The land below was
cooling off--perhaps he had passed the worst of the journey. But in that
passing how much had he and the flitter become contaminated? Ali had
devised a method of protection for the empty suit the Medic would
wear--had that held? There were an alarming number of dark ifs in the
immediate future.
The mutant growths were now only thin patches of stunted and yellowish
green. Had man penetrated only this far into the Burn, the knowledge of
what lay beyond would be totally false. This effect of dreary waste might
well discourage exploration.
Now the blink of the counter was deliberate, with whole seconds of pause
between the flashes. Cooling off--? It was getting cold fast! He wished
that he had a com-unit. Because of the interference in the Burn he had
left it behind--but with one he might be able now to locate some
settlement. All that remained was to find the seashore and, with it as a
guide, flit south towards the center of modern civilization.
He laid no plans of action--this whole exploit must depend upon
improvisation. And, as a Free Trader, spur-of-the-moment action was a
necessary way of life.
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