The Shores of Death by Michael Moorcock

him.
    “After a time, we arrived on Klobax. The ship contained everything he needed to build laboratories, using the natural resources of the planet. He taught me everything I could learn about his work. Then, having operated on him, I was sent out to spread the good news— immortality for all.”
    “You operated on him? You could have killed him! ”
    “He took a simple precaution. The entire laboratory would have exploded if he had not revived in a given time. Only he knew how to operate the doors. I would have died, too. At that time, I did not want to die.”
    “But you do now. Why didn’t you tell anyone of what Sharvis could give them? What was the flaw? ”
    “There was no flaw, really. No single flaw at any rate. The simple fact is that immortality—at least the kind Sharvis gave to me—robs you of your humanity. You become immortal—but there is no longer any point in being immortal.”
    Marca pondered this. “But Alodios—? ”
    “Alodios is different. Evidently Sharvis’s sense of humour got the better of him. Sharvis, incidentally, does not seem to have been changed much by his immortality —he was inhuman to begin with. But he is like a man with a disease who wants everyone to have it. I realised this after he had released me. I said nothing. A year or two later I made my first attempt to kill myself, but Sharvis had been cunning.”
    “He made you invulnerable? ”
    “More than that—he built into me a survival mechanism which makes it impossible for me to put myself in any danger for any length of time.”
    “I noticed your reactions were inordinately fast—is that why? ”
    “That’s why.”
    Marca was in a graver mood now. He wondered how much of what Take said was really true. Evidently the man was sincere—but he could only talk about his own condition. Perhaps others were affected differently by immortality?
    “May I ask you what you want immortality for? ” Take said.
    “It’s hard to remember, in a way,” Marca said quietly. “When the news of the imminent destruction of the galaxy came, I was panic-stricken. I realised that I was a member of virtually the last generation of mankind. I felt I had to do something about it. I felt that I must find a way of living at least right up to the end, and perhaps, after it. I felt I must make sure of missing no experience. And that meant I must find immortality. But now that I’m close to finding it, I don’t know— you’ve frightened me, Take.”
    “I’m glad.”
    “Somewhere I seem to have lost track of my original aims. The original situation that made me seek immortality no longer exists, yet here I am, still looking for it.”
    “I assure you, Clovis Marca—it is not worth having.”
    Marca shrugged. “I would like to find that out for myself.”
    “What do you intend to do? ”
    “I’ll go and see Sharvis, talk with him, then ask him ...”
    “ No! ” Take stepped forward. “Once you’re in there, he’ll never let you go until he’s passed the disease on! Don’t you see—Sharvis is absolutely evil. If you don’t think that what he did to me was bad—then look again at Alodios! ”
    “You have no proof that Sharvis did this, or that it was deliberate.”
    “I have seen other subjects Sharvis has experimented on. It was deliberate. He could not make that kind of mistake now! You think my experiences may have clouded my judgment—something like that? If only I could describe—find words—to tell you what Sharvis is really like.”
    But Marca felt detached. He said remotely: “Nonetheless, I will pay Sharvis a visit.”
    Take lunged forward, arms outstretched and, before Marca realised it the android had hurled him over the cliff.
    He fell rapidly and the realisation of his imminent death came moments later. He felt fatalistic. The air was blasted from his lungs. And then he realised that he need not die. He squeezed his gravstrap. Immediately he slowed down and floated gently towards the ground. More