felt a wave of hopelessness engulf him. He tried to struggle out of it. "They are not allowed to do that. My spaceship is one of the few ways I have of conducting business. If they take that, how am I supposed to pay them what they say I owe?"
"That is not my concern," the judge stated flatly. "You should have taken that into consideration when you fell so deeply into arrears. In any event, I am hereby notifying you of the government's decision to take your ship. If you have any difficulty with this, you or your lawyer can file a complaint with the clerk down the hall."
"Thanks a lot," Stan said bitterly, and left the court room. A few blocks away he found a park bench to sit on. He needed to collect himself. His heart was beating wildly and he was sweating, though it was a mild day. At least, he thought, maybe my bad news for the day is over. I've had my share.
That was before his doctor's appointment, of course.
Dr. Johnston of the Fifty ninth Street clinic came to the dressing room just as Stan finished knotting his tie.
"How did my tests work out?" Stan asked.
The doctor looked uncomfortable. "Not so good, I'm afraid."
"But I was here a year ago; you said I was fine!"
"A lot can happen in a year," the doctor said.
Stan wanted to say, Sure, tell me about it, but he held back.
"Exactly what is the matter?" he asked.
Dr. Johnston answered, "I might as well give it to you straight, Dr. Myakovsky. You were correct in your surmise about those black marks on your chest and back. They are indeed cancers."
Stan sat down. He needed a moment to think about this. He couldn't believe what he had heard. And yet he had suspected it for months.
Finally he asked, "Is my condition terminal?"
"Yes." The doctor nodded gravely. "In fact, you don't have much time left. A matter of months. I'm sorry, but it's best to give you the news straight. The condition, as I'm sure you know, is incurable. But its progress can be slowed, and we can ease some of the symptoms. I've already made out a prescription for the medicine we prescribe for such cases." He handed Stan a folded slip of paper. "And there is also this."
The doctor held out a small plastic box. Within it, packed in foam rubber, were a dozen ampoules of a bluish liquid.
"This is Xeno Zip. Have you heard of it?"
Stan nodded. "If memory serves, it is produced from the royal jelly of alien females."
"That is correct," Dr. Johnston said. "I must tell you it's no cure for what you have. But it should relieve the symptoms. The stuff's illegal and I shouldn't be giving you this ... but it could be just what you're looking for."
"Does it have much in the way of side effects?" Stan asked.
The doctor smiled grimly. "It has indeed. That's why it hasn't received government approval yet, though many people still use it. Indeed, it has become the most sought after consciousness altering substance in existence. Although the effect is not invariable, it does give most people an intense feeling of well being and competence. Others experience levels of their own being not normally perceived. Still others have an orgasm that seems to go on forever."
"At least I'm going to die happy." Stan wasn't smiling as he spoke.
Chapter 2
It was cold that night. Wind demons seemed to chase up and down the streets of New York, wailing at the high flying moon like all of the banshees of Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
The block that Stan's house stood upon had once been genteel, a part of Gramercy Park. Now, armed citizens patrolled the streets night and day. Insurrection and disorder were rife all over the city, brought on by the breakdown of law and order since the troubles with the aliens. Some people could remember the coming of the aliens, and the many deaths that had resulted from their macabre practices. Their effect on New York had been to make it seem a much older city than it in fact was, one of those ancient cities like Baghdad or Babylon. Now, after the aliens, the city felt like it had seen unimaginable evil, and was resting, a little exhausted, waiting for the good life to start up again.
After making himself a light dinner from an InstaPac protein ration, Stan went to the living room and started a fire in the fireplace. He