(Probably Found) Looking for short story title, possibly by Heinlein

[JohnR]

I read this many years ago.
It involved a man who learned that he was among a group of slightly evolved 'super humans.' He met a girl of similar background.

They were helped by a used car (flyer?) salesman maned Beetle Kelly or something like that.

In the end they saved the world while on the Moon and died in the process.
I believe at that point they were known as Mr & mrs Joe Green

They were briefly referenced in one of the author's later books.

???

 

[chrispenycate]

Yes, it definitely was Heinlein; and the book that cited it was "Friday", and I can remember the details very clearly; except, of course, for the title.
I'll see if I can squeeze it out of google immediately.
Assignment in eternity, or something like that?


"Gulf" first appeared in the Nov-Dec 1949 issues of Astounding magazine, and is the best fleshed out story here. A novella, the first portion of this reads like a James Bond thriller (perhaps better), the action is fast paced and our hero's actions make sense. But it quickly becomes apparent that he is far more than an average man, in fact he is something of a superman in terms of intelligence, reaction time, and decision making, items which are not lost on an entire society of such individuals, who recruit and train him. Some of the science presented here about how such a group of people came to be and the methods used for training them will seem a little dubious to today's readers, and the moral points raised (is a superior being justified in eliminating, without recourse to the law, those he feel are a threat to his society?) might raise a few hackles, but this is still a fun, fast read that will make you do a little thinking. Kettle Bailey is introduced in this story, and it might be considered a prequel to his much later novel Friday, which dealt with some of the same moral issues. Like almost everything else he wrote, this story was tied into his Future History in his last books.

Does that sound right to you?

 

[Pyan]

That's the one, chris
It's a detail, but wasn't it "Kettle Belly" Baldwin? I always thought it was a somewhat derogatory reference to his weight.

 

[doug1937]

I've read Friday (loved it) but didn't know there was a prequel. Anyone know where I can find a copy of the prequel?

Thanks!

 

[j d worthington]

It's included in Heinlein's Assignment in Eternity, and A Century of Great Short Science Fiction Novels (ed. Damon Knight).

 

[Ravensquawk]

That's the one, chris
It's a detail, but wasn't it "Kettle Belly" Baldwin? I always thought it was a somewhat derogatory reference to his weight.

Presently he turned again to Baldwin. “By the way, how did you manage to sneak in that dazzle bomb?

Kettle Belly chuckled. “I’m a large man, Joe; there’s an awful lot of me to search.” He laughed again. “You’d be amazed at where I had that hidden.”

This is making me laugh yet again right now.

 

[JimC]

I first read Gulf in Astounding.
As an aside, Ginny Heinlein had the original painting for the cover of Friday hanging in the entryway of her house in Fleet Landing at Atlantic Beach.

 

[pwiecek]

I believe Friday was genetically engineered rather than evolved.

 

[Ravensquawk]

I believe Friday was genetically engineered rather than evolved.

Yep! She was, to be move faster than a normal human being could react, and human medical invention could regenerate tissue after "they sawed off my right tit".

"GULF" is the far better match, with highly trained and skilled people who invented their own language and social structure, among other things.

It's

Serialized and archived.

Meet Joe Greene, Gail, and Kettle Belly Baldwin.

 

[Jubal_Harshaw]

I read this many years ago.
It involved a man who learned that he was among a group of slightly evolved 'super humans.' He met a girl of similar background.

They were helped by a used car (flyer?) salesman maned Beetle Kelly or something like that.

In the end they saved the world while on the Moon and died in the process.
I believe at that point they were known as Mr & mrs Joe Green

They were briefly referenced in one of the author's later books.

???

Actually, I think that you are remembering PART of the novella "Gulf" and part of the novel Friday. Friday was a "sort of" sequel to Gulf.

edit: oops, should have read the rest of the thread before replying