Page 126 - Psychoceramics and the Test of Fire

EtheRealization

He looked at the card. Right there, in black and white, the name
I’d given him was identified as belonging to a representative of
Entelekon, a tax-exempt foundation. He gave it back to me, only it
was his card now. Nice trick, and I congratulated myself for keeping
my eyes on his face, not his extremities.
“You’ve got your first five minutes, sir.” He set a mug of beer
down in front of me on a cocktail napkin, handle to my left. I didn’t
see him turn away to draw it, but did realize he must have noted me
handing him the card with my left hand.
“Call me Evan. You’re probably not familiar with Entelekon.” I
left the inflection hanging. He took it down as a question.
“No, I’m not. Does it need a bartender?”
Okay, I thought: last straight line for you. “Not that I know of,” I
smiled, trying to break the ice with a feather. “We’re an independent
organization promoting philosophical investigations into human
nature. You can read our mission statement online, if you wish; I
can’t recite it in the minute or two before I must order another beer!
Suffice it to say, we are interested in your work.”
He still wasn’t ready to take me seriously. If I could have seen
myself in action I wouldn’t have, either.
“Well,” said Hart Knox with a devilish grin, “I have invented a
couple of new cocktails during my tenure here—the Houdini
Highball and Chain, and the Vanishing Pink Elephant—but The
Rabbit Hole owns them now.”
I laughed, mostly at myself. “Very good! I suppose you have not
recently reviewed your theoretical work at the university, given its
hostile reception and your unjust treatment. But others outside the
ivy-covered walls have paid attention, let me assure you. It is a shame
you could not proceed with the new project outlined in a grant
application suppressed by your employers—”
“Wait a minute.” Now he was attentive, palms down on the damp
polished wood. “How do you know about that?”
“Sir, I would not expect you to divulge your trade secrets—
although I would like to know how you can levitate people and wave
a hoop around them in all directions, demonstrating the absence of
any supporting wires—so I must ask you not to press me for mine. It
is enough to say that my organization has sympathetic followers in
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