unpleasant."
Shakily, Pike picked up the vial and swallowed its contents. Almost simultaneously he tossed the vial aside and threw himself at the transparency. It bounced him back, of course—but the Magistrate had also stepped back a pace.
"That's very interesting," Pike said. "You were startled. Weren't you reading my mind then?"
"Now, to the female. As you have conjectured, an Earth vessel did actually crash on our planet. But with only a single survivor."
"Let's stay on the first subject. All I wanted for that moment was to get my hands around your neck. Do primitive emotions put up a block you can't read through?"
"We repaired the survivor's injuries and found the species interesting. So it became necessary to attract a mate."
"All right, we'll talk about the girl. You seem to be going out of your way to make her seem attractive, to make me feel protective."
"This is necessary in order to perpetuate the species."
"That could be done medically, artificially," Pike said. "No, it seems more important to you now that I accept her, begin to like her . . ."
"We wish our specimens to be happy in their new life."
"Assuming that's another lie, why would you want me attracted to her? So I'll feel love, a husband-wife relationship? That would be necessary only if you needed to build a family group, or even a whole human . . ."
"With the female now properly conditioned, we will continue with . . ."
"You mean properly punished!" Pike shouted. "I'm the one who's not cooperating. Why don't you punish me?"
"First an emotion of protectiveness, now one of sympathy. Excellent." The Magistrate turned and walked away down the corridor. Frustrated again, Pike turned to study the mysterious seam.
He found himself studying a tree instead. Around him, in full day, was richly planted park and forest land, with a city on the horizon. He recognized the place instantly.
Immediately to his right was tethered a pair of handsome saddle horses. To the left, Vina, in casual Earth garb, was laying out a picnic lunch on the grass.
Looking up at him, smiling, she said, "I left the thermos hooked to my saddle."
Pike went to the horses and patted them. "Tango! You old quarter-gaited devil, you! Hello, Mary Lou! No, sorry, no sugar this time . . ."
But patting his pockets automatically, he was astonished to find the usual two sugar cubes there. He fed them to the horses. The Talosians seemed to think of everything.
He unhooked the thermos, carried it to the picnic and sat down, eyeing Vina curiously. She seemed nervous.
"Is it good to be home?" she asked him.
"I've been aching to be back here. They read our minds very well."
"Please!" It was a cry of fear. Her face pleaded with him to keep silent.
"Home, everything else I want," he said. " If I cooperate. Is that it?"
"Have you forgotten my—headaches, darling? The doctor said when you talk strangely like this . . ."
Her voice trailed off, shaken. Pike was beginning to feel trapped again.
"Look, I'm sorry they punish you," he said. "But I can't let them hold that over our heads. They'll own us then."
She continued to lay out the lunch, trying to ignore him. "My, it turned out to be a beautiful day, didn't it?"
"Funny," he mused. "About twenty-four hours ago I was telling the ship's doctor how much I wanted—something not so far from what's being offered here. No responsibility, no frustrations or bruises . . . And now that I have it, I understand the doctor's answer. You either live life, bruises and all, or you turn your back on it and start dying. The Talosians went the second way."
"I hope you're hungry," Vina said, with false brightness. "The white sandwiches are your mother's chicken-tuna recipe."
He tried one. She was right. "Doc would be happy about part of this, at least. Said I needed a rest."
"This is a lovely place to rest."
"I spent my boyhood here. Doesn't compare with the gardens around the big cities, but I liked it better." He nodded toward the distant skyline.
Shakily, Pike picked up the vial and swallowed its contents. Almost simultaneously he tossed the vial aside and threw himself at the transparency. It bounced him back, of course—but the Magistrate had also stepped back a pace.
"That's very interesting," Pike said. "You were startled. Weren't you reading my mind then?"
"Now, to the female. As you have conjectured, an Earth vessel did actually crash on our planet. But with only a single survivor."
"Let's stay on the first subject. All I wanted for that moment was to get my hands around your neck. Do primitive emotions put up a block you can't read through?"
"We repaired the survivor's injuries and found the species interesting. So it became necessary to attract a mate."
"All right, we'll talk about the girl. You seem to be going out of your way to make her seem attractive, to make me feel protective."
"This is necessary in order to perpetuate the species."
"That could be done medically, artificially," Pike said. "No, it seems more important to you now that I accept her, begin to like her . . ."
"We wish our specimens to be happy in their new life."
"Assuming that's another lie, why would you want me attracted to her? So I'll feel love, a husband-wife relationship? That would be necessary only if you needed to build a family group, or even a whole human . . ."
"With the female now properly conditioned, we will continue with . . ."
"You mean properly punished!" Pike shouted. "I'm the one who's not cooperating. Why don't you punish me?"
"First an emotion of protectiveness, now one of sympathy. Excellent." The Magistrate turned and walked away down the corridor. Frustrated again, Pike turned to study the mysterious seam.
He found himself studying a tree instead. Around him, in full day, was richly planted park and forest land, with a city on the horizon. He recognized the place instantly.
Immediately to his right was tethered a pair of handsome saddle horses. To the left, Vina, in casual Earth garb, was laying out a picnic lunch on the grass.
Looking up at him, smiling, she said, "I left the thermos hooked to my saddle."
Pike went to the horses and patted them. "Tango! You old quarter-gaited devil, you! Hello, Mary Lou! No, sorry, no sugar this time . . ."
But patting his pockets automatically, he was astonished to find the usual two sugar cubes there. He fed them to the horses. The Talosians seemed to think of everything.
He unhooked the thermos, carried it to the picnic and sat down, eyeing Vina curiously. She seemed nervous.
"Is it good to be home?" she asked him.
"I've been aching to be back here. They read our minds very well."
"Please!" It was a cry of fear. Her face pleaded with him to keep silent.
"Home, everything else I want," he said. " If I cooperate. Is that it?"
"Have you forgotten my—headaches, darling? The doctor said when you talk strangely like this . . ."
Her voice trailed off, shaken. Pike was beginning to feel trapped again.
"Look, I'm sorry they punish you," he said. "But I can't let them hold that over our heads. They'll own us then."
She continued to lay out the lunch, trying to ignore him. "My, it turned out to be a beautiful day, didn't it?"
"Funny," he mused. "About twenty-four hours ago I was telling the ship's doctor how much I wanted—something not so far from what's being offered here. No responsibility, no frustrations or bruises . . . And now that I have it, I understand the doctor's answer. You either live life, bruises and all, or you turn your back on it and start dying. The Talosians went the second way."
"I hope you're hungry," Vina said, with false brightness. "The white sandwiches are your mother's chicken-tuna recipe."
He tried one. She was right. "Doc would be happy about part of this, at least. Said I needed a rest."
"This is a lovely place to rest."
"I spent my boyhood here. Doesn't compare with the gardens around the big cities, but I liked it better." He nodded toward the distant skyline.
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