IT IS ALSO UNDEFINED
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NECESSARY
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WHAT THE HELL IS AN N-AXIAL INVERSION UNIT?
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TIME NAMES CORRESPONDENCESXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX THE RHENNIUS MACHINE. THAT MECHANISM
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I KNOW WHERE IT IS. YES
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GO TO THE RHENNIUS MACHINE. TEST ITS INVERSION PROGRAM
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HOW?
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OBSERVE THE PROGRESSIVE TRANSFORMATIONS OF AN OBJECT PASSED THROUGH ITS MOBILATOR
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WHAT IS A MOBILATOR?
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THE CENTRAL UNIT THROUGH WHICH ITS BELT MOVES
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IMPOSSIBLE TO GET THAT CLOSE TO THE THING. IT IS UNDER GUARD
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VITAL
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WHY?
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TO REFORMULATEXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX TO REFORMXXXXXXXXXXXXX TOXXXXXXXX
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DO YOU HEAR ME. FRED?
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YES
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GO TO THE RHENNIUS MACHINE AND TEST ITS INVERSION PROGRAM
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SUPPOSING I CAN DO IT. WHAT THEN?
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THEN GO AND GET DRUNK
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PLEASE REPEAT
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TEST THE INVERSION PROGRAM AND GO INTOXICATE YOURSELF
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ANYTHING ELSE?
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SUBSEQUENT ACTIONS CONTINGENT UPON UNDETERMINED EVENTS
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WILL YOU DO THIS?
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WHO ARE YOU?
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IXXXXXXXXXXXXXSPEICUSXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXSPEICUSXXXXXXX
XXXXSPEICUSPEICUSPE ICUSPEICUSPEICUSPEICU SPEICUSPEICUSXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXEICUSPEIXXC USPEXXICUSXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXPECXXXUSPEIX XXXCUSPEICUSPEICUSPEICUSPEICUSP EICUSPEICUSPEICUSPEICUSPEIC USPEICUSPEICUSPEBCUSXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX I AM A RECORDINGXXXSPEICUSXXXXXXXXXX I AM A RECORDINGXXXSPEICUSXXXXXXXXXX I AM A RECORDINGXX
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IT FIGURES
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WILL YOU DO AS I HAVE ASKED?
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WHY NOT?
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YOU INDICATE ASSENT?
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ALL RIGHT, RECORDING. ALL RIGHT. AFFIRMATIVE. I AM PROGRAMMED CURIOUS
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VERY GOOD. THAT THEN IS ALL
It raineth on the just and the unjust; likewise shineth the sun. I came around with the latter doing that thing, in my eyes, through the front window. And I must have been just-or just lucky-as I was not only unhung over but felt fairly good. I lay there for some time, listening to Hal's snores coming from the other room. Reaching a decision as to who and where I was, I rose and set a pot of coffee to gurgling in the kitchen and went to the bathroom to find some soap and a razor and do some other things.
Later, I had some juice, toast and a couple of eggs, took a cup of coffee back to the living room. Hal was still buzzing. I loafed on the sofa. I lit a cigarette. I drank coffee.
Caffeine, nicotine, the games the blood sugars play-I do not know what it was that pierced the dark bubble as I sat there assembling the morning and myself.
Whatever prompted it, the thing I had gotten in lieu of the usual unsolicited dreams returned to me between a puff and a sip, far clearer than my id-sponsored late late monster shows ever were.
Having decided earlier to accept the peculiar in the proper spirit, I confined my considerations to the matter of content. It made as much sense as any of a number of things I had recently experienced, and possessed the virtue of requiring a positive action on my part at a time when I was weary of being acted upon.
So I folded the blankets and placed them in a neat heap with the pillow on top. I finished my coffee, poured a second cup and turned the pot down to a simmer. I located some writing paper atop a miscellaneous chest of drawers and scrawled a note: 'Hal-Thanks. I've a thing I'm off to pursue. It came to me last night. Quite peculiar. Will call in a day or so & let you know what comes of it. Hope everything is happily ever after again by then. - Fred. P.S. The coffee is on.' Which covered everything I could think of. I left it on the other end of the sofa.
I got out and headed for the bus station. A long ride lay ahead. I would arrive too late, but the next day I would see the Rhennius machine during normal viewing hours and figure a way to get at it for a private showing later on.
And I did.
Voila! Lincoln stared to my right again and everything else seemed in its proper place. I pocketed the cent, steadied myself, began to climb.
Halfway up, brassy bongs bloomed in my ears, my nervous system came unzipped and my arms turned to putty. The free end of the line was swinging widely. Perhaps it had struck something, or gotten into range of the
