Undying World

Zampa pointed to the pad. «We stand our subject on that and attune power to him by what our experts call sympathetic surge.»

Blade asked, «You are not a scientist?»

Zampa laughed heartily. «Dear me, no. I am what we call a friendly relations officer. I have been trained to make you like and trust me, Blade.»

Blade scowled. «I've got news for you, friend. You've got one hell of a job ahead of you.»

Zampa thumbed through his red book and put it away at last. He looked at Blade. «Some of those words I do not have listed. But do I take the meaning correctly-that I will not succeed in my job?»

«Could be,» said Blade, and he smiled coldly.

Zampa's smile was warm. «But you are wrong. I am very good at my work. Let us get back to our chairs and be comfortable.»

Just then a head pain struck Blade. He laughed to conceal it. He said, «Maybe you are at that, Zampa, and part of your job must be to keep me happy and cooperative?»

«It is indeed.»

«Then tell me about the ditramonium. How did the Morphi make it out of ordinary rock and how was the power transmitted without wires?»

Zampa looked at the red book. «Wires-wires? I do not have that word either. But no matter. Of course I will tell you about the ditramonium-even I am scientist enough for that.»

Blade did not quite believe him. «You will tell me?»

Zampa shrugged. «Why not? Ditramonium is no longer important to us. For perhaps, say, a vigintillion of counts, or as some reckon it, 1000 novemdecillions, the stuff called ditramonium was necessary to us. It was our source of power as it was to the Morphis. We, as a matter of fact, invented the Morphi and powered them with our ditramonium. A wrong and costly experiment, I am afraid. There must be, I think, fools in every dimension.

«However-and after I have satisfied your curiosity in this, Blade, I will expect you to start answering questions — we began to run short of rock. No rock, no ditramonium. Which is why Onta and his people conspired to shut off the power down there, to conserve the rock against our own needs. I do not know just how Onta did it and I do not want to know-he is not a person to my taste. But of course we all know that such things must be done.»

«How well I know.» Blade was grim.

«Yes, I suppose so. But let me get on. Our scientists were all working like mad on an alternate source of power, a substitute for ditramonium, and not many counts ago they found it. You see, then? Our new power is far better than ditramonium and much less troublesome and expensive to produce.»

Blade nodded. «So you did not need the city nor the Morphi, and certainly not the Gnomen?»

Zampa made a wiping gesture with his hand. «Need them? Of course not. The Morphi were a failed experiment and the Gnomen were animals, not as interesting, really, as the mole rats in their deep sewers. Forget them, Blade. They are now extinct.»

Blade said nothing. He let his facial expression say nothing. No use warning Zampa if, as just might be, the few Gnomen women and their guards had gone deep enough to escape the fire. They would live and have his babies. Suddenly, and Blade could not quite understand it, he very much wanted this to be true.

Zampa was watching him with an odd smile. Blade nodded and had to acknowledge, «You are good at your work. But you were going to explain ditramonium to me.»

«I ca

qs' + ut = zoa — SEL to 1/2 P

thus transference of ut to 1/2 + P = PM (packet motivation) to final, realized, of:

s=s

s-zo

leadin to t' = B (t+b (ut/oz)to ° ° th)

Blade sca

Blade put the paper in his pocket. He scrubbed at his beard, gri

He smiled and smiled. Soon Zampa would think he was dealing with an idiot. But it hurt… it hurt terribly.

«You have been kind,» said Blade, «and I admit I did not think you could make me like you. But you're good. You've gotten around me. Now if I can help you I will. But first I would like to know just what is in store for me. It is not a secret?»

Zampa waved his little book and laughed. «No secret. But there's no hurry, none at all. You will soon be out of my hands, of course, but I can make a guess. For a great many counts you will be given tests and examined. I do not know the details of all that. Eventually an effort will be made to send you back to the very dimension from which you came and-«

Blade writhed in agony and did not let it show. «You mean that I am to be sent through your computer?»

Zampa nodded, all smiles. «I believe so. And they hope to bring you back. The purpose, of course, is to establish communication, a working relationship, between your dimension and our own. If this can be accomplished you will, naturally, receive great honor. You may even be made an honorary Selene.»

Blade's body was wrenched. Pain flowed. He saw Zampa's smile detach itself and come toward him. Blade retreated. He groaned, screamed, writhed, suffered. The smile pursued him. His guts flowed from him, turned to snares and tried to capture the smile. No luck His own mouth, no beard now, detached and went to meet the smile.

The smile-the smile-the smile

Blade grunted in last agony. «Cheshire-cheshire-cheshire-«

The smile of Zampa spoke: «Cheshire? Let me see. I do not think I have that word either. Is it a Gnomen word?»

Blade had gone. Only his mouth remained. His mouth said, «A Gnomen word? Who Gno wens? — hah-hah-I think, Zampa man, that Blade and the Gnomen have screwed you. Time will tell, but I feel sure that the end is not a dead and silent hell. Ba-by-pa-goose-bug off, Zampa baby. .»

For the last time Zampa was seen clearly. . Zampa saying, so seriously as he rifed his little book, «I do not believe I have that word either. . «

The nurse was button cute, petite, and had the legs to go with the Dior-designed mini-uniforms so recently permitted at St. Barts-over the bitter cries of Head Nurse Olvey, who had piano legs in parentheses.

But Dior was for Nurse Hawkins, definitely. Blade, with only a sheet over him, watched her with pleasure. When she had just now taken his temperature there had definitely been a happening.

Nurse Hawkins came back to his bed. She glanced down and turned a slow pink.

Blade did not even mind her archness as she said, «My word, but aren't we a naughty, naughty boy.»

There was nothing to say. There were a million things to think of and he did not think of any of them. He reached for Nurse Hawkins' hand and gave it a squeeze. For a moment she permitted it, smiling at him and repeating: «We are a naughty boy.»

Blade resorted to an Americanism. «You haven't seen anything yet, baby.»

Nurse Hawkins turned severe. «I should hope not.»

Then she relented. «You have a visitor,» she said softly.

J came in, fussing as usual, his Homburg and rolled umbrella clutched in his hand.

«How are you, my dear boy? Don't tell me if you'd rather not. Lie if you like. Stay here as long as you please. Lord Leighton is dying to get his hooks into you. I know how you dread the debriefing.» He shot a look at Nurse Hawkins. «If we could be alone, please?»

They were alone. J said, «The formula you brought back is gibberish. Nonsense. Lord L is most unhappy.»

«I couldn't care less,» said Richard Blade. He glanced down at the sheet. The tented arch was just subsiding.