Griffin's eyes caught the old man's. "I know it. But what about me? I don't feel any different—"
Dr. Barnez held up a wrinkled, blue-veined hand. "It's to be expected, isn't it? You're not the same man you were. Your mind is intact, but there are many more things that make a man what he is than his mind, Griff. You've been changed in many ways—physical changes, chemical changes, endocrine changes. That's why you're a Free Agent. They've learned the hard way that they can't force the new form into the old mold. It just didn't work."
Griffin sat forward, his eyes burning on the old man's face. "What's happened to the others, doctor? I want it straight."
Doctor Barnez shook his head. "Why torture yourself, Griff? Go home to Marian, see how you feel—"
"I want it straight."
The doctor shrugged. "All right. Some have gone back and stayed. But many haven't stayed. A great many."
"Where have they gone?"
"Who knows? They're dead as far as the world they left is concerned. Who knows where they've gone?"
"But I don't want to change! Can't you see that? I love Marian. She's been my life. For years she's been more to me than anything else. I wouldn't change that for life itself—"
The old doctor stood up, shaking his head. "You mustn't worry," he said gently. "Ultimately, the choice is yours. It will be you who stays, or leaves, in the end. Not Marian."