"My wife. I wanted to leave her."
"You mean--you breached the continuum for no better reason...?"
Horning laughed curtly. "For my part, I found it a very adequate
reason."
For a long moment the other stared at him. Then, abruptly, he, too,
laughed. The snub-nosed gun's muzzle lowered.
"You amaze me," his captor chuckled. He bowed. "Permit me to introduce
myself. I'm Doctor Raymond X. Horning."
"My coexisting counterpart on this plane--?"
"Of course. The alter ego is bound to serve as a focal point when you
cross the barrier." The man pocketed his gun and walked over to the
table. "Let me mix you a drink. After such an experience, you need a
pickup."
* * * * *
Horning leaned back, studying the other obliquely and trying to fathom
the sudden change in his attitude.
Too, he still marveled at the similarity between them. They were so
alike they could pass as twins, he decided. Identical twins. The only
difference between them lay in details of expression--the sardonic
twist to the other's mouth; the chill, penetrating gleam in the
deep-set eyes.
His counterpart handed him a glass. "You amuse me, my friend. But I'm
afraid you don't realize the full implications of what you've done."
"Such as--?" Horning queried, sipping at the drink and finding it good.
"Such as the fact that interdimensional transit is not only a logical
impossibility, but a very practical menace."