Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 47 — page 53: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION skyward almost _ vertically, directed now straight at hea- ven and already a mere point of light. For a moment I was too thrilled to move, then a cold finger of doubt traced a path through my unconscious to my conscious mind. Could the human frame stand such vio- lent acceleration—even at E.R.H.L.F.? Was it a pilot I had seen beneath the plasti- glass canopy, or was it a robot? And if a robot, why have a canopy instead of a simple telelens in the nose? _I pondered this. Then, shrug- ging the question aside, I carried on down the hill until I could no longer see the strip for buildings, and ahead of me the scene was entirely dominated by a row of squat and windowless huts surround- ing the research centre terminal block. I was stopped at the entrance gates, questioned, told to wait. For ten minutes I tried not to chew my nails, while messages were passed back and forth by telephone from the guard- house. Then I was taken through these outer gates and given a seat in the guardhouse 52 while the inner gates were opened. A uniformed guard approached, nodded for me to follow. I did so and we made our way to the terminal block. In there, Doctor Kersch’s office was soon reached. As I stood outside, waiting, I mois- tened my lips and tried to work up an interest in.a row of multi-dimensional photo- graphs mounted behind plastic sheeting on the walls. The building was old, the plastic sheet—obviously synthetic resin—had scarred and misted over, and the phenolic resin frames had faded and become distorted as aresult of moisture absorption. But there was nothing old about Kersch’s office. . The door slid back so quietly that I felt suddenly naked. I saw Kersch looking at me, and felt my enthusiasm fade. Then he smiled. I ex- perienced a sudden upsurge of relieved emotion; trust, hope, admiration. Kersch motioned me in, permitted the smile to remain on his lips for a brief moment. I saw before me a scientist too preoccupied to bother about the platitudes of comicloooks.conrn