me. What did you use to suture the cut? What medicines did you administer?» «God gave me a sign,» Luke sobbed. «And I felt the power—»
— Wereeeeeeeeeeeee— Blue flames in his eyes and body supported by
the back of his head and his heels as the incredible pain hit and lifted and tightened and bucked and shook and his voice keening— eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee— «Once more,» the Brother said. Luke was limp. The room swam before his tearful eyes. He heard a great roar in his brain. His eyes ached, were hot. «Where is the medical equipment which you used?» «Brother,» Luke whispered, «Man of God, believe me I healed—with—faith!» And, just as the shakeshock force hit him, Luke heard a voice from afar. «—can't stand much more. Brother. « And blackness, merciful blackness. He awoke in blackness. Things moving around him. He opened his eyes. Blue stars swam, exploded in blackness. He moaned. His throat was sore. He tried to move his arms. He cried out in pain. Every muscle in his body was a small sea of pain. He tried to scream and nothing came but a groan. Blackness. And pain. And a voice. At first he could hear and not understand, then. «Easy, easy, boy.» Darkness. «Easy. Just lie easy. Don't try to move.» A pinpoint of pain in his arm. And, spreading from that pinpoint, a radiating wave of blissful numbness. He could breathe again. But he couldn't see. He was blind. «Help me,» he managed to say. The numbness spread, made him feel sleepy, killed the pain in every muscle fiber. «I can't see,» he said. «Just lie easy.» Eternity Blackness. Then a glow of light, dim, far. «Can you hear me?» «Yes,» Luke said. «There's nothing but muscle damage, fortunately. You'll be all right.» «I can't see,» Luke said. «That will pass.» Glow. Brightening. Movement. He tried to lift his head. He couldn't move. Numbness was everywhere. But the light was growing brighter and
then, far off, he saw the face. An old face. White hair. A man's face close to his. Fingers at one eye, lifting the lid. «Can you see me?» «Yes,» Luke said. «Good. Now I'm going to let you sleep.» When he awoke the soreness was there. Not much pain as long as he didn't try to move, but flaming soreness when he lifted his hand and let it
fall back weakly. The face He could see it more clearly. «Just take it easy, boy. You won't be able to move for a long time. You see, they hit you so hard it tore down all the muscle fiber. It's as if you had exercised every muscle in your body for ten hours at maximum potential.» Bite of needle at his arm. «Just something to help you.» Numbness. Later. «Do you feel like talking?» The man's face was close. He had blue eyes, a beard, wrinkles, gray hair. «Yes,» Luke said. «It was faith. God gave me a sign.» «Easy. They're not here.» He could see clearly. The man was dressed in white. The room was white. A table nearby was laden with strange, gleaming instruments bottles, containers. «I had the power,» Luke said. «I know, I know. Now listen to me. They'll be back for you soon.» «Oh God—» «Just listen. I'm a friend. What did you use to heal that Fare?» «Oh, God,» Luke said. «It was the power.» «I'm your friend. Tell me. Did you have tools?» «No,» Luke said. «God gave me a sign.» «Medicines?» «No.» «This is important,» the man in white said. «Very important. I'm not the one who put you on the rack, boy. I'm your friend. Tell me, exactly, how you did it. Tell me how you felt. Tell me everything you can remember.» Luke told him. He told him about the healing, how, at times, he had the feeling he could see inside people. He told him about knowing that there was something wrong inside the woman's side when he put his hand on it, how he straightened things in there, how the pain left her, how he felt. He told how the Fare's stomach was cut, how he stuffed the things, the coils, the pulpy, hot wet things back in with his hands, how he saw the light in the heavens. How he felt the power. «Where did you feel it?» the man in white asked. «Here,» Luke said, holding his stomach. «It shot into me there and—» «Burn?» «Kinda,» Luke said. «Funny. But I knew it was the power And I could feel the way the things were supposed to be inside the Fare and I put them together with my mind—» «With your mind?» «—the power,» Luke said. «Do you think you could do it again'?» «I don't know,» Luke said. «All right,» the man in white said. «They're going to be coming back for you soon.» «Oh, God, no.» Luke said. «I couldn't stand it.» «No, you couldn't,» the old man said, «not with that maniac jolting it to you at three-quarters power.» He lifted Luke's hand, held it for a long moment, his fingers looped loosely around Luke's wrist. «Hummm.» «Why are they doing this to me?» Luke asked. He felt a strange warmth for the white-haired man in the white coat. «Because you're rocking the boat, boy.» «Huh?» He started to add that he didn't understand, but the white-haired man put his finger to his lips. «You just lie here,» the white-haired man said. «Don't open your eyes and don't make a sound no matter what you hear, do you understand?»
Actually, it was what Luke wanted to do, lie perfectly still, only his chest moving with his breathing, his heart pounding, blood flowing through his veins. There was a soreness in his chest which pulsed with the beat of heart, as if his very heart muscle were tired. He heard voices. He recognized the voice of the Brother who had put him on the rack. His pulse pounded, but he made no movement. «Have you not revived him?» «I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker.» «You will address me with the respect which is my due.» «Sir.» The word oozed with contempt. «You bastards think the universe turns around you. Remember, my friend, no one is indispensable.» «Indeed, Brother. I agree. And, so, I think it would be only democratic for you and the rest to realize that and take your chances with the general populace.» «I can put you on the rack, doctor.» «Sure you can. And sometimes I think that would be the best thing. It would be quick with me. I'm not young and strong like this fellow.» «The arrogance of these quacks—» «Who keep you and others like you alive—» «I order you to be silent.» «Yes, sir.» «This criminal. Why is he not revived?» «Because you've almost killed him.» «Nonsense. I want him aware. I want to question him.» «Then talk with your God. I have done all I can.» Luke held his breath. He'd never heard anyone talk to a Brother in such a manner. And the remark about God. It sounded, in tone, like rank sacrilege. He expected the wrath of the Brothers and of God to fall upon the old man. But there was a moment of silence. He heard movement, felt the nearness of someone, kept his eyes closed. «When will I be able to question this Lay?» «Do you mean put him back on the rack?» «If necessary.» «It may not be necessary. You may have killed him already.» Luke felt a touch of fear. But the man had told him he would be all right. «I want this man to talk!» The Brother's voice was hard. «I will do my best, but I'm afraid that his heart was damaged. I've told you that these people, who are beset by every pestilence known to medicine, who have never had the first minute's care, cannot survive under your methods of questioning. If you insist on sending a killing shock through them, I can only warn you again that they will not talk. You don't talk when you're dead.» Luke felt like crying out. They were talking about him. The man in white was talking about him! He was the one who was dying! But, with the great, exhausted numbness in him, he lay still, breathing evenly. «If you let this one die, I'll—» «You'll do what?» The old man laughed. «A long time ago a man said, there is no satisfaction in hanging a man who does not protest. All you can do, Brother, is kill me. And sometimes I think that wouldn't be too bad.» The Brother made an angry sound. «Let me know the minute he revives.» Then there was a movement. Silence. Then, «All right, son. He's gone.» Luke opened his eyes. «What you said—» «About you dying?» He chuckled. «Don't worry. You're strong as a horse. I don't understand why, but you're in better shape now than most who have not been shocked.» He put his hand on Luke's arm. «We're going to get you out of here .» Then, with a smile, «But you're going to have to die to do it. « «Huh?» Panic. His heart thudding. Soreness. Pain. «At least they'll think you're dead. You won't be, I assure you.» He was doing something with a long, gleaming needle. Luke watched fearfully. He flinched away. «You
won't feel anything. You'll go to sleep. When you awaken you'll be in a safe
place. You'll be able to hear but you won't be able to move.» The needle bit. «Relax. You're safe. Safe.» Safe. Safe. Safe. The word rebounded in his skull. A wave of dizziness came over him. Then a numbness spread. He felt himself going limp, felt his breathing slow, halt. Yet there was no panic. His heart thudded, bumped, slowed and then, seemingly, it stopped. Waves of peace billowed up, covered, engulfed him. And he was not breathing and his heart was stopped and the soreness no longer bothered him and he could hear the old man moving about, making a thin, whistling sound through his teeth,
heard the clicks, the voice. «Tell your boss he won't be able to question this one. He's dead.» And long periods of silence and someone talking as he floated on a sea of softness and dim light and they were talking about him, about his body. «—keeping you alive—need subjects—train young doctors—-body—» and the time suspended and then a floating and other sounds, some known, some not known and traffic around him, ground-car movement and peace, peace. CHAPTER SEVEN «Where am I?» «You're safe. Safe.» Safe, safe, and safe safe safesafesafe… Coolness. The bite of a needle in his arm. A low sound of music. Clean air. Coolness at his lips. Swallowing. «Am I in heaven?» A low laugh. «Not quite.» Time passing endlessly. Coolness Comfort. Clean, sweet air. Chewing.
Sweet taste. His eyes still closed. Soreness. Moving his arms. People lifting, moving, pushing, rubbing. He awoke. Light, a cool, early morning light. He could see. A form moved when he tried to raise his head. He was in a huge bed. «Ah, we're awake, are we?» A feminine voice. He turned his head. A female face near. He shrank. «How do we feel?» He was naked under a sheet. He felt ashamed. A woman close and him naked under the sheet. Coolness at his lips. «Drink this.» Swallowing. And when next he awoke, full awareness. The room was large, clean,
