He had decided what he was going to do.
Frantically he rummaged through his belongings until he found his own
flashlight. Without turning it on yet, he ran from the room and
hastened farther away from the control center.
"Gene? Gene! Is that you?" came the voice of Lurton Zimbardo. Gene
inhaled quickly and looked back. There was still no light. He hesitated
for a moment, then answered,
"Yes, it's me." His voice was squeaky.
"Where are you?" echoed down the corridor.
"I'm not going with you! Go on without me!"
"What?" Zimbardo's voice had a note of complete incredulity in it. "Why
not? Hurry up, Gene! We have to go! I don't want Space Command on my
tail!"
"I'm not going!" Gene shouted. He turned and fled. He sped down the
corridor as fast as he could go, came to its end, turned the corner,
and kept going. In less than a minute he was many turns and twists away
from the main level. He switched on his light, put it on its lowest
setting, and slowed down to a walk. "He won't wait for me! He won't
look for me! He'll want to go! Soon he'll be gone and I'll be safe!"
These thoughts came through Gene's mind almost like a flow of clear
water.
He came to a storeroom, pushed the door open, and flashed his light
around. The room was crammed with stacks of boxes and various other
items.
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