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though it were a light he shone on everything within range of his senses. In
the satisfaction there lay a stalking craftiness.
"That card," he said, his voice petulant. "Why'd you look at that card again?"
"I ... ah, just wanted another look," Murphey said. He lowered his head.
"Do you see something new in it?"
"What I always see in it --an animal skin."
Whelye stared at the back of Murphey's head with a look of glee. "An animal
skin, the kind you trapped when you were a boy."
"I made a lot of money off those skins. Always had an eye for money."
Whelye's head bobbed up and down, a curious wracking motion that rippled a
fold of flesh against his collar. "Would you like a second look at any of the
other cards?"
Murphey wet his lips with his tongue. "Guess not."
"Interesting," Whelye murmured.
Murphey turned slightly, spoke without looking at the psychiatrist. "Doc,
maybe you'd tell me something."
"What?"
"I had this test from another of you headshrinkers, you know --from Thurlow.
What's it show?"
Something fierce and pouncing arose in Whelye's face. "Didn't Thurlow tell
you?"
"No. I figured you're more of a right guy, that you'd level with me."
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Whelye looked down at the papers in his lap, moved his pencil absently. He
began filling in the "o's" of a printed line. "Thurlow has no medical degree."
"Yeah, but what's the test show about me?"
Whelye completed his pencil work on the line of print, sat back and examined
it "It takes a little time to evaluate the data," he said, "but I'd hazard a
guess you're as normal as the next fellow."
"Does that mean I'm sane?" Murphey asked. He stared at the table, breath held,
waiting.
"As sane as I am," Whelye said.
A deep sigh escaped Murphey. He smiled, looked sidelong at the inkblot cards.
"Thanks, Doc."
The scene faded abruptly.
Kelexel shook his head, looked across the desk to see Fraffin's hand on the
pantovive's cutoff controls. The Director was grinning at him.
"See," Fraffin said. "Someone else who thinks Murphey's sane, someone who
agrees with you."
"You said you were going to show me Thurlow."
"But I did!"
"I don't understand."
"Didn't you see the compulsive way this witch doctor filled in those letters
on his paper?
Did you see Thurlow doing anything like that?"
"No, but ... "
"And didn't you notice how much this witch doctor enjoyed Murphey's fear?"
"But fear can be amusing at times."
"And pain, and violence?" Fraffin asked.
"Certainly, if they're handled correctly."
Fraffin continued to stare at him, smiling.
I enjoy their fear, too, Kelexel thought.
Is that what this insane director's suggesting? Is he trying to compare me to
these
...
creatures? Any Chem enjoys such things!
"Some of these natives have conceived the strange idea," Fraffin said, "that
anything which degrades life --degrades any life --is a sickness."
"But that depends entirely on what form of life's degraded," Kelexel objected.
"Surely, even these natives of yours wouldn't hesitate to degrade a ... a ...
a worm!"
Fraffin merely stared at him.
"Well?" Kelexel demanded.
Still Fraffin stared.
Kelexel felt his rage rising. He glared at Fraffin.
"It's merely an idea," Fraffin said, "something to toy with. Ideas are our
toys, too, aren't they?"
"An insane idea," Kelexel growled.
He reminded himself then that he was here to remove the menace of this
storyship's mad director. And the man had exposed his crime! It would bring
severe censure and relocation at the very least. And if this were widespread
--ah, then! Kelexel sat studying Fraffin, savoring the coming moment of
denunciation, the righteous anger, the threat of eternal ostracism from his
own kind. Let Fraffin go into the outer blackness of eternal boredom! Let this
madman discover what
Forever really meant!
The thought lay there a moment in Kelexel's mind. He had never approached it
from quite this point of view before. Forever.
What does it really mean?
he asked himself.
He tried to imagine himself isolated, thrown onto his own resources for
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time-without-end.
His mind recoiled from the thought, and he felt a twinge of pity for what
might happen to
Fraffin.
"Now," Fraffin said. "Now is the moment."
Can he be goading me to denounce him?
Kelexel wondered.
It isn't possible!
"It's my pleasant task to tell you," Fraffin said, "that you're going to have
another offspring."
Kelexel sat staring, stupefied by the words. He tried to speak, couldn't.
Presently, he found his voice, rasped: "But how can you ... "
"Oh, not in the legally approved manner," Fraffin said, "There'll be no
delicate little operation, no optimum selection of ovarian donor from the
banks in the Primacy's crèche.
Nothing that simple."
"What do you ... "
"Your native pet," Fraffin said. "You've impregnated her. She's going to bear
your child in the ... ancient way, as we once did before the orderly
organization of the Primacy."
"That ... that's impossible," Kelexel whispered.
"Not at an," Fraffin said. "You see, what we have here is a planet full of
wild Chem." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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