Dr. Lowell smiled genially and opened the door to the Ego Alter room. "I hate to disillusion you, Dr. Kalmar. That's exactly what I have in mind—the same thing I did to you."
"That's absurd," Dr. Kalmar repeated, but with less conviction and more confusion than before.
"It worked. Tell him to sit down."
Dr. Kalmar did, and automatically fitted the wired plastic helmet to Dr. Hoyt's head.
"You can't!" cried Miss Dupont as he reached for the dials on the control console. "It's not fair!"
"Let's not get involved in a discussion on ethics," Dr. Lowell said. "Deneb can't afford to lose him; we need every doctor we have. If he goes back to Earth it may be years before we get a replacement."
"But you can't do it without his consent!"
"There's time for that later," the old man grinned. "Keep his eyes on you, Dr. Kalmar, while you build up his father image. Cut down on hostility, aggression and power drive. Boost social responsibility and adventurousness. But make sure he's looking at you constantly."
"I won't allow it," said Mrs. Kalmar flatly. "You won't make my husband violate his oath."
"I did it to him, didn't I?" Dr. Lowell replied jovially. "It got you a husband."