s; a compensation, so to speak, for the real life we take away
from him. For most people only have the right to pursue happiness. In
return for a normal life, we've given him a guaranteed happiness."

The doctor let that sink in for a while; but Sherman still had a
strong wish that he had pulled some other duty. Perhaps on one of the
new outposts, like Deneb.

The doctor glanced at his watch. "Well, the repairs are done with and
they should have the nutrient refreshed by now. Let's wheel him on
back."

A little gratefully, Sherman moved over to the table.

"You'll be all right, soon enough," the doctor said to the unconscious
man on the table. "This interruption will be neatly explained away and
remain as merely a memory of a slightly unpleasant moment after things
get back to normal. That'll convince you of the reality of your
world--if you ever need convincing."

Sherman saw the sleeping man stir slightly and heard him utter sounds
again.

"Wheel him out," Blomgard said.

Gratefully, Sherman turned the table around and wheeled it out the
door.

* * * * *

From far off, Nelson heard Glynnis calling to him. "Are you all right,
Hal?" he heard. "Can you hear me, Hal?"

"I can hear you," he managed to say. He opened his eyes. He saw his
gun a few dozen feet away on the ground.

"I thought they had you, sure," Glynnis said quietly. "I got the two
of them. Don't ask me how I did it, but I got them."

He sat up, feeling dizzy from having hit the ground with such force.
"I don't guess I was much help," he said weakly. "You sure did a fine
job." His head ached, but the remembered the fight and being thrown by
the impact of the blast. And something else--something distant and
alien, like a dream, from the deepest part of his mind. It pestered
him a moment, just out of reach of his consciousness, then he shrugged
it off as unimportant. He looked around and saw the charred bodies of
the patrolmen. "You did a fine job," he told Glynnis, meaning it.

"Can you fly a patrol ship?"

"Huh?"

"We've got one now," Glynnis said. "I shot the guard they left with
it, too. Had to."

"I see," he said, marveling at the girl. "I can fly one. I haven't
since I was in the commune, though. As long as it's in good
condition."

"I guess it is. I didn't hit it with any shots."

"We can go anywhere in the world with that ship," he said getting to
his feet. "It doesn't need fuel; it can fly forever