Then they were all outside, and the Shapiros went their way. "The car?"
Horner asked his wife. "Where is it?"
"Down the block," she said, and they began walking. Horner's grip on
Overman's arm was like iron. He was much stronger than the little
middle-aged man, and both of them knew it. But Overman was desperate,
and they both knew that too.
They got into the car. "You drive," Horner told his wife. Overman sat
between them and Horner told Jane to head out to Long Island. It would
be a long drive and Horner knew he would have to watch Overman every
mile of the way.
* * * * *
An hour later Horner said, "Turn there." He was surprised that he
remembered the way. It had all seemed dream-like in the taxi.
"What are you gonna do?" Overman asked. "Try and change back, that it?"
Horner shrugged. Actually, he did not know. He was playing the rest
of it by ear, but if there was an answer anywhere, it would be at
_Bodies, Inc._ He did not answer Overman, but told Jane to ignore the
no vehicles sign and drive up the lane alongside the high hemlock hedge.
They all got out of the car together. Horner took the Luger from his
pocket now. There was no need to hide it, no reason to take chances. He
lifted the door-knocker and let it fall and in a moment the beautiful
auburn-haired girl opened the door.
"Yes?" she said, then snapped, "You! You had no business coming back
here!"
"It wasn't my idea," Overman said with a bleak grin.
"It was mine," Horner told her. "You didn't say I'd be switching places
with a convict. How many other poor suckers fell for it?"
"That's no business of yours. We didn't do a thing that wasn't legal."
"There are no statutes in the books to cover what you did, you mean,"
Horner accused.
"It's the same thing. Now go away, will you? There's nothing we can do
for you here."
"I guess there is," Horner said wearily. "I'll tell you. I guess I'll
have to ask you to change us back."
He didn't like the idea. He wanted to be young. He thought after what
had happened, and since Overman apparently knew the score, he had
earned his right to keep the strong young body as his own. But there
seemed no other way out and, besides, he knew now that he loved Jane
deeply and could not show her the kind of love he wanted to, young
enough to be her son. He would change back with regrets, but change he
would. The dream of youth had ended for him....
The pretty auburn-haired girl was laughing. "But I thought you knew,"
she said with finality. "We can't possibly reverse the procedure. Once
made, the change is irrevocable because the electromagnetic impulses
which make up a human mind are delicate and could never stand the shock
twice. It looks like you're trapped, Mr. Horner. Or, should I say, Mr.
Overman?"
Momentarily, he was stunned. He looked at Jane. Jane's face was
crumpling. She was going to cry. A dumpy, middle-aged woman on the
brink of tears.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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