t.
Just.

He heard the jet streaking through the sky overhead, looked up once and
saw it circling. Two blocks from his house he was met by a policeman.
The entire area had been roped off, and the officer shook his head when
Judd tried to get through.

"But I live there!"

"Can't help it, Mister. Orders is orders."

Judd hit him. Judd didn't want to, but nevertheless, he grunted with
satisfaction when he felt the blow to be a good one, catching the stocky
officer on the point of his chin and tumbling him over backwards. Then
Judd was ducking under the rope and running.

He reached his house, plummeted in through the front door. He found
Black Eyes under the kitchen table, squatting on its haunches. He
scooped the animal up, ran outside. Then he was running again, and
before he reached the barrier, something rocked him. A loud series of
explosions ripped through his brain, and instinctively--Black Eyes'
instincts, not his--he folded his arms over the animal, protecting it.
Something shuddered and began to fall behind him, and debris scattered
in all directions. Something struck Judd's head and he felt the ground
slapping up crazily at his face--

He was as good as new a few days later.

And so was Black Eyes.

"I have it," Judd said to his nurse.

"You have what, sir?"

"It's so simple, so ridiculously simple, maybe that's why no one ever
thought of it. Get me Dr. Jamison!"

Jamison came a few moments later, breathless. "Well?"

"I have the solution."

"You ... do?" Not much hope in the answer. Dr. Jamison was a tired,
defeated man.

"Sure. Black Eyes doesn't like the city. Fine. Take him out. I can't
take him to Venus. He doesn't like Venus and he won't go. No one can
take him anyplace he doesn't want to go, just as no one can hurt him in
any way. But he doesn't like the city. It's too noisy. All right: have
someone take him far from the city, far far away--where there's no noise
at all. Someplace out in the sticks where it won't matter much if Black
Eyes puts a stop to any disturbing noises."

"Who will take him? You, Mr. Whitney?"

Judd shook his head. "That's your job, not mine. I've given you the
answer. Now use it."

Lindy had arrived, and Lindy said: "Judd, you're right. That _is_ the
answer. And you're wonderful--"

No one volunteered to spend his life in exile with Black Eyes, but then
Dr. Jamison pointed out that while no one knew the creature's life-span,
it certainly couldn't be expec