Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 46 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

SAVIOUR the enemy crocked up those three Mole Heavies a month back.” “[’m sorry to hear it. Poor Mrs. Lake.” “Harry Lake was never in a Mole Heavy,” said the General in a strange voice. *““Never in...” The silence wrapped them in its sudden cloak. ““He never came out of psychosurgery. I only learned of it through overhearing something I shouldn’t have overheard. He was forced to go to the Psychocentre by some psychosecurity man who found out something about him that he didn’t like. The boy’s parents didn’t have any say in the matter at all, it seems. Anyhow, in he went. They put him under one of the analyser gadgets to find out as much as they could about his past, and apparently they found out more than enough. He was more than just differ- ent; he was a real deviant. And they wouldn’t take the risk of giving him psycho- surgery and then letting him go his own way.” Her eyes were very wide as she listened. From outside, from the steel and concrete streets of the steel and con- crete cavern world, came the 15 muted whirrings of railcars flicking by the little chalet. “What did they do to him?” she asked. “They told his parents a cock-and-bull story about it being necessary to move him immediately from his parental . environment and certain of his associates. Front line duty, they said, would be the best means of letting their psycho- surgical treatment have the fullest effect in the shortest time. The Lakes couldn’t argue with Psychocentre. They had to agree. And the next thing they heard about their son was the official report that he’d been killed in that en- gagement I mentioned. But he wasn’t killed in a Mole Heavy, because he was never allowed to join the Mole Corps. He went into the Psychocentre and he never came out again.” *“You’re sure of this?” He shook his head wearily. *“No, of course I’m not sure. I wasn’t there when they killed him or locked him up, or did whatever they did do to him. I’m just repeating some- thing I overheard that may be a pack of lies or may have a grain of truth in it, or may be absolute fact.’ He started to pace the room. “If it’s true then it’s pretty terrible,” he said, voicing thoughts rather comiclbooks.conrn