as I'm here."
"The final insult," said Chiun, practically jumping up and down. "A kung-fu dancer threatens the Master of Sinanju!"
Remo took Chiun by his frail shoulders.
"Calm down, will you?" he pleaded. "Look, let's just go. We're not wanted here."
"You are not needed here, either," Adonis taunted.
"We'll see about you later," said Remo, guiding Chiun to the elevator.
"Be sure to tuck him in. He looks very old," Adonis called mockingly.
Remo had to use all his strength to get the Master of Sinanju into the elevator. He wondered how he was going to explain this to Smith.
Chapter 12
"We are disgraced," said the Master of Sinanju.
"Cut it out, Chiun. I don't want to hear it."
They were walking along Pennsylvania Avenue. Remo found a phone booth near the Treasury Building.
"Hold on," Remo said, slipping into the booth.
The Master of Sinanju looked at him critically. "What are you doing?"
"Reporting to Smith."
Chiun snatched the phone out of Remo's hands and severed the cord with a vicious fingernail slice.
"Chiun!" Remo said.
"Are you mad? Report to Smith!"
"What else do you want me to do? We report to Smith. He tells us what we should do next."
"Tell him! Tell him what?"
"Why, what happened, of course."
"The truth! You are mad. In the history of Sinanju, no Master has ever told the complete truth to an emperor. It is unheard of."
"You want me to lie?"
"No, but in situations such as this, one must be diplomatic. "
"You want me to lie, " said Remo, looking for another phone. There was one adjoining the first booth.
"I do not want you to lie," said Chiun. "But I think we should not jump into the truth too swiftly, like a foolish man who wades out into a treacherous surf, unaware of currents and drop-offs. "
Remo lifted the receiver. Then he remembered that he didn't have a quarter on him. In fact, he had no money at all. He turned to the Master of Sinanju and instantly dismissed the idea of asking him directly for the quarter.
"Tell you what, Little Father," Remo said solicitously. "You make the call."
"I will. But let us get our story straight before we plunge in. "
"Tell him whatever you want," said Remo, handing Chiun the receiver.
"I do not know the stupid codes," said Chiun.
"Make you a deal. You put the quarter in the slot and I'll work the security code."
"Done," said the Master of Sinanju, removing a red wallet from an inside pocket and extracting a quarter from it. He dropped the coin in the slot, holding the receiver tight to one ear while Remo punched the buttons.
Remo always hated the codes. He could never remember them, and since he was no longer an official CURE employee, he no longer tried. The last time he had used the code, it had been a continuous one. Remo pressed the one button and held it down. He asked Chiun, "Have you got him yet? He should be coming on about now."
"No," said the Master of Sinanju. "I am instead listening to some woman claiming to tell me the correct time. She is off by two seconds." Chiun hung up.
"What'd you hang up for? That was Smith."
"Has Smith become a woman?"
"No, the telephone signal goes through the phone system's correct-time service. Smith comes on after the weather."
"He should have come on before the woman."
"Let's try again, shall we?"
"Your quarter this time," said Chiun.
"I'll have to owe it to you," sighed Remo.
"And I will have to charge you interest," countered Chiun, dropping another quarter into the slot. Remo leaned on the one button. After a moment Chiun began to chatter anxiously.
"It is not my fault, Emperor Smith. I tried. Even Remo tried. We could not help what happened. I hope you will keep our past record of success in mind at the next contract signing, for when deciding such important matters it is always wise to keep the total service of a Master of Sinanju in mind."
"What are you telling him?" asked Remo, grabbing the phone. "What happened to breaking the news gently?"
"I am beside myself with worry. Never has such a thing happened."