havenever been concerned with these rare symptoms, my dear administrator.You see, actually we are animals in a sense. We don't die like them, butif we are not in a focus we could be killed through some accidentalinjury. The principal difference between us and the small animals thatoccasionally cause Prime trouble with his landscaping is control. Theyhave no control over their endocrine systems. We have."
"Of course," Ruut said. "I know that."
"Ah, but perhaps you don't know that our race at one time had no morecontrol over our endocrine systems than those little animals.
"There are a lot of ways to account for the change, and it makes veryfascinating discussion because it's absolutely unimportant. However,under such conditions, a human being would automatically reach a certainstable level of development. But then, after an incredibly short time,the essential chaos within its body due to lack of endocrine controlcauses it to deteriorate. Eventually it is no longer capable ofsustaining life and it dies."
The physician moved his hands in an awkward but eloquent gesture. "Andthat's all there is to it."
"Oh," Ruut murmured in an awed tone, not even comprehending the extentof the disease but trying to accept the staggering idea of naturaldeath. "Can't you do anything for him?"
Curl turned his attention casually back to the sick man again."Possibly. Dying, of course, is not a disease in itself, but merely asymptom of one." He shook his head. "I certainly wish I could examinehim directly without getting involved in a major social crisis."
"Oh, Prime would be furious," Ruut warned.
"No doubt. Well--he said that this started six months ago. Now whatcould have happened six months ago?"
"The aliens," Ruut said flatly. "That's what caused it."
"Oh, come now, Ruut," Curl said amusedly. "Don't be superstitious. Whatconnection could these--these aliens possibly have?"
"Well, that's when the Council clamped down on them. Something funnyabout the way they did that, too."
"Not at all funny," Curl told him in a superior tone of voice. "It issimply that the aliens appeared to be of a higher type of animal classwithout communication. Surely you wouldn't want to have anything to dowith such contradictory beings."
"Of course not. But Tensor got sick right after he visited them."
"He went to visit them?" Curl was pensive a moment, and his eyes lightedup. "In that case, Ruut, there may be some connection after all."
Ruut nodded without speaking.
"Tensor," Curl said thoughtfully, "did you actually go to inspect thesavages?"
"Yes sir."
"When?"
"Just before the Council stopped it."
"Uh huh. Did you have a reaction?"
Tensor considered. He recalled every detail of the fleeting impressionsthat had been his during the few brief moments of his presence near thepeculiar organisms. The impressions were confused and mingled withsensations of teleport fatigue, but there was a definite and strangesentiment involved somewhere.
"Yer, sir," he said woodenly. "There seems to have been a reaction."
"Ha!" The physician glanced significantly at Ruut. "What kind of areaction, Tensor? And how strong was it?"
"I do not recognize it, sir. But it was stronger than the ordinaryones."
Curl floated over close to him, peering intently up into the unconsciousman's eyes. "Tell me the characteristics."
Tensor thought a moment and replied, "Chaotic in one sense. Specific inanother."
"Speculative?" Curl's eyes were eager with interest.
"Yes sir. I believe that would define it best. It was a sort of wild andungovernable desire to speculate on the origin of the aliens. A verysingular experience," he added.
"I knew it!" Curl almost shouted. Then he quickly glanced about andcomposed himself stiffly. That was an embarrassing thing to do. In frontof an administrator, too.
"Very well," he said. "That confirms my diagnosis. I shall report it tothe Council and let them decide what to do."
"What is it?" Ruut asked.
"A very strange disease. Rare, too. I haven't had a case of it forcenturies." He paused and shook his head. "Too bad. I don't recall asingle recovery from it once it got a good start."
"It is--contagious?" Ruut asked timidly.
"Oh, not for you," Curl smiled. "It's called intellectual curiosity, andit requires somewhat more brain power than you have."
"Thank Oxy for that," Ruut breathed fervently. His eyes went back to therecumbent form of the diseased citizen.
"Yes. The Council will dearly love this." Curl said with satisfaction."Most unusual. He'll have to be destroyed, of course."
"But can't you do anything for it?"
"Not likely. You see, it's the only appetite of which we are capablethat can't be controlled by shifting endocrine balance. Ordinarily, ourcivilized manner of living prevents it from being aroused--that's theadvantage of being civilized. Because, once the appetite shows up, itsimply must be satisfied, or it's apt to do all sorts of poisonousthings to you, as you can see. The trouble is, satisfying curiositygenerally involves at least some work, and what civilized man is goingto get himself involved with anything like that?"
"Insidious," Ruut whispered.
Curl turned away, but then hesitated and glanced back. "Still, since itconcerns the aliens--" He frowned pensively. "There is a scheme we'venever tried before that would probably cure him. I remember somebodymentioned it about eight hundred years ago, and we decided to try it outon the next case. Never did, though. Nobody was interested. It's sort ofuncivilized, but I'll bring it up and see what the Council thinks."
He nodded shortly, and evacuated to his own focus.
"Well, my boy," Ruut said to Tensor. "I'm going to miss you."
"There is no need to concern yourself over me, sir," Tensor repliedunemotionally. "It does not bother me in the slightest."
Ruut knew that to be the truth, but it made him feel sad to think ofsuch a highly civilized man as Tensor falling to a level that was evenbelow an administrator. Abruptly, he caught himself and readjusted theendocrine balance in his own body to compensate for the character of histhought, and the moody spell passed.
He left, and Tensor continued to stare unconsciously at the brilliant,deep violet of the sky, noting without appreciation the jewel-likepoints of light that were the stars.
* * * * *
The nego had to be recomposed twice in his body before Curl returned,his long, unkempt, black beard floating gently around his ears.
"Tensor," he said gravely, "the Council has acted. It has been decidednot to order you to destroy yourself immediately, because I managed toconvince them that it would be interesting to try that old scheme I toldyou about. I hope you don't mind."
Naturally there was no reply from Tensor. In his emotionless state, hedid not care one way or the other. He waited.
"At any rate," the physician continued, "what they did was order you tosatisfy this curiosity that is causing all your trouble.
"The reason, of course, isn't that the Council is interested in yourcure. But they do desire some coherent information about the aliens. Andsince it is unlikely that anyone will ever volunteer to take the troubleto investigate them on their own initiative, they felt your illness asatisfactory excuse for requiring you to make the investigation."
"Yes sir."
Curl sighed. It was monotonous, this trying to carry on a conversationwith an unconscious man. However, it was his duty as a physician, and hehad promised the Council. One thing he was sure of, though, and that wasnever again to get involved in teleporting himself about the planet likethis on any account. He would send an assistant. Provided he could findone.
"The Council would like a report when you get back. Do you think you cancontrol yourself if you know that you are going to investigate thealiens whether you like it or not?"
"I guess so, sir," Tensor replied without interest.
"Splendid. I'll return to my own focus and give you the privacy foradminist
ering the antidote."
Tensor waited. When the physician was gone, he constructed the chemicalin the vein of his left wrist, and in less than a minute he felt thesurging pleasure of his re-awakened faculties. He glanced doubtfully atthe sky, but it remained clear.
Curl's hyperimage began forming in his mind. "Everything all right now?"the physician inquired genially.
"Perfect," replied Tensor contentedly. "This won't be so bad, even if itis useful work. Maybe I'm