wheeled around, then loped toward him.
"Mr. Sutton, sir…"
"Yes, Herkimer."
"We've got to run for it."
"Yes," said Sutton, "I suppose we have. I walked into a trap. There were three of them laying for me."
"It's worse than that," said Herkimer. "It's not only the Revisionists and Morgan, but it's Adams, too."
"Adams?"
"Adams has given orders that you be killed on sight."
Sutton stiffened. "How do you know?" he snapped.
"The girl," said Herkimer. "Eva. The one you asked about. She told me."
Herkimer walked forward, stood face to face with Sutton.
"You have to trust me, sir. You said this morning I'd put the ringer on you, but I never would. I was with you from the very first."
"But the girl," said Sutton.
"Eva's with you, too, sir. We started out to find you as soon as we found out, but we were too late to catch you. Eva's waiting with the ship."
"A ship," said Sutton. "A ship and everything."
"It's your own ship, sir," said Herkimer. "The one you got from Benton. The ship that went along with me."
"And you want me to come with you and get into this ship and…"
"I'm sorry, sir," said Herkimer.
He moved so fast that Sutton couldn't do a thing.
He saw the fist coming and he tried to raise his gun. He felt the sudden fury grow cold within his brain and then there was a crushing impact and his head snapped back so that for a moment, before his eyelids closed, he saw the wheel of stars against a spinning sky.
He felt his knees buckling under him and his body falling.
But he was out, stone-cold, when his body hit the ground.
XVIII
E VA A RMOUR was calling to him softly.
"Ash. Oh, Ash. Wake up."
To Sutton's ears came the muted mutter of the coasting rockets, the hollow, thrumming sound of a small ship hurtling through space.
"Johnny," said Sutton's mind.
"We're in a ship, Ash."
"How many are there?"
"The android and the girl. The one called Eva. And they are friendly. I told you they were friendly. Why don't you pay attention?"
"I can't trust anyone."
"Not even me?"
"Not your judgment, Johnny. You are new to Earth."
"Not new, Ash. I know Earth and Earthmen. Much better than you know them. You're not the first Earthman I've lived with."
"I can't remember, Johnny. There's something to remember. I try to remember it and there's nothing but a blur. The big things, of course, the things I learned, the things I wrote down and took away. But not the place itself or the people in it."
"They aren't people, Ash."
"I know. I can't remember."
''You're not supposed to, Ash. It was all too alien. You can't carry such memories with you…you shouldn't carry such alien memories, for when you carry them too closely, you are a part of them. And you had to stay human, Ash. We have to keep you human."
"But someday I must remember. Someday…"
"When you must remember them, you will remember them. I will see to that."
"And, Johnny."
"What is it, Ash?"
"You don't mind this Johnny business?"
"What about it, Ash?"
"I shouldn't call you 'Johnny.' It is flippant and familiar .. but it is friendly. It is the friendliest name I know. That is why I call you it."
"I do not mind," said Johnny. "I do not mind at all."
"You understand any of this, Johnny? About Morgan? And the Revisionists?"
"No, Ash."
"But you see a pattern?"
"I am beginning to."
Eva Armour shook him. "Wake up, Ash," she said. "Can't you hear me, Ash? Wake up."
Sutton opened his eyes. He was lying on a bunk and the girl still was shaking him.
"O.K.," he said. "You can stop now. O.K."
He swung his legs off the bunk and sat on its edge. His hand went up and felt the lump on his jaw.
"Herkimer had to hit you," Eva said. "He didn't want to hit you, but you were unreasonable and we had no time to lose."
"Herkimer?"
"Certainly. You remember Herkimer, Ash. He was Benton's android. He's piloting this ship."
The ship, Sutton saw, was small, but it was clean and comfortable and there would have been room for another passenger or two. Herkimer, talking
"Mr. Sutton, sir…"
"Yes, Herkimer."
"We've got to run for it."
"Yes," said Sutton, "I suppose we have. I walked into a trap. There were three of them laying for me."
"It's worse than that," said Herkimer. "It's not only the Revisionists and Morgan, but it's Adams, too."
"Adams?"
"Adams has given orders that you be killed on sight."
Sutton stiffened. "How do you know?" he snapped.
"The girl," said Herkimer. "Eva. The one you asked about. She told me."
Herkimer walked forward, stood face to face with Sutton.
"You have to trust me, sir. You said this morning I'd put the ringer on you, but I never would. I was with you from the very first."
"But the girl," said Sutton.
"Eva's with you, too, sir. We started out to find you as soon as we found out, but we were too late to catch you. Eva's waiting with the ship."
"A ship," said Sutton. "A ship and everything."
"It's your own ship, sir," said Herkimer. "The one you got from Benton. The ship that went along with me."
"And you want me to come with you and get into this ship and…"
"I'm sorry, sir," said Herkimer.
He moved so fast that Sutton couldn't do a thing.
He saw the fist coming and he tried to raise his gun. He felt the sudden fury grow cold within his brain and then there was a crushing impact and his head snapped back so that for a moment, before his eyelids closed, he saw the wheel of stars against a spinning sky.
He felt his knees buckling under him and his body falling.
But he was out, stone-cold, when his body hit the ground.
XVIII
E VA A RMOUR was calling to him softly.
"Ash. Oh, Ash. Wake up."
To Sutton's ears came the muted mutter of the coasting rockets, the hollow, thrumming sound of a small ship hurtling through space.
"Johnny," said Sutton's mind.
"We're in a ship, Ash."
"How many are there?"
"The android and the girl. The one called Eva. And they are friendly. I told you they were friendly. Why don't you pay attention?"
"I can't trust anyone."
"Not even me?"
"Not your judgment, Johnny. You are new to Earth."
"Not new, Ash. I know Earth and Earthmen. Much better than you know them. You're not the first Earthman I've lived with."
"I can't remember, Johnny. There's something to remember. I try to remember it and there's nothing but a blur. The big things, of course, the things I learned, the things I wrote down and took away. But not the place itself or the people in it."
"They aren't people, Ash."
"I know. I can't remember."
''You're not supposed to, Ash. It was all too alien. You can't carry such memories with you…you shouldn't carry such alien memories, for when you carry them too closely, you are a part of them. And you had to stay human, Ash. We have to keep you human."
"But someday I must remember. Someday…"
"When you must remember them, you will remember them. I will see to that."
"And, Johnny."
"What is it, Ash?"
"You don't mind this Johnny business?"
"What about it, Ash?"
"I shouldn't call you 'Johnny.' It is flippant and familiar .. but it is friendly. It is the friendliest name I know. That is why I call you it."
"I do not mind," said Johnny. "I do not mind at all."
"You understand any of this, Johnny? About Morgan? And the Revisionists?"
"No, Ash."
"But you see a pattern?"
"I am beginning to."
Eva Armour shook him. "Wake up, Ash," she said. "Can't you hear me, Ash? Wake up."
Sutton opened his eyes. He was lying on a bunk and the girl still was shaking him.
"O.K.," he said. "You can stop now. O.K."
He swung his legs off the bunk and sat on its edge. His hand went up and felt the lump on his jaw.
"Herkimer had to hit you," Eva said. "He didn't want to hit you, but you were unreasonable and we had no time to lose."
"Herkimer?"
"Certainly. You remember Herkimer, Ash. He was Benton's android. He's piloting this ship."
The ship, Sutton saw, was small, but it was clean and comfortable and there would have been room for another passenger or two. Herkimer, talking
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