How do you describe being weightless when you are born into a world
bound by gravity. I twisted and shut my eyes in terror. There was no
sensation of place, no feeling of up or down, no direction. My back
bumped against the ceiling and I opened my eyes to stare at the cot and
floor. I was concentrating too hard on remembering to be frightened for
long. I pushed away from the warm metal and the floor moved up to meet
me.
"If you understand, press button A on your right."
What should I understand? That I was floating in a room that had a
curved wall ... that nothing was right in this hostile room?
When I reached the cot I held it and drew myself down. I glanced at the
planes of the room, trying to place it with other rooms I could see in
my mind. Gray walls with a crazy curved ceiling ... a door to my left
that appeared to be air tight.
I stared at my familiar hands. I rubbed them across my face, feeling
the solidity of flesh and bone, afraid to think too hard about myself.
"My name ... my name is...."
"Your name is David Corbin."
I stared at the speaker. How long did this go on? The name meant
nothing to me, but I thought about it, watching the relentless lights
that shone below the dials. I stood up slowly and looked at myself. I
was naked except for heavy shorts, and there was no clue to my name in
the pockets. The room was warm and the air I had been breathing was
good but it seemed wrong to be dressed like this. I didn't know why. I
thought about insanity, and the room seemed to fit my thoughts. When
the voice repeated the message again I had to act. Walking was like
treading water that couldn't be seen or felt.
I floated against the door, twisting the handle in fear that it
wouldn't turn. The handle clanged as I pushed it down and I stared at
the opposite wall of a narrow gray passageway. I pushed out into it and
grasped the metal rail that ran along the wall. I reasoned it was there
to propel yourself through the passageway in this weightless atmosphere.
It was effortless to move. I turned on my side like a swimmer and went
hand over hand, shooting down the corridor. I braced against forward
motion and stopped against a door at the end. Behind me I could see the
opened door I had left, and the thought of that questioning voice made
me want to move. I swung the door open, catching a glimpse of a room
crowded with equipment and....
* * * * *
I will always remember the scream of terror, the paralyzing fright of
what I saw through the portholes in the wall of the room. I saw the
blackest night, pierced by brilliance that blinded me. There was no
depth to the searing brightness of countless stars. They seemed to
press against the glass, blobs of fire against a black curtain burning
into my eyes and brain.
It was space.
I looked out at deep space, star systems in clusters. I shut my eyes.
When I looked again I knew where I was. Why the little room had been
shaped like quarter round. Why I drifted weightlessly. Why I was....
David Corbin.
I knew more of the puzzle. Something was wrong. After the first shock
of looking out, I accepted the fact that I was in a space ship, yet I
couldn't read the maps that were fastened to a table, nor understand
the function or design of the compact machinery.
WHY, Why, Why? The thought kept pounding at me. I was afraid to touch
anything in the room. I pressed against the clear window, wondering if
the stars were familiar. I had a brief vivid picture of a night sky on
Earth. This was not the same sky.
Back in the room where I had awakened, I touched the panel with the
glowing eyes. It had asked me if I understood. Now it must tell me why
I didn't. It had to help me, that flat metallic voice that repeated the
same words. It must tell me....
"Your name is David Corbin. If you understand, press button A on your
right."
I pressed the button by the cot. The red lights blinked out as I stood
in patient attention, trying to outguess the voice. I recalled a
phrase ... some words about precaution.
Precaution against forgetting.
It was crazy, but I trusted the panel. It was the only thing I saw that
could help me, guard me against another shock like seeing outside of
the clear portholes.
"It is assumed the experiment is a success," the voice said.
What experiment?
"You have been removed from suspension. Assume manual control of this
ship."
Control of a ship? Going where?
"Do not begin operations until the others are removed from suspension."
What others? Tell me what to do.
"Rely on instructions for factoring when you check the coordinates.
Your maximum deviation from schedule cannot exceed two degrees. Adopt
emergency procedures as you see fit. Good luck."
The voice snapped off and I laughed hysterically. None of it had made
sense, and I cursed whatever madness had put me here.
"Tell me what to do," I shouted wildly. I hammered the hard metal until
the pain in my hands made me stop.
"I can't remember what to do."
I held my bruised hands to my mouth, and I knew that was all the
message there was. In blind panic I pushed away from the panel.
Something tripped me and I fell back in a graceless arc. I pushed away
from the floor, barely feeling the pain in my leg, and went into the
hall.
Pain burned along my leg but I couldn't stop. In the first panic of
waking up in strangeness I had missed the other doors in the passage.
The first swung back to reveal a deep closet holding five bulky suits.
The second room was like my own. A dark haired, deep chested man lay on
the cot. His muscular body was secured by a wide belt. He was as still
as death, motionless without warmth or breath as I hovered over him.