Terry Pratchett
The Third Book of The Nomes
Wings
"Thing, do you know what happens next?"
"We will pass through Immigration and Customs. Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of a subversive organization?"
Silence.
"What, us? Why are you asking us that?"
"It is the sort of question that gets asked. I am monitoring communications."
"Oh. Well, I don't think we have. Have we?"
"No."
"No."
"No. I didn't think we had been. What does subversive mean?"
"The question seeks to establish whether you've come here to overthrow the Goverment of the United States."
"I don't think we want to do that. Do we?"
"No."
"No."
"No, we don't. They don't have to worry about us."
"Very clever idea though."
"What is?"
"Asking the questions when people arrive. If anyone was coming here to do some subversive overthrowing, everyone'd be down like a pound of bricks as soon as he answered "Yes"."
"It's a sneaky trick, isn't it," said Angalo, in an admiring tone of voice.
"No we don't to do any overthrowing," said Masklin to the Thing. "We just want to steal one of their going-straight-up jets. What are they called again?"
"Space Shuttles."
"Right. And then we'll be off. We don't want to cause any trouble."
. . . .
