Bad Medicine Page 5

that machine out of here. I'll have afew things to say to you at the store."

  The manager and the clerk lifted the Regenerator and left.

  Rath took a deep breath. "Mr. Caswell, I would strongly advise that youaccept a new Regenerator from the Company, gratis. Unless a cure iseffected in a proper mechanotherapeutic manner, there is always thedanger of a setback."

  "No danger with me," Caswell said, airily but with deep conviction."Thank you for your consideration, sir. And good night."

  Rath shrugged and walked to the door.

  "Wait!" Caswell called.

  Rath turned. Caswell had taken his hand out of his pocket. In it was arevolver. Rath felt sweat trickle down his arms. He calculated thedistance between himself and Caswell. Too far.

  "Here," Caswell said, extending the revolver butt-first. "I won't needthis any longer."

  Rath managed to keep his face expressionless as he accepted therevolver and stuck it into a shapeless pocket.

  "Good night," Caswell said. He closed the door behind Rath and boltedit.

  At last he was alone.

  Caswell walked into the kitchen. He opened a bottle of beer, took adeep swallow and sat down at the kitchen table. He stared fixedly at apoint just above and to the left of the clock.

  He had to form his plans now. There was no time to lose.

  Magnessen! That inhuman monster who cut down the Caswell goricae!Magnessen! The man who, even now, was secretly planning to infect NewYork with the abhorrent feem desire! Oh, Magnessen, I wish you a long,long life, filled with the torture I can inflict on you. And to startwith....

  Caswell smiled to himself as he planned exactly how he would dwarkMagnessen in a vlendish manner.

  The End