Hal and Pemulis on the DMZ and quitting (pp. 1063–1064)

‘It was a DMZ-dream.’ ‘Do you see how you’re going to apply this to a rate-of-increase-type little story they’ll pose?’ ‘It involved your experimental soldier, the massive dose.’ ‘Let me just close this door, here.’ ‘It was the Leavenworth convict. The one you said had left the planet. The one belting out Ethel Merman. It was horrific, Mikey. In the dream I was the soldier.’ ‘So you’re now going to assume a real you-know-what experience will be similar to the experience of a nightmare.’ ‘Aha. Why nightmare? Why do you assume it was a nightmare? Did I use the word nightmare?’ ‘You used the word horrific. I assume it wasn’t a romp through the heather.’