Time To Teleport by Gordon R. Dickson

Author:Gordon R. Dickson [Dickson, Gordon R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, General, Fiction
ISBN: 9780441812370
Publisher: Ace Books

6

"No" said Eli. "No reflection on you, Mel. And I'm sorry, Arthur. But we'll stick to the physical side alone, and that's final."

"What if you fold up like that again?" demanded Howell. He turned to the young man beside him. "Talk some sense into him, Mel."

The big young man looked helpless.

"Eli—" he began without a great deal of optimism.

"No," said Eli. He pushed himself upright, wincing at the soreness of his still-painful incisions and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry, gentlemen, but no psychiatry. And now I'd like to get up. Unless"—he looked at Howell— "you've got some reasons against it?"

"No," scowled Howell. "I want you to get up. But I want you to take care of yourself, too, dammit!"

"Then that's settled," said Eli, reaching for his clothes. "What's next on the schedule for me?"

"Trigger chemicals," Howell was looking hard at him. "Come on down to the lab and Ntoane'll fill you up with the ones for today. Can you walk?"

"I'll try."

It was not easy. The incisions still hurt him; but Eli found that by going slowly and hanging on to things, he could travel all right. Mel left him at the entrance to his room, but Howell followed along and stood over him as Ntoane made the injections.

"I wonder," said Howell, when these were over, "if you realize, Eli, just how drastic and important the changes are we've made in you."

"Tell me," answered Eli, humoring him.

"No point to it," said Howell. "I doubt if a single listing of changes would impress you. But the point I want to make is that you probably still consider yourself to be the same man you've always been. And you're not."

"I hope not," grinned Eli.

"It's nothing to joke about!" Howell flared. "You're in a medical no man's land now. Any sort of development can be expected."

"I read you loud and clear," said Eli. It was the bitter, jibing sort of humor that came on him occasionally, when he was being pushed too far. "And now I think 111 go up to the solar."

He turned away. Howell, his eyes glittering with anger, took a step after him.

"Arthur," said Ntoane pleadingly.

Howell stopped.

On his way up in the elevator, Eh* felt uneasiness once more stirring inside him. Hassan had said that one of the other three in the station—or had he meant to include Seth in that as well? —was an assassin, with orders^ to take Eli's life when the proper time arrived. Hassan was not the sort of man to be wrong. Sliding up the elevator tube in the capsule, Eli ran his mind lightly over the four who shared the station with him; not Howell, he thought, not Ntoane, and never Tammy. His mind recoiled from the suggestion that Tammy might be the one. That left Mel.

With sudden decision, Eli punched the stop button in the elevator and sent it back down to the level of Mel's private working quarters.

When he walked into Mel's office, the tall, young man was there.

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