"Bullet through his head," Brek said.
"What does he look like?"
"Ordinary. Might be an Indian."
The door opened, and Sager stepped straight into a right upper-cut
which bowled him back through the opening. Brek charged in after him,
but the man lay limp, his eyes closed.
Brek stood over him for a moment, debating what to do. Then he heard
footsteps on the stairway.
_Dori._
She stared at him, no recognition in her eyes. A chill of horror ran
through him as he saw what Dori had become.
"Who are you?" Her voice was dull, uncaring.
He walked over to her and looked at her eyes. Burning fury rose in him.
Using hypnotene, Sagginer had made Dori only the shell of the girl he
had loved.
"Who are you?" she asked again. "I do not know you."
"You once did," he said tightly. "You--"
He felt a sudden blow on the back of his neck, and his knees sagged.
Sager had been feigning unconsciousness, and now had returned to the
struggle at a moment when Brek was unprepared.
A fist smashed into his side, and he ducked away, blinking away
the pain. He turned and advanced toward Sagginer, while Dori moaned
wordlessly in the corner.
Sagginer jumped forward and drove a fist toward Brek's jaw, but Brek
countered and felt knuckles crash through the time-jumper's teeth.
As Sagginer rocked, Brek hit him below the heart, and he grunted and
folded up.
This time Brek made sure of the job. He continued pummelling Sagginer's
senseless body until he was out of breath, then stood up and looked at
Dori.
She was huddled helplessly in a chair, sobbing in terror. Brek scowled
as he remembered the girl he had once known, and gave the unconscious
form of Sagginer another kick. Then he slid his gun out of its holster
and pressed a button on the underside of the robot gunbelt.
The time-scoop closed around the three of them.
* * * * *
When the greyness cleared away, Brek stumbled out of the time-scoop and
saw the Councillor waiting for him, smiling.
He shook his head to clear it. "Here I am," he said. "And here's your
time snatcher. Mission accomplished, sir."
"Very fine job, Brek. Very fine."
Brek looked at the Councillor. "There's one problem, though. The girl,
Dori--"
He saw the Councillor blink apprehensively. "Oh, I brought her back,
all right," he said quickly. "But--but--she's been badly treated, sir.
I don't know if the damage Sagginer's done to her mind can ever be
repaired. I--"
The Councillor's eyes widened. "What are you talking about, Brek? What
has happened to Dori? I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean."
"Why, she's right here--unconscious, in the back of the Time-Scoop,"
Brek said, puzzled. "And--" He turned to find the girl. "Why--she
_isn't_ here!"
"Of course not," said the Councillor. "She's been right here, all the
time. Where else should she be?"
Dimly, Brek began to realize what had happened. Some act of his--the
shooting of Cactus, perhaps--had altered the future, his present, ever
so slightly. Just enough so that in _this_ present, Sagginer had gone
back alone--_without_ Dori.
A door opened, and a girl stepped out, clad in a white lab smock. Her
eyes were bright and clear, and when she saw Brek, she gave a little
scream of joy.
Then Brek folded her into his arms.