he
Brotherhood with its seven rituals of self-denial and discipline, its
long program of learning the love of humanity, the unity of each with
all people and with the Universe.

He had his own philosophy. You were born, and then you died; the rest
was just a living job.

You lived as an individual, and not as a cog--if you had the guts for
it. You lived for the excitement and the thrill of danger and the
maintenance of individuality--if you could. Otherwise you might as
well die when you were born--because then the stretch between wasn't
worth the price.

That was Barlow's way. Only the _manner_ of dying was important.
Everybody had to die. All that the Brotherhood really worked for was
the goal of enabling everybody to live as long as possible, and
finally to die with dignity and moral integrity. Barlow didn't need
their philosophy; basically, that was all he, too, really
wanted--maybe.

The man was indistinct in the shadows. An anonymous figure without a
name. "The man on the bed has made the supreme sacrifice for the
cause."

"So he's dead," Barlow said casually. "So what?"

"It took a lot of work to make such an exact resemblance. One of our
members brought him in through the guards in a supply truck. It's easy
to bring in a dead man who'll never go back out--except as someone who
was already in. You of course."

"No one will know what is to happen to the real me then?"

"No one. It will be assumed that you committed suicide."

Barlow grinned thinly.

"There's been no change in your attitude? Your willingness to--"

"Die? None. Willing Barlow, always ready to drop dead at a moment's
notice."

"You're the only one of the Brotherhood who's never submitted to the
rituals and the psyching; we hope that isn't bad. Your service has
been excellent. But I wish you had submitted to a psyching before this
assignment, because there's one basic weakness, an Achilles Heel, in
everyone, and on an assignment so vital as this, it would be worth
knowing, in advance...."

"Get someone else if you're worried."

"You're the only member we have, who's inside the grounds here, who
can stand the acceleration and deceleration."

"Ah," Barlow exclaimed. "This sounds big."

"It couldn't be bigger," the anonymous man said. "Than a one-way trip
to the moon!"

* * * * *

The man explained some things to Barlow. Barlow didn't say anything.
Maybe there was a slight tremor in his lips, but h