"Or--and this is also a hard choice, though it may seem glamorous at
first--you may become a member of a select expedition to a remote star
which our astronomers say has a planetary system capable of supporting
our kind of life. There we will plant a new colony."
Joy and enthusiasm welled up inside me. "Why, that sounds wonderful!
That's my choice."
He shook his head slowly. "Wait. Wait, Vera. This is also to be
considered. You will never again see Jupiter or any of the Solar
System. You will travel for a hundred and fifty years. Most of this
time you will sleep in deepfreeze state, of course. But inevitably you
will age twenty years in the process."
This meant I would arrive at the other end, thirty-seven years old. My
eagerness cooled. "What a pair of alternatives!"
He nodded gravely. "You give them both some thought. Meanwhile in the
next room you'll find some new clothes. See me afterwards." He pressed
a button on the edge of the couch and the attendant came in.
"Yes, Professor Worth?"
"Take Vera along please."
Something buzzed alive in my brain. It was like a set of tumblers
clicking into place. I remembered. I turned at the door.
"I remember you! You were the spy--that is--"
"Yes, my dear."
"But--"
He smiled. "I was observing you, Vera. You were due for your fifth
matrix--your last by law. Society didn't want to lose you. I hoped
my appearance would react on your subconscious, bring your previous
experiences here forward. To help bring out the good, so to speak. It
was strictly experimental."
He was still smiling as the door closed behind me.
In the next room, Naomi had just finished dressing. She glared her
hostility.
"That was a lousy trick you played on me, Vera."
"I guess it was. I'm sorry."
"You're _sorry_! Girl, if I had my whip and claws right now I'd _make_
you feel sorry."
I was silent a moment. Then I asked her, almost timidly: "Naomi, you're
not going back to the gang now, are you?"
She stared at me peculiarly. "Are you mad? Of course I'm going back.
I'm _leader_ of the Callisto girls." She stomped through the outer
door, and I had the feeling she would be back more than once.
When I had put my clothes on--a simple brown jerkin with blue
long-sleeved shirt--I returned to my interviewer. "Professor Worth, may
I propose a third alternative? After all, if this is a universe of
infinite possibilities, maybe two is narrowing it down too much.
"Professor, I know I can never go back to the girl-gang way of life.
And I understand now why the police left us alone when we ran wild.
They were letting us work out our problems.
"And somehow, that's why I feel I have to reject your two alternatives.
I'm me, and I can't limit myself in the ways you suggest. You needn't
be afraid. I won't break any more of society's rules. I won't try to
hurt anybody, deliberately. I'll probably get a job somewhere, on this
planet or some other planet. Maybe I'll make myself useful, maybe not.
"But what does the universe have to offer a girl of my experience and
energy and," I hesitated, "charismatic personality? I intend to find
out. I want the freedom to find out. Do you see? My third alternative,
Professor, is to walk out that door with no obligation to anyone."
He seemed not to be listening. He seemed to be thinking his own
thoughts.
"I think that can be arranged," he said finally.