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.Each time he moved, his programmed contour seat underwent aradical readjustment.As he shifted often, the seat suffered constant metamorphosis about him.He tappedhis fingers.He looked out of the window.He glanced furtively at Red.Red grinned back at him."You're out of shape, Chad," he commented."I know," said the other, lowering his eyes."Disgusting, isn't it? Considering what I once was." Thenhe smiled."Can't say it wasn't fun doing it, though.""Cigar?" Red suggested."Don't mind if I do."He accepted it, lit it, turned suddenly and glared at Red."You, on the other hand," he said, gesturing with the fire, "are no longer as old as you once were.Doyou wonder why I hate you?""Yes," said Red."Outside of being out of shape and overweight and covered with paint, I'd say that youare very similar to the person I knew a long while ago.I believe that your condition and mine are muchalike, only yours is masked."Chadwick shook his head."Come on.Red! That can't be.Don't you think I'd know it or my doctors would if I were growingyounger and stronger and healthier?""No.Whatever the process, I feel that in your case it has an awful lot to work against.With you, it's hadto run just to stand still.For the life you've led, I'd say you're in remarkably good shape.Even with thefinest medical care, anyone else would probably have been dead by now."."I wish I could believe you, but all I can agree on is that I do have a strong constitution."".You have an affinity for fire, you have a thing about accumulating wealth ""You're crazy! Everybody likes money, possessions.That doesn't prove anything.As for fire." Hedrew hard on the cigar, exhaled a cloud of smoke."Everyone has little peculiarities.Just because mymemory is spotty too.""Who was your father?"Chadwick shrugged."Who knows? I remember living at an inn." Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html"Near an entrance to the Road.""What does that prove? My father probably was a Road man.I had to come by the talent some way.That doesn't mean he was something like you " He was silent a moment.Then, "Oh, no," he said."Youare not going to try telling me that you are my father.""I never said that or thought it.But ""This whole thing has to be a fantasy of yours.It's too damned circumstantial.There is too muchconjecture, too many wild premises ""That's what I say," Flowers interrupted."I wish you could have locked him up somewhere and had atherapist of some sort work him over.""She's right," Chadwick said."Too much of yourthinking these days springs from your very fallible memory and guesswork."Red chewed on his cigar and looked away."All right," he finally said."Maybe so.Tell me, then Why did you call off the decade and agree to come with me?"Chadwick's fingers did a drumbeat on the dashboard."Partly because you said that you think you aregoing to die in a very peculiar fashion shortly, and you aroused my curiosity," he said."And partly afterhearing and even helping with all the garbage and paranoid guesswork I permitted you to feed into theSPHINX, I want to see where this is going to take us.And partly at the end because I was in a hurryto get out of there." "You saw that creature appear out of nowhere." ".And I have seen stranger thingsin a long and colorful career.""Exactly.So what is the problem in believing my story?""You've nothing to back it up with.Even if you're right, I'm still right in not believing without evidence.Red, if I'd known you were in the shape you're in, I'dnever have started the feud.It wouldn't have been worth it.""Stop it!" Red turned away."So you do have a few doubts yourself? I suppose that is a healthy sign.""You believe nothing I've said?""I believe you are a fool of unknown origin and that you are probably headed for your doom.""Will someone please feed that tape into my scanner?" said Flowers."It may take a while to see whetheryou want me to find you a seacoast in Bohemia.""Here," said Chadwick, passing over the printout. Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlRed inserted it into a slot.It was digested."I can tell right away," said Flowers, "that this isgoing to be quite a drive." "Ridiculous," said Chadwick, placing his cigar in thetray and folding his arms."You're helping me whether you like it or not." Redlaid his cigar aside also."A very long drive.Flowers?""Yes.""Then put us to sleep.I don't feel like talking with him the whole time.""The feeling is mutual," said Chadwick.A soft hissing sound began."I ought to just gas you both permanently and become a Flying Dutchperson, like that car I heard about'a while back, flitting down the centuries with a pair of skeletons inside.""Very funny," said Red, breathing deeply.Chadwick yawned."The whole thing." he began.TwoRandy had changed six flat tires.He had also seen the radiator, the generator and a fan belt replaced.Had a tuneup too, while the brakes were being relined.Leaves had blithely charged it all to Red, withwhose account it would sooner or later rendezvous.And who knew how much fuel? He had lost track.And they continued on."Where?" Randy repeated."When?""I'll know it when I see it," Leila replied."At this rate, you'll run us back to the Ice Age.""Not that far, I think.""He will show up there, though? You're sure?""I'm afraid so.Hurry.""And you want to save him from a death which you say he now desires?.""We've been through all this." Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html".because he believes it will work some transformation?""That's why he ditched me," Leaves said."I caughton to his death-wish before he was ready to admit it." "Then obviously neither of you believe him." "Ibelieve my own visions," Leila said."If he diesthere, he dies.Period."Randy rubbed the stubble on his chin and shookhis head."I don't know that I would attempt to stop him fromdoing whatever he wishes to do most, whether it seems futile or not.All I really wanted to do was meethim.I'm not even certain what I'd say.""You've already met him.""You'd better explain.""That old couple with car trouble.That was us Reyd and myself a long time ago, before we grewyounger.You were the one.I didn't remember it untilthen-" "What the hell was that?""What?""Something big like an airplane went over." "I didn't see anything." "It was back a ways.I caught it inthe rearviewmirror."Leila shook her head."No way.Passing through time as we are, anything like that would only be visible for such a tiny fractionof a second that you wouldn't even be subliminally aware of it.Leaves, did you detect anything?""No.""So there-"He pointed."Up there! It's back!"Leila leaned forward, breaking her cigar on the windshield."Damn!" she said."It looks like It's gone again.""A dragon," Randy said."Like in storybooks
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