You decide that pretending to be crazy might only make things worse. You pace back and forth, trying to decide what to do. Suddenly, a wall dissolves. In its place is a large curved window. Through it you can see thousands of stars scattered across the jet-black sky. Rows of computers line the other side of the room. Some of them glow with pulsating blue and pink lights.

The ship seems to be turning, and in a minute or so we can see the blue-white sphere you recognize as your own planet, Earth. An alien creature is hunched over one of the computers. Suddenly it crumples to the floor and shrivels up like a dead spider.

Angus is standing beside you; he beckons you closer. His eyes glitter with excitement. "There's an emergency. The computers have a paradox they cannot resolve. That creature did it. It must have been trying to take over the ship." Angus points to the fallen alien. "Some defense mechanism of the U-TY killed it.

"He turns away and studies symbols appearing on a display screen. "Our new course will take us near the Earth. There's a shuttlecraft on board this ship. We might be able to take it before the computers resolve the paradox. If the U-TY detect us, they will send us to Somo — to sleep for a billion years." "Shall we try to escape?"

~ If you try to escape with Angus on the shuttlecraft,

< GO TO CHAPTER 52 >

~ If you try to think of something else,

< GO TO CHAPTER 54 >