Science equipped David Corbin with borrowed time;
sent him winging out in a state of suspension to future
centuries ... to a dark blue world whose only defense
was to seal tight the prying minds of foolish interlopers.
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Planet Stories November 1952.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
I heard the voice as I opened my eyes. I was lying down, still notaware of where I was, waiting for the voice.
"Your name is David Corbin. Do you understand?"
I looked in the direction of the sound. Above my feet a bulkheadloomed. There were round dials set in a row above a speaker. Over themesh-covered speaker, two knobs glowed red. I ran the words over inmy sluggish mind, thinking about an answer. The muscles in my throattightened up in reflex as I tried to bring some unity into the jumbleof thoughts and ideas that kept forming. One word formed out of therush of anxiety.
"No."
I shouted a protest against the strangeness of the room. I looked tothe right, my eyes following the curving ceiling that started at thecot. The curve met another straight bulkhead on the left. I was in asmall room, gray in color, like dull metal. Overhead a bright lightburned into my vision. I wondered where in the universe I was.
"Your name is David Corbin. If you understand, press button A on yourright."
I stared at the speaker in the wall. The mesh-covered hole and the twolights looked like a caricature of a face, set in a panel of dials. Itwisted my head to look for the button. I pushed away from the closewall but I couldn't move. I reached down to the tightness that held mybody, found the wide strap that held me and fumbled with the buckle.I threw it off and pushed myself up from the hard cot. I heard myselfyell in surprise as I floated up towards the light overhead.
I was weightless.
How do you describe being weightless when you are born into a worldbound by gravity. I twisted and shut my eyes in terror. There was nosensation of place, no feeling of up or down, no direction. My backbumped against the ceiling and I opened my eyes to stare at the cot andfloor. I was concentrating too hard on remembering to be frightened forlong. I pushed away from the warm metal and the floor moved up to meetme.
"If you understand, press button A on your right."
What should I understand? That I was floating in a room that had acurved wall ... that nothing was right in this hostile room?
When I reached the cot I held it and drew myself down. I glanced at theplanes of the room, trying to place it with other rooms I could see inmy mind. Gray walls with a crazy curved ceiling ... a door to my leftthat appeared to be air tight.
I stared at my familiar hands. I rubbed them across my face, feelingthe solidity of flesh and bone, afraid to think too hard about myself.
"My name ... my name is...."
"Your name is David Corbin."
I stared at the speaker. How long did this go on? The name meantnothing to me, but I thought about it, watching the relentless lightsthat shone below the dials. I stood up slowly and looked at myself. Iwas naked except for heavy shorts, and there was no clue to my name inthe pockets. The room was warm and the air I had been breathing wasgood but it seemed wrong to be dressed like this. I didn't know why. Ithought about insanity, and the room seemed to fit my thoughts. Whenthe voice repeated the message again I had to act. Walking was liketreading water that couldn't be seen or felt.
I floated against the door, twisting the handle in fear that itwouldn't turn. The handle clanged as