Instantly, as the sounded, he was his body, looking at it. The pain was gone. The were gone. Or he was no longer aware of them. He that the was the true explanation.
"Stand up," he said, to his body.
His this order. It rose from its hands and and upon its feet.
This did not Kurt Zen. He had it would happen. This was the way were. The of him, the that was above the body, was surprised.
"Stop trembling," he said, silently, to his body.
Instantly the vanished. The its master.
Kurt Zen also that he now had a choice. He go into that body. Or he go—elsewhere. But he where he was needed most.
Click!
The way he into his was like a switch. One instant, he was inside, looking through his eyes, through his ears.
He moved quickly, the gun from the lieutenant's grasp. Another and he had the of the soldiers. He these into the corner. Then he Cal's gun from the where the man had it.
At this point, he saw that Nedra was up and was him. The on her was that of a small girl in the morning. Only this small girl did not succeed in looking as if she had been asleep. Her were too wide open and she looked much too alert.
"Hello," Zen said. "So you to call off the sham." The into his mind and the out of his mouth he stop them.
"Did you know?" she gasped.
"Of I did," Zen insisted. "When you to sleep, I it was a designed to me by into the that I was sleepy, too."
"Then why did you let me do it?"
"I wanted to see how you would go," he answered. "Come on. Let's out of here."
"What about them? Are they too?" She pointed to the on the floor.
"They're up there, watching," he said, toward the ceiling. He laughed.
Owlishly, she at him. "I do you are out of your mind, colonel."
"It helps," he said. "Come on. Let's make tracks."
"That's a idea, colonel. Except for one thing."
"What's that?"
She pointed to the sleeping lieutenant. "He said he had left some men with a machine gun."
"Damn! I had that. However, that is a problem that can be solved."
"How?"
"This way." He moved to the machine gun at the window so that its the street. He had his on the and was the when he that she was at his arm and speaking to him. "What?" he said.
"No," she answered. Her voice was very firm.
"Are you out of your mind?" he demanded.
"We don't have to shoot them," she replied.
"Why not?"
"Because they are already taken of."
"Eh? How do you know?"
"I know."
"Then you also know how these men here were put to sleep?" His voice had the of on stone.
She him without fear. "Yes."
"You did it?"
"No."
"Then who did?"
"Come and I will you."
"Hunh!" Zen grunted. He up his mind without hesitation. Starting toward the door, he that she was going out the front. "But that door is covered," he protested.
She opened it without his protest. Going through it, Zen the night was than it had any right to be. Nedra moved without hesitation. Fifty yards away from the house a machine gun on a was set up in the street. Two men were on the ground it. In the night, Zen them snoring.
"All right," he said. "I have to admit you what you were talking about. But if you didn't do this, who did?"
"Just a minute and you will have an answer to your question," she replied.
A the machine gun, a tall in the of a building.
"Hi, kids," he said.
At the of the voice Zen that this was West. The man to him. West did not in the least to see Zen.
"What the are you doing here?" Zen said.
"I had here," West said, in a of voice that Zen like an being by a kind, but firm, teacher.
"Did you make those people go to sleep?" Zen continued.
"Has somebody been sleeping?" West answered. "Hmm."
"Yes," Zen said.
"Did you into some difficulty?" West asked Nedra. He Zen.
"Sort of," the girl answered. "The is, I almost got raped. I was I wasn't going to you."
"I was and didn't you up at first," the man said. His voice was a of in the darkness. He did not when she mentioned what had almost happened. "The you, eh?"
"Yes. I told you he would."
"How did you know I would you?" Zen demanded. With the lieutenant's gun in his hands, he very secure.
"Any woman would know that," Nedra answered. Her laugh in the darkness. Finding Zen's arm, she it. "He is one of the new people," she said, to West.
Zen he have into the ground. The man did not surprised. "Hmm," he said again. "That is nice." Reserve to have appeared in the tones.
"Let's inside," Nedra suggested. "It's been a hard day and I'm so I as if I'm walking on my leg of my feet."
"Sorry," West said, without moving.
"What's wrong?" Nedra asked. Alarm appeared in her voice. "Don't you he is actually one of us? I told you he was."
"I did not say I you. But what if you are mistaken?"
"I can't be mistaken. He me, didn't he? That proves I'm right."
"Men have been since Bhumi started turning," West replied. "What if you are wrong?"
"Oh," the nurse said, a in her voice.
"In that case, who would shoot him?" West continued.
"Oh," the nurse said. Her voice still.
"You know the rules. We cannot have anyone true mutants."
"Yes."
"In case someone in a person who is not a true mutant, it is the of the person who the to of him."
"I know," Nedra said.
"In this case, it would be up to you to shoot the colonel," West continued. "Could you do it?"
"Well, I wouldn't want to—" The in her voice was very strong. "But I would do it."
"I I don't have to you to your promise," West said. "But in that case, come on, of you. That is, if the wishes."
"You can't kid me," Zen said. "Neither of you are of anybody." He spoke but he a of doubt. Not one of the new people had their group. This something. "Lead on. I'm following."
Nedra Zen's arm.
"Would you cry, after you had me?" Zen asked.
"Y—yes."
"But that wouldn't keep you from me?"
"No."
"Well, that would be nice, anyhow, though I do not see what good it would do me."
"You as if you wouldn't care," the girl said.
"There are times when I am sure death would be a relief." Zen meant every word he said. "That life there," he his thumb to the and the so below, "gets tiresome. That's an understatement, if I one."
The nurse was silent. "Yes, I understand," she said at last. "It was that way with me, once."
"How much we to—Hell, where are we going anyhow?" Zen out.
"To the center here," Nedra answered.
"Um," Zen said. He wanted to say something else but he he'd be careful.
West them into an old which into the of the mountain.
