Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 66 — page 129: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION reasons why the Creep is dropping, and you could prob- ably knock down every argu- ment. But you wouldn’t shake my faith. I heard that bird, Sam. Just because it’s quiet doesn’t have to imply that everybody is dead. You know as well as I do that in any street in the world there are few people who dare to stay on the surface for very long. Especially after your broad- cast.” She waited to see if Sam would argue. He was watching her with one eyebrow lowered in concentration and the other raised in conjecture. When she saw that he wasn’t going to interrupt, she continued: “That bird I heard means you were wrong about the Creep. You could be wrong about the spheres, too. The aliens aren’t necessarily scavengers and buzzards. Un- til we’re sure this one means us harm you’re not taking off the suit. He needs it more than I do.” Sam told her: ‘All right, so that’s your opinion. You 128 think the aliens are angels and that we’ve got a new lease of life. I think we’re dying already, so if you want to gamble on coming face to face with an alien who isn’t half- dead like this one, [ll play it your way. There’s nothing to lose. But tell me, if the Creep has gone why be so concerned about letting Joseph keep his coat?” **Because,”’ said Lena tri- umphantly, “che may be hu- man, but that doesn’t mean he breathes oxygen. That’s a spacesuit, not an antigamma suit. The belt that looks like a tyre is his gas tank.” - “Then it would be kinder to kill him now than let him die of asphyxiation when the tank is empty.” Lena said: “‘I know that,” and looked him in the eye pointedly. In the short while he had known her, Sam believed he had fitted her into his in- ventory of familiar characters. He looked at her as if he had never seen her before. ““You want me to take him into the . cComilcbooks.com