The Battle Of Forever by A. E. Van Vogt

Author:A. E. Van Vogt [A. E. Van Vogt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-01-05T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

HE HAD done what he could -- so it seemed to Modyun. Nothing else to do now but let due process take its course.

Yet all of the rest of that day of the trial, his body remained unpleasantly warm. Which of course was a glandular foolishness not to be tolerated by the philosophically perfect mind. What was particularly ridiculous about his body's attachment to Roozb and the others was that he had met them quite accidentally.

It isn't as if I sought them out for some special quality that I observed in them.

On the day of his emergence from the barrier, he had flagged down a car with four occupants, and taken one of the two spare seats. And that was the whole sum of the meaningfulness of the meeting. There was no difference between those four in that car and any other animal-men.

That, he argued to himself, was the real perspective in his relationship with them.

And still his body remained warmer than normal.

The fourth morning after the trial, the buzzer on his door made its humming sound. When Modyun opened the door, there was the uniformed hyena-man officer, respectful, and with the information that "The four accused have had their appeal turned down by the higher court. As the chief witness, the court insisted that you be advised of this verdict."

Modyun was about to say thank you, and was about to close the door, when it occurred to him that his face had flushed scarlet at the news. He said hastily, "I desire to visit the condemned before their execution. Can this be arranged?"

"I shall be happy," said the officer, "to make an inquiry on your behalf, and I shall advise you of the decision."

It turned out that he could, and that he would be permitted his visitation on the eve of the execution -- the evening of the sixth day after the trial.

They are very obliging and legal about the whole matter, Modyun had to admit. His earlier feeling that there was some devious scheming in all this, aimed against him, seemed to be completely in error.

From the outside, the prison cell simply looked like another dormitory, but with a barred door leading into it. In front of the door sat a hyena-man guard. This individual carefully read Modyun's written authorization for the visit, and then unlocked the door for him, waited until he had entered, and then locked it behind him.

Several moments went by during which time the place looked deserted. Suddenly, a pair of legs emerged from the interior of a lower bunk -- and Narrl sat up with an exclamation that sounded for all its muffled quality like, "For Pete's sake, look who's here!"

Those words hastily produced three other pairs of legs, and three familiar individuals emerging from as many other lower bunks. All four animal-men came to their feet, walked over, and shook hands with the visitor.

Glancing around, Modyun saw that there was, in fact, a difference between this and the other dormitories. Because, beyond the furthest line of tiered bunks was an alcove.

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