Beyond Bedlam

make-up.

Conrad turned and eyed him bluntly. 'Would you mind

staying out of here till I'm finished? I've had about all I

can take.'

Major Grey shut the door and returned to Helen Walden.

He took a hypothalamic block from his own pharmacase and

handed it to her. 'Here, you're probably on very low drug

levels. You'd better take this.' He poured her a glass of pop

from a decanter and, while they waited for Conrad, he dialled

the nearest shifting station on the visiophone and ordered up

an emergency shifting costume for her.

When at last they were both dressed, made up to their satis-

faction and drugged to his satisfaction, he had them sit on a

couch together across from him. They sat at opposite ends

of it, stiff with resentment at each other's presence.

Major Grey said calmly, 'You realize that this matter is

coming to a Medicorps trial. It will be serious.'

Major Grey watched their faces. On hers he saw grim

determination. On Conrad's face he saw the heavy movement

of alarm. The man loved his wife. That was going to help.

'It is necessary in a case such as this for the Medicorps to

weigh your decisions along with the scientific evidence we will

accumulate. Unfortunately, the number of laymen directly

involved in this caseand not on trialis only two, due to

your peculiar marriage. If the hypoalters, Clara and Conrad,

were married to other partners, we might call on as many

as six involved persons and obtain a more equitable lay judg-

ment. As it stands, the entire responsibility rests on the two

of you.'

Helen Walden was primly confident. 'I don't see how we

can fail to treat the matter with perfect logic. After all, it is

not we who neglect our drug levels. . . They were refusing to

take their drugs, weren't they?' she asked, hoping for the

worst and certain she was right.

'Yes, this is drug refusal.' Major Grey paused while she

relished the answer. 'But I must correct you in one impres-

sion. Your proper drug levels do not assure that you will

act logically in this matter. The drugged mind is logical.

However, its fundamental datum is that the drugs and

drugged minds must be protected before everything else.' He

watched Conrad's face while he added, 'Because of this, it

is possible for you to arrive logically at a conclusion that. . .

death is the required solution.' He paused, looking at their

white lips. Then he said, 'Actually, other, more suitable solu-

tions may be possible.'

'But they were refusing their drugs,' she said. 'You talk

as if you are defending them. Aren't you a Medicorps prose-

cutor?'

'I do not prosecute people in the ancient 20th Century