I WAS A
TEEN-AGE
SECRET
WEAPON
He could truthfully say that he never
hurt anybody. You know—like the eye of
a hurricane? It never hurts anybody....
BY RICHARD SABIA
Illustrated by Freas
et away from me!"screamed Dr. Berry atthe approaching figure.
"But Ah got to feedan' water the animalsan' clean out the cages," drawled thelanky, eighteen-year-old boy amiably.
"Get out of this laboratory, youhoodoo," shrilled Berry, "or I swearI'll kill you! I'll not give you thechance to do me in!"
Tow-headed Dolliver Wims regardedchubby Dr. Berry with his innocentgreen eyes. "Ah don't knowwhy y'all fuss at me like you do," hecomplained in aggrieved tones.
"YOU DON'T KNOW WHY!"shrieked two hundred and eighteenpounds of outraged Dr. Berry. "Howdare you stand there and say youdon't know why?" Berry flung apudgy hand within an inch of Wims'nose. Slashed across the back of it,like frozen lightning, was a new,jagged scar. "That's why!" he shouted.Berry twisted his head into profile,thrust it at Wims and pointed toa slightly truncated ear lobe. "Andthat's why!" he roared. He yanked upa trouser leg, revealing a finely pittedpatch of skin. "And also why!" heyelled. He paused to snatch a breathand glared at the boy. "And if Iweren't so modest I'd show you anotherwhy!"
"Kin Ah help it if you're alwayshavin' accidents?" Wims repliedwith a shrug.
Berry turned a deeper red and adangerous rumble issued from histhroat, as if he were a volcano threateningto erupt. Then quite suddenly,with an obvious effort, he capped hisseething anger and subsided somewhat.Through taut lips he said, "I'mnot going to stand here and arguewith you, Wims; just get out."
"But the animals—"
"You can come back in an hourwhen I've finished running these ratsthrough the maze."
"But—"
"I SAID OUT!" Berry leaped atWims with arms outthrust, intendingto push him toward the door, butWims had stepped aside in slightalarm and the avalanche of meatplunged past and into a bench onwhich rested a huge, multilevel glassmaze which was a shopping-centermodel being tested to determine adesign that would subliminally compelshoppers into bankruptcy. Therewas a sustained and magnificent tinklingcrash as if a Chinese wind-chimefactory was entertaining atyphoon. Berry skidded on the shardsinto a bank of wooden cages and wentdown in a splintering welter ofescaping chimpanzees, Wistar albinorats, ocelots and other assorted fauna.
Wims moved forward to help extricatethe stunned Dr. Berry fromthe Everest of debris in which he satimmersed.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Berryscreeched.
"O.K.," Wims said, retreating,"but Ah guess y'all gonna blame mefer this, too."
Berry's mouth worked convulsivelyin sheer rage but he had no wordsleft to contain it. He put his head onhis knees and sobbed.
The other psychologists of the researchdivision came crowding intothe laboratory to seek the cause ofall the tumult.
"What happened?" Dr. Wilholminquired.
"Well, Doc Berry has gone an'riled hisself into 'nuther accident,"Wims informed him.
"I suppose you had nothing to dowith it," Wilholm snapped.
"Cain't rightly say Ah had. Hew