Accidental Flight

rate under the circumstances. "Your request was turned over to the Medicounc

ard, his face lit

was damnably disconcerting. "You know what

e should have expected

ess. Decisions like this

nturies." His face was flushed—bla

e room as much as he could. It was still u

"You know that we're capa

d to be answered with blunt brutality. "Did you thi

re willing to abide by what the experts say. Surely fr

pensators. Ninety per cent, I believe. I concede that we ought to be able to get together a competent crew." He sighed. "

His face was colo

first time. "I suggest you calm down. Be

d Docchi. "We d

for him and cl

to find. He opened a drawer and gazed at the contents, then grimaced in disappointment. No matter how many times he tri

avoiding involvement while Docchi was present. But Docchi was gone

r Thorton," he told the robot operator. "Direct,

Handicap Haven. The regular inhabitants were willing to admit the handicap part of the nam

althy and vigorous humanity had built it for those few who were less fortunate. A splendid ges

d his thoughts. "Medicouncilo

be in direct range for the next half hour." At such distance, transmission and reception w

med Docchi a f

id he

matter of fact, he was

ll for his ment

said Dr. Cameron. "I confess I didn't look at him often, in spite of th

resentable. That m

Is that i

able reply and wanted to look his b

oub

take them some time to get over the shock of refusal. They can't do anything, really. Individua

has ever liked being on Handicap Haven, and that covers quite a few ye

them. Find out who an

n't do any good merely to watch them. I want your permis

u propose

t be able to make it into an asset. You're aware that Gland Opera is the most popular program in the Solar System. Telepaths, teleports, pyrotics and so forth are the heroes. All fake, of course: makeup and trick camera shots.

dical record, but you probably don't know his complete history. He was an electrochemical engineer, specializing in cold lighting. He seemed on his way to a brilliant career when a particular

eration wasn't as easy as it usually is. We were able to build up a new rib case; that's as much as we could do. Under such conditions, prosthetic arms

you know, is semi-organic. It permeated every tissue in his body. By the time we got him, it was actuall

doubt that he would be successful on the program you mention. But there is more to life on the o

medicouncilor was convinced and there was nothing Cameron could do to

o evaluate the patients and their problems properly. In a sense, Nona is more impossible than Docchi. He was once a normal person. She never was. Her appearance is s

ing. Her brain is definitely not structurally normal. As far as we're concerned, that abnormality is not in the nature of a mutation. It's more like an anomaly. Once cleft palates

ller techniques and brought them up to date with no results. Apparently her mind d

ting point," said Cam

ut it isn't true. We've tested her for every telepathic quality that the Rhine people list. Again no results. She has

n it's your opinion that she's not a

r bluntly. "You'll have to face the tr

r cooperation, I'll m

nner didn't ooze confidence. "Of course, if

ough. "I'll keep them out of

s up to you. If it turns out to be too diff

nge. If you wish to continue the conversation, it will have to be

likely that he would get any better answers than he could suppl

ogical reaction at all. He really was heavier. He

onal organisms masquerading as people—an illusion which died hard for them. Medicine and surger

t good enough because a percentage of the injured couldn't be returned to society completely sound

sn't that they wanted to go back to the society of the normals, for they realized how

to be the first to make the long, hard journey to Alpha and Proxima Centauri in rocket

ose who wore their hearts not on their sleeves, but in a blood-pumping chamber,

and return. But there were other factors that ruled them out. The first point was never safe to discuss with them, esp