ny said. It was suddenly easier to talk. Even easier
to understand. They had done something....

"We are surprised that your state of shock was not more severe. In the
process of analyzing you, we discovered that you were totally unprepared
for Space-flight, and therefore--"

"Unprepared? What do you think all those months of physical conditioning
were for? Yeah, and all those damned textbooks? You think that barrel I
cracked up was built in a Kindergarten class--"

"Space-flight requires but a relative minimum of those things, Earthman.
Required most is psychological and philosophical conditioning."

"To what?"

"To all things unreal. Because they are the most real; infinity applies
to probability and possibility far more directly than to simple Space
and Time. But--are you calm now?" The voice was growing deeper, and
seemed almost friendly. Johnny tried his muscles; they weren't
paralyzed--he could move easily, and his head was clear. And there was
no anger, now. No "shock."

"Go ahead," he said.

"Our examination of you has indicated that your race is a potentially
effective one, with a superior survival factor. We feel that, properly
instructed and assisted, such a race might be of great value as a friend
and ally. In short, we receive you in peace and friendship, Earthman.
Will you accept us in like manner?"

Johnny tried to think. Hard thoughts, the way men were supposed
to think. What kind of game was it? What were the strings? The
angles ... the gimmicks. What did they really want?

His lips were dry and barely moved over his teeth, but the words came
easily. "Who says you're a friend?"

"We would have learned as much about you by examining your corpse,
Earthman."

So he was alive, and that had to prove something. And it might have been
a lot of trouble to keep him that way. The hell of it was you couldn't
_know_ ... _Anything_ ... you couldn't know anything when you were
tossed into the middle of the impossible. He felt the skin on the back
of his neck chill and tighten.

But who held out their hand like this?

Whoever did anything like that?

No.

"We wish to help you, Earthman, and your race. We have observed your
kind at close quarters, yet we have never landed among you nor attempted
communication because of fear for ourselves. But with proper help, there
need be no fear between us. We offer you friendship and progress."

"You keep talking about what _we_ get out of it." Johnny stared u