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-The Project Gutenberg EBook of Psychotennis, Anyone?, by Lloyd Williams
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
-almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
-re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
-with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license
-
-
-Title: Psychotennis, Anyone?
-
-Author: Lloyd Williams
-
-Release Date: February 16, 2016 [EBook #51232]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: ASCII
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PSYCHOTENNIS, ANYONE? ***
-
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-
-Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
-Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
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-</pre>
-
-
-<div class="figcenter">
- <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="355" height="500" alt=""/>
-</div>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="titlepage">
-<h1>PSYCHOTENNIS, ANYONE?</h1>
-
-<p>By LLOYD WILLIAMS</p>
-
-<p>Illustrated by DAVID STONE</p>
-
-<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br />
-Galaxy Science Fiction November 1951.<br />
-Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br />
-the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p>
-
-</div>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<p class="ph3">If scientific advance changes our forms of courtship, can other<br />
-sports be far behind? Not when telekinesis is finally perfected!</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<p>Before them the ball took a savage turn toward the player in white.
-Around Grant the crowd stood up and roared, and he felt suddenly tense
-and doubting. Then the player ducked, the ball shot through above him
-to smash against the court wall, and he controlled the rebound to send
-the sphere once more into erratic, darting flight.</p>
-
-<p>"Again!" Grant felt his muscles suddenly relax with release of anxiety.
-He turned to the girl. "Bee, I'm worried. It's not like Tony&mdash;does he
-want to get killed? He should stop those shots, not dodge them. Are you
-sure he's all right?"</p>
-
-<p>"Now, Granny." The girl kept her eyes fixed on the court. "Remember,
-Tony took this match for charity. He wants the crowd to have a show,
-that's all. He is in splendid shape."</p>
-
-<p>"No sleep," Grant went on worriedly. "I'm sure it must be that. If his
-brain were alert, he'd control that ball until Slag went crazy. Without
-sleep, you can't focus prop&mdash;"</p>
-
-<p>"Please, Granny, <i>stop</i>!" In that instant her throbbing mind touched
-his, and he caught a glimpse of the alarm in her face. She, too, felt
-that something was wrong. But she tugged at his sleeve and pointed
-through the screen at the oval below. "Look!"</p>
-
-<p>Slag's feet were set wide apart, and his black-robed body stood square.
-But his head had begun a sort of slow wobble, from side to side, as the
-ball lanced in perihedral swings about the court.</p>
-
-<p>"Praise Allah!" whispered Grant. "A beautiful dance! Tony's thinking
-that gangster, into a coma."</p>
-
-<p>The white player was in concentration, using his eyes only rarely in
-shifting ever more complex movements to the sphere. Then the rhythmic
-pattern had become a wild <i>corondo</i>, with Slag as its center, and the
-dark figure stood hypnotized, with only spasmodic jerks of his brutal
-features to mark the fear in his mind.</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="figcenter">
- <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="600" height="383" alt=""/>
-</div>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<p>"Now," said Grant. His voice seemed loud in the awed silence of the
-spectators. "Now, Tony! Call it a day!"</p>
-
-<p>"Just touch him," whispered Bee. "Don't hurt him, Tony."</p>
-
-<p>It was as if they had signaled the player, even through the tele-proof
-screen. Gradually the wild swings of the ball slowed. It circled Slag
-gently, dropped closer, and poised above him. Tony's mind was clearly
-in full control of the sensitive sphere.</p>
-
-<p>In a seat behind Grant, an excited man suddenly yelled, "Thumbs
-down, hard!" Obviously the crowd was ready to sacrifice its erstwhile
-hero.</p>
-
-<p>Then&mdash;the ball moved, a small movement, and there was a roar.
-Uninfluenced, the ball dropped and rolled to the center court, and Tony
-stood in bewilderment as Slag shook himself awake.</p>
-
-<p>Grant leaped up and tried to push through to the box exit. Behind him,
-Bee clung. "Granny, what will you do? What can you...."</p>
-
-<p>He shook her off and answered her with his mind as he struggled on.
-"Stop them, that's what! End the match."</p>
-
-<p>"How? You know you cannot!"</p>
-
-<p>But he felt her mind cling at the hope, and sent back reassurance. "<i>I</i>
-can. They may not like it, but <i>I</i> can stop these matches. Don't worry,
-I'll get your brother safely out of there."</p>
-
-<p>She was relieved. Knowledge of his position&mdash;his relation to the
-sport&mdash;he felt her memory produce the reasons. <i>Sport</i>, thought
-Grant. <i>I invented a sport. Oh, Allah! What has my sport become?</i></p>
-
-<p>And then her mind shrieked at him, stabbed at his brain: "Tony&mdash;Tony
-darling!"</p>
-
-<p>Dazedly he heard the moan and fought a path to the transparent screen.
-Out on the court lay a white figure, outspread, and the ball rolled
-slowly past the dripping head.</p>
-
-<p>"Too late!" sobbed Bee. "Too late! Tony...."</p>
-
-<hr class="tb" />
-
-<p>Somehow she was down there before Grant. He saw her, huddled over
-Tony's body, as he finally reached an open gate in the domed screen.
-On the opposite edge of the court, Psycho-sport Commissioner Woods was
-in conversation with the referee, Harmon. A flash bulb glowed. Three
-reporters looked at the fallen player and spoke casually to each other.
-Towering above the group was Slag, staring down as if surprised.</p>
-
-<p>Grant went first to the Commissioner, who adopted a defensive attitude
-immediately, throwing up his hands.</p>
-
-<p>"Don't jump on <i>me</i>, now. It seems I am helpless. Ask Harmon yourself.
-There was nothing wrong that he could see."</p>
-
-<p>"That's nonsense," said Grant, "and you know it. No matter who it is,
-a ball will not smash into an awake player. It simply cannot be done.
-Even a novice can overcontrol his opponent at that range."</p>
-
-<p>"Right. It couldn't have happened." Sarcasm indicated the worry felt by
-Woods. "Damn it, Lane, that's the way it is. Harmon watched like a hawk
-in his bubble. The dome was sealed; not a single leak. Slag's second
-crouched behind the shield and never moved. I personally supervised
-Anthony's examination. He was in perfect condition. The only thing yet
-to check is the ball, but the ball...."</p>
-
-<p>"You have it? Never mind, no ball invented could do that alone. Tony
-could handle any ball, even without the new sensitive core. And in a
-hundred games every day, they don't ever have this sort of accident."</p>
-
-<p>"Just when Slag plays." The Commissioner touched Grant's arm
-helplessly. "The force of the man's mind must be terrible, Lane. He
-must be a superman. But what am I going to do? If I outlaw him without
-legal grounds...." He stopped, gulped nervously.</p>
-
-<p>"There may be no grounds from your point of view and theirs." Grant
-gestured at the crowd struggling through the exits. "But there are from
-mine. If I'm to remain Honorary President of the Association, Slag has
-got to go. That's final!"</p>
-
-<p>Woods said, "Lane, you could stop this another way. If you don't, and
-you put Slag out, they will think...." But Grant was already hurrying
-over to Bee Anthony.</p>
-
-<p>More people joined the group and talk died away as uniformed men bent
-down to the prone figure. Bee sobbed in Grant's arms. Her mind was
-withdrawn, grieving, and he patted her awkwardly while he thought of
-how much these young twins had come to mean to him in the years since
-he began his research in metaphysics. Just children, they had seemed at
-first. He had been young. Doctor Lane, graduate of '52 on fellowship,
-and they were the kids he had worked with, who had shown remarkable
-powers of the mind.</p>
-
-<p>Tony and himself&mdash;they had formulated the methods which still governed
-the cultivation of telekinesis. Grant had discovered&mdash;the principles,
-but it was the successful results of the Anthony boy's training
-which paved the way for others to learn. Yet Bee was different. No
-amount of tutoring could help her influence an object with her mind.
-Different, but not inferior, for Bee was a telepath. With intimates
-her conversation was most strange&mdash;much of it understood, yet left
-unspoken.</p>
-
-<p>Grant was one of the intimates. Her silent sorrow would have found him
-at any distance, but now he tried to evade it, because Tony was gone
-and Woods had come over to face the reporters&mdash;and Slag.</p>
-
-<p>"Mister Woods," began one of the men, but the Commissioner raised a
-hand and turned to the giant player.</p>
-
-<p>"You have had my personal warning, Slag. Do you think I will allow you
-to carry on your ugly career? Why, man, you're lucky the courts have
-not ruled you a murderer!"</p>
-
-<p>"It's not my fault," Slag said. "I didn't <i>try</i> to smash him, honest. I
-don't know my own strength, I guess."</p>
-
-<p>Bee's reddened eyes stared at the man, and Grant whispered, "Darling,
-can you tell?"</p>
-
-<p>"You know their minds are closed to me. I just feel ... something
-<i>evil</i>. I must get out of here. Please, Grant, take me away."</p>
-
-<p>Behind Slag the little blond man Teagle, manager and second of the
-professional, spoke up. "Like Slag says, Commissioner, it isn't his
-fault. These fast-thinking players match him, get him all excited in
-the court, and then wonder why they get knocked down. They just don't
-have the stuff to match a champ."</p>
-
-<p>"Slag is the only man ever warned to pull his shots," agreed a
-reporter who was taking notes.</p>
-
-<p>"Gentlemen!" Woods turned to Grant. "All of us here respect the opinion
-of Dr. Lane, who brought this sport into being and who is, in my
-estimation, its greatest exponent. I have consulted with him. If he is
-to retain any connection whatever with the game, he informs me, Slag
-must get out."</p>
-
-<p>There was silence. The men stared first at the florid-faced
-Commissioner, then at Grant.</p>
-
-<p>"More than personal considerations are involved," added Woods. "Slag's
-brutal style of play, according to Dr. Lane, endangers the entire
-future of this grand sport."</p>
-
-<p>The black-robed player looked around for support. Little Teagle pushed
-in front of the Commissioner. "You mean that has-been," he pointed at
-Grant, "is trying to get rid of my boy? It ain't fair, I say. Even when
-he tries to take it easy, Slag has it tough. They're scared, and won't
-match us&mdash;even these amateurs. And yet look what we've done to pep the
-game up!"</p>
-
-<p>"You may be right, Mister Teagle. All things considered, however, I
-feel the merit of Dr. Lane's suggest&mdash;"</p>
-
-<p>"Who is this Lane?" The little man's face was fierce. "So he starts the
-game, and invents the ball, so what? They used to call him a champ,
-the <i>master</i>, but that's a long time ago. Now that he's out, he don't
-like Slag coming up so strong. It kills him that he ain't the best any
-more."</p>
-
-<p>"That will be all for tonight. In the morning I'll have an official
-release ready." The reporters were tense, anxious to miss nothing.
-"And, gentlemen, you have a good idea of the nature of that statement."</p>
-
-<p>"Wait! I'm telling you," said Teagle. "We've tried to get a match with
-this Lane. Here it is, boys, the real truth. The guy wants Slag out
-because he's scared to meet him. Right here and now we challenge him!
-And I bet he hasn't got the guts to take us up."</p>
-
-<p>"I feel," said Woods, "that a scientist like Dr. Lane should not be
-subjected to this ... this insolence."</p>
-
-<p>The reporters ran toward the exit, eager to call in this news break.</p>
-
-<p>Grant said nothing. Aware of Bee's feelings, he shot a look of contempt
-at Teagle and turned. Yet he knew, as they walked slowly away, that
-behind him were no feelings of good will. At best, the men awaited his
-next move&mdash;and until then suspended judgment.</p>
-
-<hr class="tb" />
-
-<p>In three days the city became for Grant Lane a savage jungle. The
-papers shrieked at him Teagle's endless insults, Slag's boastful
-challenge. Each statement by the Commissioner cleverly shifted more
-responsibility from Woods to himself, and the tragic end of yet
-another match was played down until it appeared that Slag, and not his
-opponent, was the injured party.</p>
-
-<p>After all, was his crowd-convincing argument, did they jail
-professional fighters in the old days when one was killed? Just a
-little accident in the heat of fair contest; it was no more than
-that. Yet there <i>was</i> more, this time. People appeared unsatisfied,
-disapproving of Grant, as if he should offer himself as a sacrifice
-to their sympathy with Slag. The one time he went restlessly into the
-streets, they watched him sullenly, waiting....</p>
-
-<p>He kept to his apartment after that, and studied furiously. No man
-<i>could</i> overcontrol an awake opponent in a direct shot&mdash;if the ball was
-all right. As the ball closed in, the approached player's influence
-grew proportionately stronger, while his opponent's lessened in inverse
-ratio. That was the reason Grant had originally declared the sport to
-be safe.</p>
-
-<p>He interrupted his work only briefly for Tony's funeral, and felt an
-obscure shame in facing Bee Anthony. Then the cellular organism of
-the sphere used in the game absorbed his attention again. It was an
-artificially nurtured nerve-center, a growth devised by himself, and
-seemed to offer the only possible answer. <i>Perhaps this sub-life had
-acquired learning ability&mdash;the ability to act independently.</i> It seemed
-absurd, and yet how much was really known of this highly irritable
-stuff called living matter?</p>
-
-<p>Bee found him at his apartment the fourth morning. She seemed much more
-relaxed. "Tony hated useless grief," she said. "I had to come here,
-Granny. I had to know that we might see the end of all this."</p>
-
-<p>"Yes." Grant still felt a vague shame. "We'll have to stop Slag short,
-before he adds any more victims."</p>
-
-<p>"Oh, it's more than that! It's the people, too, and the knowledge that
-more Slags may appear. If all the matches suddenly...." She broke off,
-frowning, as if uncertain whether to continue. "You see, Granny, Tony
-decided to play because of that. It wasn't even the charities, really.
-The people distrust you. Not just because you were wrong, but because
-they are suspicious of any probing into the powers of mind. They prefer
-fantasy to scientific hypothesis, and now Slag's triumphs...." She
-faltered, and unhappily twisted her face away.</p>
-
-<p>"But Tony could have crushed Slag, too."</p>
-
-<p>"You know that was different. He had Slag hypnotized first. But Tony
-was awake when the ball struck!"</p>
-
-<p>"You're right, Bee. Frankly, I don't know what the answer could be. I'm
-working on the core of the ball. There is a chance&mdash;"</p>
-
-<p>"I'm sure it was something else! Granny, have you thought of the
-screen? There must have been a leak, or a failure. Think of that crowd,
-hoping for their hero. Suppose they subconsciously influenced the
-sphere, directed it at Tony."</p>
-
-<p>He thought of the mob's reaction when Slag was helpless, and kept
-silent. It would be cruel to blast her one hope with nothing to offer
-in exchange.</p>
-
-<p>"You think I'm wrong, but what else would it be? The ball couldn't kill
-Tony by itself." Then she was in tears. "I should have been there to
-stop it. He wouldn't take a second&mdash;I begged him to let me&mdash;and I would
-have <i>sensed</i> any outside influence!"</p>
-
-<p>Grant recognized the guilt feelings she was suffering from. He tried
-to give comfort, but suddenly she was a woman, proud and independent,
-and would not stay. Only at the door for one moment did she turn
-appealingly to him.</p>
-
-<p>"Granny, you're not going to play Slag!"</p>
-
-<p>"Do you want me to? Should I obey the roar of the mob? And look!" He
-gestured at one of the papers, where a center-page box proclaimed,
-'Commissioner Rules Out Lane-Slag Match.' "At thirty-seven they say I'm
-too old to play."</p>
-
-<p>"Don't do it, Grant." He felt her conflicting, torn emotions. "Yet, the
-funny thing is, I don't think I could live if they allow Slag to go on
-and on."</p>
-
-<hr class="tb" />
-
-<p>Grant's apartment was ill-equipped for working with micro-organisms.
-So, although preliminary study opened up no encouraging line of
-experimentation, next day he transferred his work to the university
-laboratories. He found his colleagues friendly&mdash;one had cheerfully
-handled Grant's lectures during his absence&mdash;but reserved, as if they
-suspected him to be guilty of some terrible sin, yet hoped he might
-prove himself innocent.</p>
-
-<p>Barker, the bio-chemist, listened to his theory of the probability of
-change in the nerve center of the ball. "I have not worked with these
-cultures," he said. "You claim they are artificially produced solely
-to provide a focal receptor for the controlling minds. Are the cells
-non-reproductive?"</p>
-
-<p>"Yes. You see, the structure must be stable. Any mind can provide the
-necessary power to move light objects short distances, but focusing
-that power is the difficulty. Hence the sensitive core. The operator
-can <i>sense</i> where to direct his will."</p>
-
-<p>Barker reflected a moment. "So the culture is purely static&mdash;doesn't
-even amplify the influence. In that case, I can only visualize such
-changes as natural radiation might bring about. No hope there for a
-recurrent pattern of change."</p>
-
-<p>"Learning ability&mdash;acquisition of power to act voluntarily&mdash;I thought
-the answer might be in that."</p>
-
-<p>"We'll see. Might as well begin there, anyway. Get us a few of the
-balls, Lane, and I'm sure the staff will gladly try to help out."</p>
-
-<p>That evening Grant walked onto the court of the Colliseum and was made
-certain of the city's anger toward him. Bee's idea was worth testing,
-and he had brought with him some student telepaths, but the instant
-he appeared the crowd rose in a storm of fury. When the announcer
-requested spectators to direct the ball at Grant, their wrath gave
-way to cheers, and they concentrated hopefully on crushing him. But
-the screen held, the telepaths sensed no invading influence as Grant
-whirled the ball about the court, until in disgust he signaled for the
-screen to be deactivated.</p>
-
-<p>Instantly the will of the crowd took hold. The sphere jerked
-erratically until concerted influence steadied it opposite Grant. Then
-it flashed into motion, a heavy, deadly missile, with all the mind
-power of a mob driving it murderously across the court at him.</p>
-
-<p>He stopped it easily, six inches away.</p>
-
-<hr class="tb" />
-
-<p>Barker said, "No use seeking further. We may not know everything living
-organisms can do, but we can certainly tell what is beyond their power.
-The tests are conclusive."</p>
-
-<p>Lorms, the behaviorist, nodded his head.</p>
-
-<p>For just an instant Grant felt confused, helpless. His original
-arguments for psychosport were proved valid, but the killings became
-even more inexplicable&mdash;they were logically impossible! And, somehow,
-that made <i>him</i> the criminal.</p>
-
-<p>That left him only one thing to do.</p>
-
-<p>It was humiliating to accept such a solution to his personal problem.
-He thought of Bee Anthony and nearly turned back. Only since the
-tragedy had he realized how changed was their relationship&mdash;and how
-important she was to him. Would she scorn his action, think him a
-slave to public pressure? Probably, but Grant forced his steps onward.</p>
-
-<p>In the lobby of the Page-Horton, Bee caught him by the arm. "Since
-when," she asked, "do you walk grimly past your friends?... No, Grant.
-Don't bother to think up a story. I know where you are going."</p>
-
-<p>He wanted to chase her away&mdash;and to pull her close to him. But she
-glanced up and laughed. "You look <i>so</i> perplexed and silly. Professor
-Lorms called me, and of course I knew what you'd do."</p>
-
-<p>"Do you think," said Grant, "that I should, Bee? Is it right?"</p>
-
-<p>"Darling, fighting results from frustration and breeds even more
-frustration and anger. But somehow men get cornered until&mdash;well, they
-<i>have</i> to. Not Tony. He was a gay fool, tilting at windmills. Oh,
-Grant! I know you're wrong, but you're right, too, and inside I'm so
-glad!"</p>
-
-<p>He wanted to erase the worry behind her gladness, to smother it with
-reassurance. They went up together to Slag's suite. Teagle was at the
-door. "Glad to see you, Mahomet," he said to Grant. "The contract's all
-ready to sign. I guess you'll want <i>your</i> cut for charity, eh?"</p>
-
-<p>"You won't, I suppose."</p>
-
-<p>"Not on your life. Excuse the double meaning, Miss." He smirked at
-Bee. "I ask you, who's going to match us after we knock this one off?"</p>
-
-<p>Slag stared glumly from a chair, not even removing his hand from the
-glass beside him. "Practicing," he said. "Getting into shape for our
-tussle, Doc. Like Teagle said, you had to come across."</p>
-
-<p>Grant took the papers from the manager, filled in the blanks and signed.</p>
-
-<p>"Don't talk much, this Doc Lane," said Slag. "Should I show him,
-Teagle?"</p>
-
-<p>"Sure thing. Watch this practice, Doc."</p>
-
-<p>The big man concentrated on the amber bottle beside him. Slowly,
-jerkily, it lifted&mdash;one inch, then two. Slag relaxed, and watched it
-ring as it fell to the table. "My job when I retire," he said. "Got to
-pour it right into the glass. Pretty hot, eh?"</p>
-
-<p>Grant gave no warning. The man's trousers were deluged as the glass
-shattered in his hand. He leaped up cursing, and then moved quickly and
-with ugly purpose toward his visitors.</p>
-
-<p>"Careful, boy," warned Teagle. "There's a dame present."</p>
-
-<p>For fifteen seconds Grant's eyes were locked with Slag's. He looked
-into their red-rimmed hatred, fought to see the depths of the man.
-Then, just before the other turned away, an unreasoning, unexpected
-emotion surged in Grant. It swept over and left him shaken, all in that
-instant.</p>
-
-<p>The emotion was fear.</p>
-
-<hr class="tb" />
-
-<p>Out on the court it was anger he felt, anger at Slag, who stood
-opposite and bowed to the noisy throng, anger at Teagle, who chanted
-insults until ordered behind the second's shield, at the spectators,
-packing the Colliseum in hopes of seeing a player maimed or killed&mdash;and
-Bee Anthony, even at Bee.</p>
-
-<p>She had defied him, bribed her way in to act as his second, and had
-slipped behind the shield at his side of the court. In front of those
-jeering faces, it was out of the question to make her leave.</p>
-
-<p>There was a roar as the ball dropped from the referee's overhead
-bubble. Grant left it to Slag, let the man shoot crudely several times,
-and fought to calm himself. The shots were forceful, but easily stopped
-and returned. It was like Tony's match, almost too slow at first. Until
-the players became absorbed, it was hopeless to attempt any kind of
-hypnotic effects with the ball.</p>
-
-<p>Slag swung the sphere into rapid circles about the court. The crowd
-watched silently, as if impressed by the player's control. To Grant
-it was absurd&mdash;he knew that any trained child could execute the
-movements. And yet, Tony must have felt so, too. But that was before&mdash;</p>
-
-<p>The ball dropped on him like a hawk, and he almost laughed. To give
-the gasping crowd a thrill, he barely deflected the shot, and feigned
-amazement. Slag retrieved control.</p>
-
-<p>Beneath the sudden amusement, Grant was uneasy. Slag had never won a
-<i>real</i> victory&mdash;never dazed or hypnotized an opponent before striking.
-All his triumphs rested on single, smashing thrusts. How was it
-possible? With such clumsy control, the professional could never set up
-a victory&mdash;yet the record stood. Grant could not fathom the problem. If
-the match went on forever, he could see no way for Slag to drop him.
-And if he quickly whirled Slag into dazed defeat, the real mystery
-might never be solved. His opponent would merely have suffered defeat
-in a match not even recognized by the Commission.</p>
-
-<p>Now he could guess why Tony had played carelessly. It was not only
-victory that was sought. He had deluded himself in accepting such an
-irresponsible way out. The whole affair depressed him, knotted itself
-into mind-snaring tangles. The ball blurred again and he hardly cared,
-only ducking to let it splat against the shield behind him. A spurt of
-rage sent the sphere spinning back at Slag, but the other diverted it
-easily into a screen-hugging orbit.</p>
-
-<p>Tony, Slag, Woods and Teagle&mdash;they seemed to merge confusedly in his
-mind. They stood, each in turn, at the door of an iron-barred cell. For
-Grant, there was no way out. Win or lose, live or die, he was doomed.
-The light dimmed in the cell. Just for an instant Bee appeared, her
-hair throwing off sparks of brilliance. She, too, faded out. Neither
-Bee the child, whom he did not love, nor Bee the woman, who did not
-love him, could save him. Before him gaped the bottomless pit of shame
-and penance. He had unloosed a monster on the world. He had to pay for
-that.</p>
-
-<p>But first Grant had another debt to pay. He tried to throw off the
-depression, imagining as he did so a sob of joy in the disembodied Bee.
-He wrested the sweeping ball from Slag, even from the opposite end of
-the court. He spun it in wild orbits and compensated for the other's
-furious thrusts. Faster and faster he circled it. Slag's mind could not
-keep up the pace. The even swings acquired a jogging pattern, edged
-farther out&mdash;to within ten feet of Slag. A quick break lanced behind
-the man, out again, and then the sphere fell into helical loops, thrice
-differentiated by harmonic variations, and swept wide around the court.</p>
-
-<p>Somehow Slag's distress gave Grant no pleasure. Defeat seemed to face
-him everywhere; he read it in his opponent's twisted features, even in
-the futile effort to withdraw attention from the ball. <i>It's no good</i>,
-he thought. <i>I have failed all along.</i></p>
-
-<p>Savagely he worked the sphere. He would do it quickly. There was no
-use expecting Tony's fate. The ball darted again for Slag and this
-time there could be no interference. It became pure mathematics, the
-motion, complicated far beyond Tony's simple <i>corondo</i>, a flashing
-three-dimensional blur of color. He could not keep it up. The
-concentration brought an invading blackness to his mind. Somewhere
-there was a dull roar, and he felt as if his own mind were cracking.
-His nerves quivered to put an end to it, to touch Slag with the ball.
-Slowly, cautiously, he brought the sphere down....</p>
-
-<p>Slag was not there!</p>
-
-<p>He gaped. His eyes suddenly found the crumpled heap across the court,
-and relief swept ever him. The man was beaten, in a state of collapse,
-and there was nothing more Grant could do.</p>
-
-<p>"Grant!" Bee screamed. "Oh, no! Grant darling, look up!"</p>
-
-<p>Her radiance was almost blinding. He half-twisted to reach her, and
-then his eyes caught it&mdash;the ugly sheen of the fast-growing ball.
-Desperately he turned, and it shifted in unison. Then she shrieked
-once more, despairingly, and he threw himself flat, arms outstretched,
-toward her.</p>
-
-<p>The ball's speed was so great that it shattered to pieces against the
-shield behind him.</p>
-
-<p>From back of the barrier ran Bee. She crouched beside him, and her
-enveloping warmth lifted the evil spell from his mind. The loud
-confusion of the crowd burst upon him, he saw the referee's swiftly
-lowering bubble. He was in control of himself, thanks to Bee's
-interference, and could act on the knowledge so dangerously gained.</p>
-
-<p>"The murderer!" Grant pulled Bee up with him. "We've got him!"</p>
-
-<p>Opposite them, Slag still lay on the court.</p>
-
-<p>"I don't see how he did it," Grant said bewilderedly.</p>
-
-<p>"Not Slag&mdash;<i>him</i>!" She pointed out the small, running figure.</p>
-
-<p>Teagle battered vainly at a gate. The still-active screen held him
-back, and the man's face was a despairing white grimace. Then Grant was
-upon him, and took him by the throat.</p>
-
-<hr class="tb" />
-
-<p>Woods paced the dressing room, still confused. "I begin to see," he
-said, "but what can I do with the two of them?"</p>
-
-<p>"Stop worrying." Grant was curt. "You can do nothing. The law will take
-Teagle, and without him Slag is just another bum."</p>
-
-<p>"He never knew," marveled Bee. "Slag never knew how he won."</p>
-
-<p>"I am to blame." Grant thought of the surging fear Teagle had directed
-in him at Slag's hotel. "I should have known that telepsychical
-phenomena could be used as a weapon. The man is a freak. He couldn't
-influence the ball, but communicated overpowering emotion&mdash;without even
-seeing his subjects&mdash;from behind his shield. The victims committed
-suicide, just as I nearly did before Bee...."</p>
-
-<p>"What did you feel&mdash;a so-called called death wish?" asked Woods. "No
-matter. Not seeing Slag collapse, he overplayed his hand."</p>
-
-<p>"Slag's being unconscious merely provided an anti-climax," said Grant.
-"There was a more important factor added this time. And if you don't
-mind, Woods, I have an apology to make in private to my one and only
-second."</p>
-
-<p>"Not just the only one, darling," said Bee. "But your permanent,
-till-death-do-us-part second! Right?"</p>
-
-<p>"Right!" Grant said.</p>
-
-<p>"That's the only thing tonight," said Woods, "of which I officially
-approve."</p>
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-<pre>
-
-
-
-
-
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-The Project Gutenberg EBook of Psychotennis, Anyone?, by Lloyd Williams
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
-almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
-re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
-with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license
-
-
-Title: Psychotennis, Anyone?
-
-Author: Lloyd Williams
-
-Release Date: February 16, 2016 [EBook #51232]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: ASCII
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PSYCHOTENNIS, ANYONE? ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
-Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- PSYCHOTENNIS, ANYONE?
-
- By LLOYD WILLIAMS
-
- Illustrated by DAVID STONE
-
- [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
- Galaxy Science Fiction November 1951.
- Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
- the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
-
-
-
-
- If scientific advance changes our forms of courtship, can other
- sports be far behind? Not when telekinesis is finally perfected!
-
-
-Before them the ball took a savage turn toward the player in white.
-Around Grant the crowd stood up and roared, and he felt suddenly tense
-and doubting. Then the player ducked, the ball shot through above him
-to smash against the court wall, and he controlled the rebound to send
-the sphere once more into erratic, darting flight.
-
-"Again!" Grant felt his muscles suddenly relax with release of anxiety.
-He turned to the girl. "Bee, I'm worried. It's not like Tony--does he
-want to get killed? He should stop those shots, not dodge them. Are you
-sure he's all right?"
-
-"Now, Granny." The girl kept her eyes fixed on the court. "Remember,
-Tony took this match for charity. He wants the crowd to have a show,
-that's all. He is in splendid shape."
-
-"No sleep," Grant went on worriedly. "I'm sure it must be that. If his
-brain were alert, he'd control that ball until Slag went crazy. Without
-sleep, you can't focus prop--"
-
-"Please, Granny, _stop_!" In that instant her throbbing mind touched
-his, and he caught a glimpse of the alarm in her face. She, too, felt
-that something was wrong. But she tugged at his sleeve and pointed
-through the screen at the oval below. "Look!"
-
-Slag's feet were set wide apart, and his black-robed body stood square.
-But his head had begun a sort of slow wobble, from side to side, as the
-ball lanced in perihedral swings about the court.
-
-"Praise Allah!" whispered Grant. "A beautiful dance! Tony's thinking
-that gangster, into a coma."
-
-The white player was in concentration, using his eyes only rarely in
-shifting ever more complex movements to the sphere. Then the rhythmic
-pattern had become a wild _corondo_, with Slag as its center, and the
-dark figure stood hypnotized, with only spasmodic jerks of his brutal
-features to mark the fear in his mind.
-
-"Now," said Grant. His voice seemed loud in the awed silence of the
-spectators. "Now, Tony! Call it a day!"
-
-"Just touch him," whispered Bee. "Don't hurt him, Tony."
-
-It was as if they had signaled the player, even through the tele-proof
-screen. Gradually the wild swings of the ball slowed. It circled Slag
-gently, dropped closer, and poised above him. Tony's mind was clearly
-in full control of the sensitive sphere.
-
-In a seat behind Grant, an excited man suddenly yelled, "Thumbs
-down, hard!" Obviously the crowd was ready to sacrifice its erstwhile
-hero.
-
-Then--the ball moved, a small movement, and there was a roar.
-Uninfluenced, the ball dropped and rolled to the center court, and Tony
-stood in bewilderment as Slag shook himself awake.
-
-Grant leaped up and tried to push through to the box exit. Behind him,
-Bee clung. "Granny, what will you do? What can you...."
-
-He shook her off and answered her with his mind as he struggled on.
-"Stop them, that's what! End the match."
-
-"How? You know you cannot!"
-
-But he felt her mind cling at the hope, and sent back reassurance. "_I_
-can. They may not like it, but _I_ can stop these matches. Don't worry,
-I'll get your brother safely out of there."
-
-She was relieved. Knowledge of his position--his relation to the
-sport--he felt her memory produce the reasons. _Sport_, thought
-Grant. _I invented a sport. Oh, Allah! What has my sport become?_
-
-And then her mind shrieked at him, stabbed at his brain: "Tony--Tony
-darling!"
-
-Dazedly he heard the moan and fought a path to the transparent screen.
-Out on the court lay a white figure, outspread, and the ball rolled
-slowly past the dripping head.
-
-"Too late!" sobbed Bee. "Too late! Tony...."
-
- * * * * *
-
-Somehow she was down there before Grant. He saw her, huddled over
-Tony's body, as he finally reached an open gate in the domed screen.
-On the opposite edge of the court, Psycho-sport Commissioner Woods was
-in conversation with the referee, Harmon. A flash bulb glowed. Three
-reporters looked at the fallen player and spoke casually to each other.
-Towering above the group was Slag, staring down as if surprised.
-
-Grant went first to the Commissioner, who adopted a defensive attitude
-immediately, throwing up his hands.
-
-"Don't jump on _me_, now. It seems I am helpless. Ask Harmon yourself.
-There was nothing wrong that he could see."
-
-"That's nonsense," said Grant, "and you know it. No matter who it is,
-a ball will not smash into an awake player. It simply cannot be done.
-Even a novice can overcontrol his opponent at that range."
-
-"Right. It couldn't have happened." Sarcasm indicated the worry felt by
-Woods. "Damn it, Lane, that's the way it is. Harmon watched like a hawk
-in his bubble. The dome was sealed; not a single leak. Slag's second
-crouched behind the shield and never moved. I personally supervised
-Anthony's examination. He was in perfect condition. The only thing yet
-to check is the ball, but the ball...."
-
-"You have it? Never mind, no ball invented could do that alone. Tony
-could handle any ball, even without the new sensitive core. And in a
-hundred games every day, they don't ever have this sort of accident."
-
-"Just when Slag plays." The Commissioner touched Grant's arm
-helplessly. "The force of the man's mind must be terrible, Lane. He
-must be a superman. But what am I going to do? If I outlaw him without
-legal grounds...." He stopped, gulped nervously.
-
-"There may be no grounds from your point of view and theirs." Grant
-gestured at the crowd struggling through the exits. "But there are from
-mine. If I'm to remain Honorary President of the Association, Slag has
-got to go. That's final!"
-
-Woods said, "Lane, you could stop this another way. If you don't, and
-you put Slag out, they will think...." But Grant was already hurrying
-over to Bee Anthony.
-
-More people joined the group and talk died away as uniformed men bent
-down to the prone figure. Bee sobbed in Grant's arms. Her mind was
-withdrawn, grieving, and he patted her awkwardly while he thought of
-how much these young twins had come to mean to him in the years since
-he began his research in metaphysics. Just children, they had seemed at
-first. He had been young. Doctor Lane, graduate of '52 on fellowship,
-and they were the kids he had worked with, who had shown remarkable
-powers of the mind.
-
-Tony and himself--they had formulated the methods which still governed
-the cultivation of telekinesis. Grant had discovered--the principles,
-but it was the successful results of the Anthony boy's training
-which paved the way for others to learn. Yet Bee was different. No
-amount of tutoring could help her influence an object with her mind.
-Different, but not inferior, for Bee was a telepath. With intimates
-her conversation was most strange--much of it understood, yet left
-unspoken.
-
-Grant was one of the intimates. Her silent sorrow would have found him
-at any distance, but now he tried to evade it, because Tony was gone
-and Woods had come over to face the reporters--and Slag.
-
-"Mister Woods," began one of the men, but the Commissioner raised a
-hand and turned to the giant player.
-
-"You have had my personal warning, Slag. Do you think I will allow you
-to carry on your ugly career? Why, man, you're lucky the courts have
-not ruled you a murderer!"
-
-"It's not my fault," Slag said. "I didn't _try_ to smash him, honest. I
-don't know my own strength, I guess."
-
-Bee's reddened eyes stared at the man, and Grant whispered, "Darling,
-can you tell?"
-
-"You know their minds are closed to me. I just feel ... something
-_evil_. I must get out of here. Please, Grant, take me away."
-
-Behind Slag the little blond man Teagle, manager and second of the
-professional, spoke up. "Like Slag says, Commissioner, it isn't his
-fault. These fast-thinking players match him, get him all excited in
-the court, and then wonder why they get knocked down. They just don't
-have the stuff to match a champ."
-
-"Slag is the only man ever warned to pull his shots," agreed a
-reporter who was taking notes.
-
-"Gentlemen!" Woods turned to Grant. "All of us here respect the opinion
-of Dr. Lane, who brought this sport into being and who is, in my
-estimation, its greatest exponent. I have consulted with him. If he is
-to retain any connection whatever with the game, he informs me, Slag
-must get out."
-
-There was silence. The men stared first at the florid-faced
-Commissioner, then at Grant.
-
-"More than personal considerations are involved," added Woods. "Slag's
-brutal style of play, according to Dr. Lane, endangers the entire
-future of this grand sport."
-
-The black-robed player looked around for support. Little Teagle pushed
-in front of the Commissioner. "You mean that has-been," he pointed at
-Grant, "is trying to get rid of my boy? It ain't fair, I say. Even when
-he tries to take it easy, Slag has it tough. They're scared, and won't
-match us--even these amateurs. And yet look what we've done to pep the
-game up!"
-
-"You may be right, Mister Teagle. All things considered, however, I
-feel the merit of Dr. Lane's suggest--"
-
-"Who is this Lane?" The little man's face was fierce. "So he starts the
-game, and invents the ball, so what? They used to call him a champ,
-the _master_, but that's a long time ago. Now that he's out, he don't
-like Slag coming up so strong. It kills him that he ain't the best any
-more."
-
-"That will be all for tonight. In the morning I'll have an official
-release ready." The reporters were tense, anxious to miss nothing.
-"And, gentlemen, you have a good idea of the nature of that statement."
-
-"Wait! I'm telling you," said Teagle. "We've tried to get a match with
-this Lane. Here it is, boys, the real truth. The guy wants Slag out
-because he's scared to meet him. Right here and now we challenge him!
-And I bet he hasn't got the guts to take us up."
-
-"I feel," said Woods, "that a scientist like Dr. Lane should not be
-subjected to this ... this insolence."
-
-The reporters ran toward the exit, eager to call in this news break.
-
-Grant said nothing. Aware of Bee's feelings, he shot a look of contempt
-at Teagle and turned. Yet he knew, as they walked slowly away, that
-behind him were no feelings of good will. At best, the men awaited his
-next move--and until then suspended judgment.
-
- * * * * *
-
-In three days the city became for Grant Lane a savage jungle. The
-papers shrieked at him Teagle's endless insults, Slag's boastful
-challenge. Each statement by the Commissioner cleverly shifted more
-responsibility from Woods to himself, and the tragic end of yet
-another match was played down until it appeared that Slag, and not his
-opponent, was the injured party.
-
-After all, was his crowd-convincing argument, did they jail
-professional fighters in the old days when one was killed? Just a
-little accident in the heat of fair contest; it was no more than
-that. Yet there _was_ more, this time. People appeared unsatisfied,
-disapproving of Grant, as if he should offer himself as a sacrifice
-to their sympathy with Slag. The one time he went restlessly into the
-streets, they watched him sullenly, waiting....
-
-He kept to his apartment after that, and studied furiously. No man
-_could_ overcontrol an awake opponent in a direct shot--if the ball was
-all right. As the ball closed in, the approached player's influence
-grew proportionately stronger, while his opponent's lessened in inverse
-ratio. That was the reason Grant had originally declared the sport to
-be safe.
-
-He interrupted his work only briefly for Tony's funeral, and felt an
-obscure shame in facing Bee Anthony. Then the cellular organism of
-the sphere used in the game absorbed his attention again. It was an
-artificially nurtured nerve-center, a growth devised by himself, and
-seemed to offer the only possible answer. _Perhaps this sub-life had
-acquired learning ability--the ability to act independently._ It seemed
-absurd, and yet how much was really known of this highly irritable
-stuff called living matter?
-
-Bee found him at his apartment the fourth morning. She seemed much more
-relaxed. "Tony hated useless grief," she said. "I had to come here,
-Granny. I had to know that we might see the end of all this."
-
-"Yes." Grant still felt a vague shame. "We'll have to stop Slag short,
-before he adds any more victims."
-
-"Oh, it's more than that! It's the people, too, and the knowledge that
-more Slags may appear. If all the matches suddenly...." She broke off,
-frowning, as if uncertain whether to continue. "You see, Granny, Tony
-decided to play because of that. It wasn't even the charities, really.
-The people distrust you. Not just because you were wrong, but because
-they are suspicious of any probing into the powers of mind. They prefer
-fantasy to scientific hypothesis, and now Slag's triumphs...." She
-faltered, and unhappily twisted her face away.
-
-"But Tony could have crushed Slag, too."
-
-"You know that was different. He had Slag hypnotized first. But Tony
-was awake when the ball struck!"
-
-"You're right, Bee. Frankly, I don't know what the answer could be. I'm
-working on the core of the ball. There is a chance--"
-
-"I'm sure it was something else! Granny, have you thought of the
-screen? There must have been a leak, or a failure. Think of that crowd,
-hoping for their hero. Suppose they subconsciously influenced the
-sphere, directed it at Tony."
-
-He thought of the mob's reaction when Slag was helpless, and kept
-silent. It would be cruel to blast her one hope with nothing to offer
-in exchange.
-
-"You think I'm wrong, but what else would it be? The ball couldn't kill
-Tony by itself." Then she was in tears. "I should have been there to
-stop it. He wouldn't take a second--I begged him to let me--and I would
-have _sensed_ any outside influence!"
-
-Grant recognized the guilt feelings she was suffering from. He tried
-to give comfort, but suddenly she was a woman, proud and independent,
-and would not stay. Only at the door for one moment did she turn
-appealingly to him.
-
-"Granny, you're not going to play Slag!"
-
-"Do you want me to? Should I obey the roar of the mob? And look!" He
-gestured at one of the papers, where a center-page box proclaimed,
-'Commissioner Rules Out Lane-Slag Match.' "At thirty-seven they say I'm
-too old to play."
-
-"Don't do it, Grant." He felt her conflicting, torn emotions. "Yet, the
-funny thing is, I don't think I could live if they allow Slag to go on
-and on."
-
- * * * * *
-
-Grant's apartment was ill-equipped for working with micro-organisms.
-So, although preliminary study opened up no encouraging line of
-experimentation, next day he transferred his work to the university
-laboratories. He found his colleagues friendly--one had cheerfully
-handled Grant's lectures during his absence--but reserved, as if they
-suspected him to be guilty of some terrible sin, yet hoped he might
-prove himself innocent.
-
-Barker, the bio-chemist, listened to his theory of the probability of
-change in the nerve center of the ball. "I have not worked with these
-cultures," he said. "You claim they are artificially produced solely
-to provide a focal receptor for the controlling minds. Are the cells
-non-reproductive?"
-
-"Yes. You see, the structure must be stable. Any mind can provide the
-necessary power to move light objects short distances, but focusing
-that power is the difficulty. Hence the sensitive core. The operator
-can _sense_ where to direct his will."
-
-Barker reflected a moment. "So the culture is purely static--doesn't
-even amplify the influence. In that case, I can only visualize such
-changes as natural radiation might bring about. No hope there for a
-recurrent pattern of change."
-
-"Learning ability--acquisition of power to act voluntarily--I thought
-the answer might be in that."
-
-"We'll see. Might as well begin there, anyway. Get us a few of the
-balls, Lane, and I'm sure the staff will gladly try to help out."
-
-That evening Grant walked onto the court of the Colliseum and was made
-certain of the city's anger toward him. Bee's idea was worth testing,
-and he had brought with him some student telepaths, but the instant
-he appeared the crowd rose in a storm of fury. When the announcer
-requested spectators to direct the ball at Grant, their wrath gave
-way to cheers, and they concentrated hopefully on crushing him. But
-the screen held, the telepaths sensed no invading influence as Grant
-whirled the ball about the court, until in disgust he signaled for the
-screen to be deactivated.
-
-Instantly the will of the crowd took hold. The sphere jerked
-erratically until concerted influence steadied it opposite Grant. Then
-it flashed into motion, a heavy, deadly missile, with all the mind
-power of a mob driving it murderously across the court at him.
-
-He stopped it easily, six inches away.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Barker said, "No use seeking further. We may not know everything living
-organisms can do, but we can certainly tell what is beyond their power.
-The tests are conclusive."
-
-Lorms, the behaviorist, nodded his head.
-
-For just an instant Grant felt confused, helpless. His original
-arguments for psychosport were proved valid, but the killings became
-even more inexplicable--they were logically impossible! And, somehow,
-that made _him_ the criminal.
-
-That left him only one thing to do.
-
-It was humiliating to accept such a solution to his personal problem.
-He thought of Bee Anthony and nearly turned back. Only since the
-tragedy had he realized how changed was their relationship--and how
-important she was to him. Would she scorn his action, think him a
-slave to public pressure? Probably, but Grant forced his steps onward.
-
-In the lobby of the Page-Horton, Bee caught him by the arm. "Since
-when," she asked, "do you walk grimly past your friends?... No, Grant.
-Don't bother to think up a story. I know where you are going."
-
-He wanted to chase her away--and to pull her close to him. But she
-glanced up and laughed. "You look _so_ perplexed and silly. Professor
-Lorms called me, and of course I knew what you'd do."
-
-"Do you think," said Grant, "that I should, Bee? Is it right?"
-
-"Darling, fighting results from frustration and breeds even more
-frustration and anger. But somehow men get cornered until--well, they
-_have_ to. Not Tony. He was a gay fool, tilting at windmills. Oh,
-Grant! I know you're wrong, but you're right, too, and inside I'm so
-glad!"
-
-He wanted to erase the worry behind her gladness, to smother it with
-reassurance. They went up together to Slag's suite. Teagle was at the
-door. "Glad to see you, Mahomet," he said to Grant. "The contract's all
-ready to sign. I guess you'll want _your_ cut for charity, eh?"
-
-"You won't, I suppose."
-
-"Not on your life. Excuse the double meaning, Miss." He smirked at
-Bee. "I ask you, who's going to match us after we knock this one off?"
-
-Slag stared glumly from a chair, not even removing his hand from the
-glass beside him. "Practicing," he said. "Getting into shape for our
-tussle, Doc. Like Teagle said, you had to come across."
-
-Grant took the papers from the manager, filled in the blanks and signed.
-
-"Don't talk much, this Doc Lane," said Slag. "Should I show him,
-Teagle?"
-
-"Sure thing. Watch this practice, Doc."
-
-The big man concentrated on the amber bottle beside him. Slowly,
-jerkily, it lifted--one inch, then two. Slag relaxed, and watched it
-ring as it fell to the table. "My job when I retire," he said. "Got to
-pour it right into the glass. Pretty hot, eh?"
-
-Grant gave no warning. The man's trousers were deluged as the glass
-shattered in his hand. He leaped up cursing, and then moved quickly and
-with ugly purpose toward his visitors.
-
-"Careful, boy," warned Teagle. "There's a dame present."
-
-For fifteen seconds Grant's eyes were locked with Slag's. He looked
-into their red-rimmed hatred, fought to see the depths of the man.
-Then, just before the other turned away, an unreasoning, unexpected
-emotion surged in Grant. It swept over and left him shaken, all in that
-instant.
-
-The emotion was fear.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Out on the court it was anger he felt, anger at Slag, who stood
-opposite and bowed to the noisy throng, anger at Teagle, who chanted
-insults until ordered behind the second's shield, at the spectators,
-packing the Colliseum in hopes of seeing a player maimed or killed--and
-Bee Anthony, even at Bee.
-
-She had defied him, bribed her way in to act as his second, and had
-slipped behind the shield at his side of the court. In front of those
-jeering faces, it was out of the question to make her leave.
-
-There was a roar as the ball dropped from the referee's overhead
-bubble. Grant left it to Slag, let the man shoot crudely several times,
-and fought to calm himself. The shots were forceful, but easily stopped
-and returned. It was like Tony's match, almost too slow at first. Until
-the players became absorbed, it was hopeless to attempt any kind of
-hypnotic effects with the ball.
-
-Slag swung the sphere into rapid circles about the court. The crowd
-watched silently, as if impressed by the player's control. To Grant
-it was absurd--he knew that any trained child could execute the
-movements. And yet, Tony must have felt so, too. But that was before--
-
-The ball dropped on him like a hawk, and he almost laughed. To give
-the gasping crowd a thrill, he barely deflected the shot, and feigned
-amazement. Slag retrieved control.
-
-Beneath the sudden amusement, Grant was uneasy. Slag had never won a
-_real_ victory--never dazed or hypnotized an opponent before striking.
-All his triumphs rested on single, smashing thrusts. How was it
-possible? With such clumsy control, the professional could never set up
-a victory--yet the record stood. Grant could not fathom the problem. If
-the match went on forever, he could see no way for Slag to drop him.
-And if he quickly whirled Slag into dazed defeat, the real mystery
-might never be solved. His opponent would merely have suffered defeat
-in a match not even recognized by the Commission.
-
-Now he could guess why Tony had played carelessly. It was not only
-victory that was sought. He had deluded himself in accepting such an
-irresponsible way out. The whole affair depressed him, knotted itself
-into mind-snaring tangles. The ball blurred again and he hardly cared,
-only ducking to let it splat against the shield behind him. A spurt of
-rage sent the sphere spinning back at Slag, but the other diverted it
-easily into a screen-hugging orbit.
-
-Tony, Slag, Woods and Teagle--they seemed to merge confusedly in his
-mind. They stood, each in turn, at the door of an iron-barred cell. For
-Grant, there was no way out. Win or lose, live or die, he was doomed.
-The light dimmed in the cell. Just for an instant Bee appeared, her
-hair throwing off sparks of brilliance. She, too, faded out. Neither
-Bee the child, whom he did not love, nor Bee the woman, who did not
-love him, could save him. Before him gaped the bottomless pit of shame
-and penance. He had unloosed a monster on the world. He had to pay for
-that.
-
-But first Grant had another debt to pay. He tried to throw off the
-depression, imagining as he did so a sob of joy in the disembodied Bee.
-He wrested the sweeping ball from Slag, even from the opposite end of
-the court. He spun it in wild orbits and compensated for the other's
-furious thrusts. Faster and faster he circled it. Slag's mind could not
-keep up the pace. The even swings acquired a jogging pattern, edged
-farther out--to within ten feet of Slag. A quick break lanced behind
-the man, out again, and then the sphere fell into helical loops, thrice
-differentiated by harmonic variations, and swept wide around the court.
-
-Somehow Slag's distress gave Grant no pleasure. Defeat seemed to face
-him everywhere; he read it in his opponent's twisted features, even in
-the futile effort to withdraw attention from the ball. _It's no good_,
-he thought. _I have failed all along._
-
-Savagely he worked the sphere. He would do it quickly. There was no
-use expecting Tony's fate. The ball darted again for Slag and this
-time there could be no interference. It became pure mathematics, the
-motion, complicated far beyond Tony's simple _corondo_, a flashing
-three-dimensional blur of color. He could not keep it up. The
-concentration brought an invading blackness to his mind. Somewhere
-there was a dull roar, and he felt as if his own mind were cracking.
-His nerves quivered to put an end to it, to touch Slag with the ball.
-Slowly, cautiously, he brought the sphere down....
-
-Slag was not there!
-
-He gaped. His eyes suddenly found the crumpled heap across the court,
-and relief swept ever him. The man was beaten, in a state of collapse,
-and there was nothing more Grant could do.
-
-"Grant!" Bee screamed. "Oh, no! Grant darling, look up!"
-
-Her radiance was almost blinding. He half-twisted to reach her, and
-then his eyes caught it--the ugly sheen of the fast-growing ball.
-Desperately he turned, and it shifted in unison. Then she shrieked
-once more, despairingly, and he threw himself flat, arms outstretched,
-toward her.
-
-The ball's speed was so great that it shattered to pieces against the
-shield behind him.
-
-From back of the barrier ran Bee. She crouched beside him, and her
-enveloping warmth lifted the evil spell from his mind. The loud
-confusion of the crowd burst upon him, he saw the referee's swiftly
-lowering bubble. He was in control of himself, thanks to Bee's
-interference, and could act on the knowledge so dangerously gained.
-
-"The murderer!" Grant pulled Bee up with him. "We've got him!"
-
-Opposite them, Slag still lay on the court.
-
-"I don't see how he did it," Grant said bewilderedly.
-
-"Not Slag--_him_!" She pointed out the small, running figure.
-
-Teagle battered vainly at a gate. The still-active screen held him
-back, and the man's face was a despairing white grimace. Then Grant was
-upon him, and took him by the throat.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Woods paced the dressing room, still confused. "I begin to see," he
-said, "but what can I do with the two of them?"
-
-"Stop worrying." Grant was curt. "You can do nothing. The law will take
-Teagle, and without him Slag is just another bum."
-
-"He never knew," marveled Bee. "Slag never knew how he won."
-
-"I am to blame." Grant thought of the surging fear Teagle had directed
-in him at Slag's hotel. "I should have known that telepsychical
-phenomena could be used as a weapon. The man is a freak. He couldn't
-influence the ball, but communicated overpowering emotion--without even
-seeing his subjects--from behind his shield. The victims committed
-suicide, just as I nearly did before Bee...."
-
-"What did you feel--a so-called called death wish?" asked Woods. "No
-matter. Not seeing Slag collapse, he overplayed his hand."
-
-"Slag's being unconscious merely provided an anti-climax," said Grant.
-"There was a more important factor added this time. And if you don't
-mind, Woods, I have an apology to make in private to my one and only
-second."
-
-"Not just the only one, darling," said Bee. "But your permanent,
-till-death-do-us-part second! Right?"
-
-"Right!" Grant said.
-
-"That's the only thing tonight," said Woods, "of which I officially
-approve."
-
-
-
-
-
-End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Psychotennis, Anyone?, by Lloyd Williams
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