No Strings Attached: April

the game of life. It could grow in strength too, so that the older a creature was, the more viable it became, and the better its chances to survive.

"But something keeps happening to humans soon after they are born. Although the entire body renews itself cell by cell every few years, changes occur at each replacement which cause a gradual running down of the whole organism. When enough damage has accumulated, the creature fails to function in some vital area, and it dies.

"What we want to do with you, and several other children, is try to stop this ageing process. Tri. Tol. Oxy. Genthal. is one of the new drugs in this war against age and death. If it succeeds, Mankind will have conquered the last and greatest of his

enemies."

April only partly understood. She stared dumbly at the booklet and turned the pages slowly. Old age? Death? What did these words mean? She had heard them occasionally, but the voices had never explained them to her. Now she was curious.

"What happens when people get old?"

"I am not allowed to tell you."

"Why not?"

"It's the rules. If the drug doesn't work, you'll find out for yourself anyway."

"Please tell me."

"No, April, I told you I can't. Now, please hold your arm against the Medic-bar."

April did as she was told and a hypodermic needle went into her arm and injected the drug. As it withdrew, a small patch of antiseptic spray wet the pin-prick hole.

April rolled her sleeve back down and rubbed the spot.

"That hurt," she complained.

"I'm sorry. It was the only way we could administer this one. Now, let's get on with the studies shall we?"

As April went through her schooling, a group of scientists watched her through one-way glass and on several screens. They monitored her heat-beat, brain-waves, and energy levels. They referred to a data base and consulted graphs. They discussed their findings and made predictions. Many of the scientists were old. Many of them wore hearing aids, or glasses, or used