Shafts of violet and indigo color shot out of the lenses of the machines. It took a full ship's complement of men to work all of them. The lights played across Alan and Win, to a lesser degree on Brave and the scientists. There was no sensation from them.
Then Alan said, "Wow! That hurts my ear something fierce."
Win turned to him. "Your ear hurts, darling?"
"Like a red-hot iron."
Brave clamped his hands on his friend's biceps. "Emir! You can feel pain!"
"Pain ... my Lord, blessed pain! Oh, how it burns! I've a splitting headache, too." Alan hit Brave in the chest, laughing, and then embraced Win. "Baby, I can feel pain! I'm okay!" He kissed her savagely. She gave a shriek.
"You bit me, you—Alan, I can feel it too!"
"Of course," the leader told them. "You are whole again. The effect of my nephew's rays is dissipated."
Alan sobered. "One thing. Will I still live four hundred years?"
"No. That effect is gone too, unfortunately."