Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, Issue 45 — page 39: what you’re looking at

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

‘ AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION round and ran out the door by which it—as Hamlin—had entered. Carpenter wasn’t sick. He held onto himself and lay slacklyinthechair, shuddering. Doctor Hamlin walked into the room, stood looking at Carpenter——— ““No!”’ Carpenter yelled, jumping to his feet. He caught the doctor’s shoulders in his clenching fists, doubling up the cloth, and shook him wildly. “Hold on, Carpenter!” Hamlin tugged himself free and pushed Carpenter’s scrab- bling hands away. ““What’s the . matter ?”’ Carpenter took a deep breath. He said: “Nothing. Sorry, Jack. Stupid of me. Must have had a nightmare, sitting dozing in the chair. I think PU be getting back to the station.” Whilst he had been speak- ing Hamlin had taken a tablet from a plastic box and dropped it into a glass of water. He held it out. 38 “Here, take this. Steady you a bit.” Carpenter drank without thought. Time enough for that later. Right now he felt like a sponge that has been wrung dry. When he had said his goodbyes to Hamlin and found his coptercar just settling for him in response to the call, he still could not see any answers to the problems confronting him. His head ached. All too soon now he would be back at the Eugenics Station, with all its attendant problems and decisions. And there was a tremendous amount of work on his plate for today that so far had not been touched. He had a month in which to prepare his case for theinvestigation committee and that case now was a totally different one from what it had .been this time yesterday. Merrick and Mac- kenzie would see to that. He coughed, the red-hot needles of pain scraping up the back of his throat. The domes of the station comiclooks.corn