Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 41 — page 74: what you’re looking at

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

THE BOOGIE MATRIX sin case. She'll need softening up.” “Yes sir,” replied the other, saluting. Kratt returned to his own office, subsiding once more into the chair behind the desk. He tapped its polished surface with a gold pen, his face heavy- jowled but dead-pan. After about half a minute a musical tone vibrated faintly, and a small video screen mounted on the desk glowed. Kratt studied the features materialis- ing on its surface, then said: “Come in, Rondo.”’ Major Rondo entered smartly. He was a tall man, quite handsome in a saturnine way, with deep-set eyes and smooth, greying hair. He halted at the desk, then saluted with military precision. “I sent for you because I want you to take personal charge of the interrogation of a new intake,” Kratt stated, tonelessly. “‘She’s Zora Var- ney, No. 3357. Synapsin case. According to the commitment papers’’—he riffled through a sheaf of documents on his desk—‘“‘this woman is asso- ciated with Karl Soliki. That may be important, in view of 73 the rumours of insurrection which have reached us lately. Break her down, Rondo.”’ “Hm. Ill try,” Rondo replied. ““You know synapsin. Maybe the Weiss-Karnfeld test will produce results. Where is she?” *“‘In supersonics. She can stay there for six hours, softening—then she’s all yours. I want a full report as soon as possible.” ““Okay, chief,”’ said Rondo, and left the room. Six hours in supersonics— that sounded innocent enough, but Zora learned the truth the hard way. She found herself stripped of clothing and con- fined in a small circular cell with walls and floor of gleam- ing metal. The ceiling was an incandescent fury of white light that seemed to fill the place with fierce, blinding illu- mination. If she kept her eyes open, they ached intolerably after a few minutes; if she closed them, the light still came through the lids in a crawling scarlet wash. Three recessed cavities in the wall concealed the peering lenses of video monitor cameras, main- taining unceasing scrutiny. conmicloooks.comn