Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 53 — page 32: what you’re looking at

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

WITHOUT LOVE Or was it that such things had been bottled up in me for so long that they now forced their way out without my knowing? I couldn’t say, but I did feel better for having talked myself clean. Celeste sighed again, and now I noticed that her eyes were shiny with tears. The emotions of the New Men are roused easily. “Where are they now?”’ she asked. “‘Tiger and Mattis?”’ “They’re under guard in the police quarters here at the Palace.” “And what will happen to them?” “Who knows ? It’s been four days since the fights at the Arena, and the Dianotrix hasn’t yet made her mind up. She might let them live, or then again she mightn’t.” “Oh, well, she'll take care of them. One way or another.” And with that Celeste shrugged away the fate of Tiger and Mattis and came back to the present. She slid off the arm of the chair and into my lap. She had forgotten one thing, 31 however, the force of loyalty. As I thought of Menilissa, as I thought of the Team, disgust arose in me, disgust for myself and for this barbarian little trollop. So she thought I'd be a feather in her cap? She’d get her friends on the visor as soon as I’d left her apartment and she’d tell them about her experiences with a real live Teamster, would she now? Well, she had a surprise. coming. I grinned. I got up out of my chair and dear little Celeste landed on the floor with a bump. At first she didn’t get what had happened, then she started to cuss me out. But if the New Men could be arrogant, so could I, given a chance. I didn’t even turn around as IJ strode to the door. I opened it, and stood face to face with the Dianotrix and one of her aides. She glared up at me with yellow cat’s eyes. ““What are you doing here ?”’ she demanded. “Leaving,”’ I said. “They told me I’d find you comicloooks.com