exceeds by far the ambitions of the average man. They are
genii in their way, Mr. Prantera, genii of evil. Such a genius of evil
has appeared on the current scene."

"Now we're getting somewheres," Joe snorted. "So you got a guy what's a
little ambitious, like, eh? And you guys ain't got the guts to give it
to him. O.K. What's in it for me?"

The two of them frowned, exchanged glances. Reston-Farrell said, "You
know, that is one aspect we had not considered."

Brett-James said to Joe Prantera, "Had we not, ah, taken you at the time
we did, do you realize what would have happened?"

"Sure," Joe grunted. "I woulda let old Al Rossi have it right in the
guts, five times. Then I woulda took the plane back to Chi."

Brett-James was shaking his head. "No. You see, by coincidence, a police
squad car was coming down the street just at that moment to arrest Mr.
Rossi. You would have been apprehended. As I understand Californian law
of the period, your life would have been forfeit, Mr. Prantera."

Joe winced. It didn't occur to him to doubt their word.

Reston-Farrell said, "As to reward, Mr. Prantera, we have already told
you there is ultra-abundance in this age. Once this task has been
performed, we will sponsor your entry into present day society.
Competent psychiatric therapy will soon remove your present--"

"Waita minute, now. You figure on gettin' me candled by some head
shrinker, eh? No thanks, Buster. I'm going back to my own--"

Brett-James was shaking his head again. "I am afraid there is no return,
Mr. Prantera. Time travel works but in one direction, _with_ the flow of
the time stream. There can be no return to your own era."

Joe Prantera had been rocking with the mental blows he had been
assimilating, but this was the final haymaker. He was stuck in this
squaresville of a world.

* * * * *

Joe Prantera on a job was thorough.

Careful, painstaking, competent.

He spent the first three days of his life in the year 2133 getting the
feel of things. Brett-James and Reston-Farrell had been appointed to
work with him. Joe didn't meet any of the others who belonged to the
group which had taken the measures to bring him from the past. He didn't
want to meet them. The fewer persons involved, the better.

He stayed in the apartment of Reston-Farrell. Joe had been right,
Reston-Farrell was a medical doctor. Brett-James evidently had something
to do with the process that had enab