American Science Fiction #41 — page 8: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

so | STOPWATCH ON THE : WORED unknown. Then, without bothering to crawl between the clean sheets, I i\felliion. the + beds-in'- the:nBudnigks’ fspare -room.and \sank- into «a black void that kept receding into a deep- ~er and blacker void. - EXTRACTS, HOSPITAL CASE HISTORY NO. 3007: 6.05 P.M. Patient rapidly weaken- . ing. White cell count now barely 100. Pulse very feeble. Transfu- sions now. given continuously. Em- ergency call to Vancouver to fly in fresh supply ... 6.10 P.M. Pain more intense. Mor- phine given at increasingly frequent intervals. Patient still appears rat- ional. : The days following the visit to the atomic labs and the Budnicks were, I remember, tedious, fioor-pac- ing days. Back home at the. University 1 mechanically prepared my _ lecture notes and waited tensely for word from Armstrong. Tuesday — came without news. I gave my lecture, > stumbling stupidly several times, so great had the strain on me become. I could stand it no longer and im- mediately after class I phoned Arm- strong in Washington. He sounded high-strung himself, Unable to get official co-operation, he was being forced to dig up the infor- mation on Pilon by devious methods. . “We have to get official support, Arnold,” he snapped angrily. erwise, some of these Washington worshippers of red-tape, clerks par- roting. ‘That’s another department, sir, and ‘put it through channels’ sticklers ‘are going to kill-any chance - of our tracking down Chetzisky.” “And kill two billion people” I added with wry humour. ~ When I hung up, I had my mind made up. I was going to look up an old Princeton schoolmate, Nevil Ox- - ford, now a famous newscaster ~for - the Federal Broadcasting Company. EVIL was- sipping coffe from. “a paper cup as he bent over the’ 3S ‘bulletins “on the clattering iele- typés when I entered -his office in the 2 F.B.C; Building. After a preliminary _ | vexchange .of ‘the usual alumni gossip = «l-got down <to cases’ “and” told: ome about Chetzisky.~- “3 “And you really beliéve he could = do it, Arnold?” =e “I do. Most certainly.” : — Nevyil’s face hadn't much colour in — it now. “Come on,” he said, “Let's _ 3 go downstairs; I need a drink.” ee Over scotch and sodas | hammered — away. at him, trying to get him to = break the Chetzisky story on ‘bis — eleven o'clock broadcast. = “I can’t Arnold. We've been = Besides, it would start a panic. R = member what happened a month ago — when some jaded announcer pulled the gag about the Russians being in the outskirts of the city.” : “But, Nev, it isn’t a case of Oran Welles tom- foolery; its a life ands F death necessity of stirring the gov-— : = ernment to action through- -pubhie-= opinion.” = : “I can’t.” He turned to the bar- =<. tender and ordered a double scotch. No soda this time. “It isn’t that I don’t believe you, Arnold. It’s—ah, eee hell.” = He threw down his drink quickly. = For a moment he stood twirling the empty glass in his hand, staring at a the lone amber drop rolling in arcs at the bottom. “You know, ArnokE ae I'm scared. Scared stiff,” he said suddenly, turning to me. He looked — at his wristwatch. “I’m on in half — an hour; maybe [ will tell them.” __ _ L[.watched him walk steadily out — of the bar, his shoulders set squarely — in an attitude of defiance: I toyed = with a drink for twenty mninnICS = = = then: went upstairs to the studio re- ception room to listen in on Nevil’s aS broadcast. _Twice during — it he ‘paused significantly as though he was going to break the Chetzisky — story,-but each time he must have — lost his. nerve. Of the effects: of the scotch had worn off too quickly. ‘= 2 Disappointed, I left without bother: = = Siig ns fecal 3 “ing to "say goodbye to him. © % “Thursday 1 = comichooks.