"Rog Phillips - The Yelllow Pill" - читать интересную книгу автора (Phillips Rog)

"And those four police officers behind you are gear lockers?" Cedric said. "Okay, if one of those gear
lockers comes around in front of you and taps you on the jaw with his fist, would you still believe it's a
gear locker?"

Cedric nodded to one of the officers, and the man came around in front of Gerald Bocek and, quite
carefully, hit him hard enough to rock his head but not hurt him. Jerry's eyes blinked with surprise, then he
looked at Cedric and smiled. "Did you feel that?" Cedric said quietly.

"Feel what?" Jerry said. "Oh!" He laughed. "You imagined that one of the gear lockersтАФa police officer
in your dream worldтАФcame around in front of me and hit me?" He shook his head in pity. "Don't you
understand, Gar, that it didn't really happen? Untie me and I'll prove it. Before your very eyes I'll open
the door on your policeman and take out the pressure suit, or magnetic grapple, or whatever is in it. Or
are you afraid to? You've surrounded yourself with all sorts of protective delusions. I'm tied with ropes,
but you imagine it to be a straitjacket. You imagine yourself to be a psychiatrist named Dr. Cedric Elton
so that you can convince yourself that you're sane and I'm crazy. Probably you imagine yourself a very
famous psychiatrist that everyone would like to come to for treatment. World famous, no doubt.
Probably you even think you have a beautiful receptionist. What is her name?"

"Helena Fitzroy," Cedric said.

Jerry nodded. "It figures," he said resignedly. "Helena Fitzroy is the expediter at Mars Port. You try to
date her every time we land there, but she won't date you."

"Hit him again," Cedric said to the officer. While Jerry's head was still rocking from the blow, Cedric
said, "Now! Is it my imagination that your head is still rocking from the blow?"

"What blow?" Jerry said, smiling. "I felt no blow."

"Do you mean to say," Cedric said incredulously, "that there is no corner of your mind, no slight residue
of rationality, that tries to tell you your rationalizations aren't reality?"

Jerry smiled ruefully. "I have to admit," he said, "when you seem so absolutely certain you're right and I'm
nuts, it almost makes me doubt. Untie me, Gar, and let's try to work this thing out sensibly." He grinned.
"You know, Gar, one of us has to be nuttier than a fruitcake."

"If I had the officers take off your straitjacket, what would you do?" Cedric asked. "Try to grab a gun
and kill some more people?"

"That's one of the things I'm worried about," Jerry said. "If those pirates came back, with me tied up,
you're just space crazy enough to welcome them aboard. That's why you must untie me. Our lives may
depend on it, Gar."

"Were would you get a gun?" Cedric asked.

"Where they're always kept," Jerry said. "In the gear lockers."
Cedric looked at the four policemen, at their holstered revolvers. One of them grinned feebly at him.

"I'm afraid we can't take your straitjacket off just yet," Cedric said. "I'm going to have the officers take
you back now. I'll talk with you again tomorrow. Meanwhile I want you to think seriously about things.