The Dark Lady

through two thousand newstapes,” he said. “Not a sign of her. Tomorrow I start on the magazines.” He grimaced. “I hate to think of how many of them I've got to wade through.”
    “I have examined every brochure and catalog that we have received within the past two weeks,” I said. “None of them list any portraits of her for sale.”
    “Why only two weeks?” he asked.
    “Because she was on Acheron less than three weeks ago,” I replied, “and while there is always a possibility that an older portrait of her might be offered for sale, your findings have convinced me that the artist will almost certainly be dead. We must find the man she met after vanishing from Friend Valentine's ship.”
    “ If she's reappeared yet,” said Venzia glumly. “There have been periods where she's simply vanished for years, even centuries.”
    “Possibly,” I said. “But is it not also possible that she did not vanish, but rather that you have been unable as yet to determine her whereabouts during those periods?”
    “It's possible,” he admitted wearily. He yawned. “God, I'm tired! I think I'm going to take the rest of the night off.” He sighed deeply. “I've been spending twenty hours a day on those goddamned newstapes. If she's appeared again, I sure as hell don't know where.”
    “Rest well, Friend Reuben,” I said.
    “Thanks,” he replied. “Maybe we both ought to knock off for the night. You can't be feeling too fresh yourself.”
    “I think I shall go to the library,” I said. “I still have work to do.”
    “For Claiborne?” he asked.
    “No— for us. You have suggested a most interesting line of inquiry.”
    “ I have?” he said, surprised.
    “Yes,” I replied. “I shall eat dinner here, and then I will pursue it.”
    “You'll let me know if you come up with anything promising?” he said.
    “Certainly, Friend Reuben,” I said.
    We parted, I ate a light meal, and then I walked to the library, trying to order my thoughts before speaking to the computer.

17.
    I sat at my cubicle in the library, watching the computer come to life.
    “Good evening,” it said at last. “How may I help you?”
    “I am Leonardo of Benitarus II, and we have spoken before.”
    “I regret to inform you that I have found no other portraits of the subject you seek.”
    “I know,” I said. “I seek other information this evening.”
    An enormous list began scrolling on the screen. “I have been instructed by Reuben Venzia to inform you at such time as you came here that he has viewed these tapes and magazines without success.”
    “I am not interested in viewing tapes or other electronic media,” I said.
    The screen went blank.
    “I await your command.”
    “Who is the greatest human hero currently living?”
    “I am incapable of making the subjective judgment required to answer your question.”
    “Then can you tell me which living member of the human military has received the most decorations for valor?”
    “Admiral Evangeline Waugh.”
    “A woman?” I asked, disappointed.
    “Yes.”
    “Which living man is the most decorated?”
    “Sugi Yamisata.”
    “What is his rank?”
    “He has none.”
    “Is he retired?” I asked.
    “He is currently in military prison for killing a fellow soldier while under the influence of illegal stimulants.”
    “Has he been in prison for more than three weeks?”
    “He is currently serving the fifth year of a thirteen-year sentence,” answered the computer.
    I quickly decided that Yamisata could not be the man the Dark Lady would visit next. He had not courted her for at least five years, and was in no position to attract her attention for another eight.
    “How long will it take you to produce a list of all human males whose jobs require them to enter life-threatening situations?” I asked.
    “That cannot be done,” replied the computer.
    “Why not?”
    “There are currently more than twenty billion men serving in jobs that require them to enter life-threatening situations. By the time I finished listing them, the list would be invalid.”
    “Twenty billion ?” I repeated, surprised. “How many are in the military?”
    “Thirteen billion.”
    “What are some of the other professions?”
    “Law enforcement, four billion; fire departments, one billion; toxic waste disposal— ”
    “Stop,” I said.
    The computer was instantly silent.
    “How may I determine the identity of the one living human male who has courted death more assiduously than