ternly at David. "They go ahead with their experiments, and
hang the consequences. If Dr. Wong had had any sense, he would never
have kept this a secret for ten years, and we might have had ten years
to prepare ourselves for such a responsibility. Instead, we have only a
few days or, at most, weeks. Hudson! Faure! How do you feel about this
thing now? Are you still game?"

Both men seemed a little dazed, but Faure pulled himself together,
speaking slowly, like a man in a dream.

"We're with you. It's still hard to believe: we've got immortality!"

"I'd hardly call it immortality," said Hudson drily, "since, as I
understand it, SDE does not kill disease entities, nor ward off bullets
or the disintegrating nuclear shaft of the needler--as we will very
likely find out before very long. But what do we do now? When people see
these two girls together, it won't be an hour before Marley hears about
it."

David spoke up with a new authority. "He must not hear about it. I know
how poorly equipped I am to handle this situation, but since I created
it, I must assume responsibility, and I have made my plans.

"First, you, Tanya. Try to realize that if the Leader finds out that I
have this secret of keeping youth, he will want it for himself. Nobody
in Menial, nobody in Office, nobody in Research--almost nobody at
all--will be allowed to benefit from it. Marley will use it as a special
reward for certain Rulers, and he will try to keep its very existence a
secret so that people in general will not be envious or rebellious. That
means that he will have to get rid of you."

"Get rid of me? But I haven't done any harm!"

"Just by existing and letting people look at your unchanging youth, you
will be a threat to him, for you will give away his secret. How he'll
deal with you, I don't know. Concentration camp, exile, or more
probably, simple execution on grounds of treason, such as unauthorized
choices of activity or study. It doesn't matter, he'll find a way. The
only safety for you is in keeping hidden. You must stay quietly in
Leah's apartment until we can find a refuge for you. Do you see that?"

She looked around in bewilderment. "Is that right, Dr. Haslam? And what
will they think at the Institute? I'm supposed to go back to my job in
Intercom."

"Dr. Wong is right," he said kindly. "Please believe us. It's hard for
you to understand that we are asking you to do something secret, but
just try to remember that you are, aft