The E.S.P. Worm by Piers Anthony & Robert E. Margroff

Author:Piers Anthony & Robert E. Margroff [Anthony, Piers & Margroff, Robert E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781401044008
Amazon: 140104400X
Publisher: Xlibris Corp
Published: 1970-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

And fell on my face before doing any damage. It was as though I had been electrocuted.

"I tried," I heard him say. "Now they'll just take both of you. They don't care that much about the law." When the haze of pain cleared he was nearly at the far end of the airlock, saving himself while he could. Nancy was crying, and Qumax—

Qumax was starting across that damnably solid transparent connecting tube, tentacles drooping in utter defeat.

Beyond the end of the tube I saw into the Strumbermian raider. I marched back to Nancy, grabbed her hand, and led her into the tube. If we were to be taken captive, we'd go with our heads up, not whimpering like baby worms.

Stars whirled outside, underfoot. I could not look at them and keep my balance in the trace gravity. Whichever way I peered, I felt as though I should fall on my head. I did not want to rivet my gaze to Nancy. Or Qumax. And certainly not the Strumbermians. But man is not made to tread empty space.

Gravite-coated metal came under my feet at last. I looked at my companions. Nancy had stopped crying, and was now the chin-up, determinedly brave extraterrestrialogist. Qumax remained the child—antennae drooping, muzzle averted, the very picture of hopelessness. That, I realized, was the essential difference between the child and the adult, whatever the abilities or intelligence or cultural status: the manner he stood up under stress. The child gave up; the adult carried on.

We were marched through corridors swarming with red ratlike things that I presumed had some function other than vermin business, to an unesthetic version of the stateroom we had never quite used. Our captors shoved us inside, closed and locked the door, and left. We were alone—for how long?

Almost alone. Nancy flinched as a rat—actually a grotesque flesh-thing resembling a rodent—scooted from the lavatory recess. Without thinking I put my arm around her.

"Harold, you're a fool," she said. "You could have gone with Nitti. You should have!" But she didn't move away. "You've your mission to think about. To make Jamborango apologize. To win respect for Earth. Instead of that, you—you—"

"Shut up, Nancy," I said, and kissed her one.

It was such an unexpected move on my part that it amazed us both.

"You did mean it," she murmured, and I knew she was thinking of my declaration of love during the fear-siege.

"It isn't over yet!" Qumax exclaimed, suddenly enthusiastic. Of all the times to interrupt!

The great worm lay at the port window. His antennae stuck out like horns and his skin rumpled reflexively. He was staring at the place where the connecting tube joined the Comet's Tail. We joined him and peered out.

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