Read Between Planets for Free Online Page A

Privately he was beginning to wonder if Dr. Jefferson were quite right in his head.
    “Good. We’ll walk; it’s not far.”
    A half mile of tunnels and a descent by elevator got them there. As they turned into the tunnel in which the doctor’s apartment was located, he glanced up and down it; it was empty. They crossed rapidly and the doctor let them in. Two strange men were seated in the living room.
    Dr. Jefferson glanced at them, said, “Good evening, gentlemen,” and turned back to his guest. “Good night, Don. It’s been very pleasant seeing you and be sure to remember me to your parents.” He grasped Don’s hand and firmly urged him out the door.
    The two men stood up. One of them said, “It took you a long time to get home, Doctor.”
    “I’d forgotten the appointment, gentlemen. Now, goodbye, Don— I don’t want you to be late .”
    The last remark was accompanied by increased pressure on Don’s hand. He answered, “Uh—good night, Doctor. And thanks.”
    He turned to leave, but the man who had spoken moved quickly between him and the door. “Just a moment, please.”
    Dr. Jefferson answered, “Really, gentlemen, there is no reason to delay this boy. Let him go along so that we may get down to our business.”
    The man did not answer directly but called out, “Elkins! King!” Two more men appeared from a back room of the apartment. The man who seemed to be in charge said to them, “Take the youngster back to the bedroom. Close the door.”
    “Come along, buddy.”
    Don, who had been keeping his mouth shut and trying to sort out the confusing new developments, got angry. He had more than a suspicion that these men were security police even though they were not in uniform, but he had been brought up to believe that honest citizens had nothing to fear. “Wait a minute!” he protested. “I’m not going any place. What’s the idea?”
    The man who had told him to come along moved closer and took his arm. Don shook it off. The leader stopped any further action by his men with a very slight gesture. “Don Harvey—”
    “Huh? Yes?”
    “I could give you a number of answers to that. One of them is this—” He displayed a badge in the palm of his hand. “—but that might be faked. Or, if I cared to take time, I could satisfy you with stamped pieces of paper, all proper and legalistic and signed with important names.” Don noticed that his voice was gentle and cultured.
    “But it happens that I am tired and in a hurry and don’t want to be bothered playing word games with young punks. So let it stand that there are four of us all armed. So—will you go quietly, or would you rather be slapped around a bit and dragged?”
    Don was about to answer with school-game bravado; Dr. Jefferson cut in. “Do as they ask you, Donald!”
    He closed his mouth and followed the subordinate on back. The man led him into the bedroom and closed the door. “Sit down,” he said pleasantly. Don did not move. His guard came up, placed a palm against his chest and pushed. Don sat down.
    The man touched a button at the bed’s control panel, causing it to lift to the reading position, then lay down. He appeared to go to sleep, but every time Don looked at him the man’s eyes met his. Don strained his ears, trying to hear what was going on in the front room, but he need not have bothered; the room, being a sleeping room, was fully soundproof.
    So he sat there and fidgeted, trying to make sense out of preposterous things that had happened to him. He recalled almost with unbelief that it had been only this morning that Lazy and he had started out to climb Peddler’s Grave. He wondered what Lazy was doing now and whether the greedy little rascal missed him.
    Probably not, he admitted mournfully.
    He slid a glance at the guard, while wondering whether or not, if he gathered himself together, drawing his feet as far under him as he could—
    The guard shook his head. “Don’t do it,” he advised.
    “Don’t do