[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Worlds of Tomorrow October 1963
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
The machine's job was to defend its place against
enemies--but it had forgotten it had friends!
I
It was different this time. There was a dry pain in my lungs, and a
deep ache in my bones, and a fire in my stomach that made me want to
curl into a ball and mew like a kitten. My mouth tasted as though mice
had nested in it, and when I took a deep breath wooden knives twisted
in my chest.
I made a mental note to tell Mackenzie a few things about his pet
controlled-environment tank--just as soon as I got out of it. I
squinted at the over-face panel: air pressure, temperature, humidity,
O-level, blood sugar, pulse and respiration--all okay. That was
something. I flipped the intercom key and said, "Okay, Mackenzie, let's
have the story. You've got problems...."