"Stand up," he said, to his body.
His body obeyed this order. It rose from its hands and knees and stood upon its feet.
This fact did not surprise Kurt Zen. He had known it would happen. This was the way things were. The essence of him, the consciousness that was above the body, was never surprised.
"Stop trembling," he said, silently, to his body.
Instantly the tremors vanished. The body knew its master.
Kurt Zen also knew that he now had a choice. He could go back into that body. Or he could go—elsewhere. But he knew where he was needed most.
Click!
The way he went back into his body was like turning a switch. One instant, he was inside, looking through his eyes, hearing through his ears.
He moved quickly, snatching the gun from the lieutenant's grasp. Another instant and he had the weapons of the soldiers. He flung these into the corner. Then he grabbed Cal's gun from the floor where the ragged man had dropped it.
At this point, he saw that Nedra was sitting up and was watching him. The expression on her face was that of a sleepy small girl awakening in the morning. Only this small girl did not quite succeed in looking as if she had been asleep. Her eyes were too wide open and she looked much too alert.