Three minutes. His arms were so numb it was occasionally difficult to
tell for sure when they had reached the end of their swing. It would
have been reassuring to be able to see them. He widened his eyes and
blinked rapidly, trying to penetrate the dark, and momentarily he
almost fancied he saw a dim haze about him. He thought of the dead man
they had found in the pilot's seat. There were no limits to the fallacy
of human vision, under emotional stress.
Four minutes. If the original 20-minute period happened to be over
and the others were aware of it, they made no sign. That would not be
strange. Having agreed that Archer would make the first report, they
would hesitate to venture any comment, for fear of dropping some kind
of hint.
Five minutes. Archer fumbled awkwardly for his watch. If all his
estimates, pieced together, were correct, there should still be a
minute to go.
He was amazed to find that there was not. By leaning over backward in
his guesses, he had actually managed to be conservative. The time was
up--in fact, it was almost 15 seconds past. It was time to get the
formalities over with and end this desperate game.
"All right!" Archer said loudly, his voice cracking slightly. "It's
time to report, and here's mine--" He paused briefly, then finished: "I
see it."
* * * * *
It was now up to the others either to lie or to admit they saw it. It
didn't particularly matter which, but Archer rather expected the truth.
Evans was next.
After a moment, the latter's voice came somewhat falteringly, but
clearly enough: "I see it."
Surprisingly, Stokely did not keep them waiting. His report came
immediately, in a hoarse monotone: "I see it."
_Now._ Archer's gaze swung back and forth between the two others during
the space of a long breath. Their shadowy figures did not move, but
stood irresolute.
Archer exhaled with vast relief. "Okay, you fellows," he announced,
"we've all got it. Here goes my injection."
Watching Stokely carefully, he plucked the syringe from his belt with
enormous caution, and forced his feeble right hand to drive the needle
into his left forearm and press the plunger all the way. There was one
slight advantage to the cold, after all--he hardly felt the perforation.
He dared not pull up his shirt as yet. It could very easily have the
effect of making him fade partially from Stokely's view, and might
provoke the big man into blazing away at him.
It was quite possible that Stokely would shoot anyhow, though under the
circumstances his aim might not be at its best.
"You lie!" Stokely said suddenly, as between clenched teeth. "The only
way you could know about yourself would be if I didn't have it. Then
you'd know where Evans must have seen it."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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