Returning to the bedroom he looked at the card-table he had his notes on. They were undisturbed. Neatly, side by side near a large, tattered notebook, lay a half-full ampoule of M-A 19 and a hypodermic syringe. He picked up the ampoule and threw it in a corner. It did not break but rolled around on the floor for a few seconds.
He sat down.
His whole body ached.
He picked up a sheaf of his more recent notes. He wrote everything down that came into his head on the subject of tranquilomats; it helped him think better and made sure that his drugged mind and body did not hamper him as much as they might have done if he had simply relied on his memory.
He looked at his wrists. They carried the marks of the rope.
Evidently the transition from the other world to his own involved leaving anything in the other world behind. He was glad. If he hadn't, he'd have had a hell of a job getting himself untied. He shuddered - a mob might have reached the lab before he could get free and activate the Towers.
He tried hard to forget the questions flooding through his mind. Where had he been? Who were the people? What did they really want? How far could they keep a check on him? How did the M-A 19 work to aid his transport into the other world? Could they get at him here? He decided they couldn't get at him, otherwise they might have tried earlier. Somehow it was the M-A 19 in his brain which allowed them to get hold of him. Well, that was simple no more M-A 19.
With a feeling of relief., he forced himself to concentrate on his notes.
Out of the confusion, something seemed to be developing, but he had to work at great speed - greater speed than previously, perhaps, for he daren't use the M-A 19 again and there was nothing else left of much good.
His brain cleared as he once again got interested in his notes. He worked for two hours, making fresh notes, equations, checking his knowledge against the stack of earlier research notes by the wall near his camp bed.
Dawn was coming as he realized suddenly that he was suffering from thirst. His throat was bone dry, so was his mouth and lips. He got up and his legs felt weak, He staggered, almost knocking over the chair. With a great effort he righted it and, leaning for support on the bed, got himself to the hand-basin.
It was filled by a tank near the roof and he had used it sparsely.
But this time he didn't care. He stuck "his head under the tap and drank the stale water greedily. It did no good. His whole body now seemed cold, his skin tight, his heart thumping heavily against his ribs. His head was aching horribly and his breathing increased.
He went and lay down on the bed, hoping the feeling would leave him.
It got worse. He needed something to cure himself.
What? he asked.
M-A 19, he answered.
NO!
But - Yes, yes, yes. All he needed was a small shot of the drug and he would be all right. He knew it.
And with knowing that, he realized something else.
He was hooked.
The drug was habit-forming.
HE FOUND the half-full M-A 19 ampoule under the bed where it had rolled. He found the needle on the table where he had left it, buried under his notes. He found a vein in his forearm and shot himself full. There was no thought to Seward's action.
There was just the craving and the chance of satisfying that craving.
The M-A 19 began to swim leisurely through his veins, drifting up his spineIt hit his brain with a powerful explosion.
He was walking through a world of phosphorescent ram, leaping over large purple rocks that welcomed his feet, drew them down towards them. All was agony and startling Now.
No-time, no-space, just the throbbing voice in the air above him. It was talking to him.
DOOM, Seward. DOOM, Seward. DOOM, Seward.
'Seward is doomed!' he laughed. 'Seward is betrayed!'
Towers Advance. Towers Recede. Towers Rotate At Normal Speed.
Carnival Aktion. All Carnivals To Explode.
Up into the back-brain, into the mid-brain, on to the forebrain.
EXPLOSION ALL CENTRES!
He was back in the torture-chamber, though standing up. In the corner near the brazier the. grotesque pair were muttering to one another. Mr Hand darted him an angry glance, his lips drawn over his gums in an expression of outrage.
'Hello, Seward,' said the Man Without A Navel behind him.' So you're back.'
'Back,' said Seward heavily. ' What More do you want?" 'Only your All, Seward, old man. I remember a time in Dartford before the war… '
'Which war?'
'Your war, Seward. You were too young to share any other.
You don't remember that war. You weren't born. Leave it to those who do, Seward.'
Seward turned. 'My war?' He looked with disgust at the Man Without A Navel; at his reptilian blue skin and his warmcold, dark-light, good-evil eyes. At his small yet well-formed body.
The Man Without A Navel smiled.'
Our war, then, old man, I won't quibble.'
'You made me do it. I think that somehow you made me suggest Experiment Restoration!'
'I said we won't quibble, Seward,' said the man in an authoritative tone. Then, more conversationally: ' I remember a time in Dartford before the war, when you sat in your armchairone rather like mine-at your brother-in-law's house. Remember what you said, old man?'
Seward remembered well. 'If,' he quoted,'if I had a button and could press it and destroy the entire universe and myself with it, I would. For no reason other than boredom.'
'Very good, Seward. You have an excellent memory.'
'Is that all you're going on? Something I said out of frustration because nobody was recognizing my work?' He paused as he realized something else. ' You know all about me, don't you?' he said bitterly. There seemed to be nothing he didn't know.
On the other hand Seward knew of the man. Nothing of this world. Nothing of where it was in space and time. It was a world of insanity, of bizarre contrasts.' H ow do you know all this?'
'Inside information, Seward, old boy.'
'You're mad!'
The Man Without A Navel returned to his earlier topic.
'Are you bored now, Seward?'
'Bored? No. Tired, yes.'
'Bored, no - tired, yes. Very good, Seward. You got here later than expected. What kept you?' The man laughed.
'I kept me. I held off taking the M-A 19 for as long as I could.'
'But you came to us in the end, eh? Good man, Seward.'
'You knew the M-A 19 was habit-forming? You knew I'd have to take it, come back here?'
'Naturally.'
He said pleadingly: 'Let me go for God's sake! You've made me. Made me… '
'Your dearest wish almost come true, Seward. Isn't that what you wanted? I made you come close to destroying the world? Is that it?'
'So you did somehow influence Experiment Restoration!'
'It's possible. But you haven't done very well either way The world is in shambles. You can't reverse that. Kill it off.
Let's start fresh, Seward. Forget your experiments with the tranquilomats and help us.'
'No.'
The Man Without A Navel shrugged.' We'll see, old boy.'
He looked at the mumbling men in the corner. 'Morl Hand-take Professor Seward to his room. I don't want any mistakes this time. I'm going to take him out of your hands.
Obviously we need subtler minds put on the problem.'
The pair came forward and grabbed Seward. The Man With out A Navel opened the door and they went through it first, forcing Seward ahead of them.
He was too demoralized to resist much, this time. Demoralized by the fact that he was hooked en M-A 19. What did the junkies call it? The Habit. He had The Habit. Demoralized by his inability to understand the whereabouts or nature of the world. he was on. Demoralized by the fact that the Man Without A Navel seemed to know everything about his personal life on Earth? Demoralized that he had fallen into the man's trap. Who had developed M-A 19? He couldn't remember. Perhaps the.