Short Stories, I almost Remember

[wizcam]

The first short story is about a man that gets kidnapped by aliens, they take him apart examine him and then put him back together. he awakens in a cage and discovers he is on display in an alien zoo. he decides to try and escape by using stomach acid (Bile) on the bars of his cage. after awhile the bars weaken enough he can get out and he makes a run for it. the aliens try and shoot him down, but they did a better job than they knew when they put him back together and their weapons have no effect. he makes it to the spaceport and steals a spaceship. it either ends there or I don't rember the rest.


The second one I rember almost nothing about. it is about a man that learns to use his mind. I don't remember all he can do. at one point he is attacked and uses his mind to either put up a shield or just stop the projectiles. and the last thing is I think he gets caught in a place he can't get out of and they try to destroy him and he finally figures out how to teleport and saves himself.

I know, not a lot to go on, but maybe someone remember more than me.

It's funny the short stories that come to mind years after you've read them. it's been 25 or 30 years I'm thinking.

Thanks for your time Everyone.

 

[ashewyntr]

I recognize the first story, a short. He's a farmer or some-such, and is told the aliens had been told to beware Mankind, so they were conducting an experiment. He had been rebuilt so that he would not age, could not forget anything, and could not go insane. He was kept in a transparent cage surrounded by a "death field", to cross it was instant death. He would be there forever, while the aliens tried to understand the threat.
He is provided educational material and regular meals. After a while of watching and waiting, he finally executes a perfectly time escape, swinging on the robotic arm that provides his meals, escapes to the starport and steals a starship.
The aliens go over his escape, and don't understand how he did it, until someone says, "But what about the death field?" And then they all stop, look at each other, and then silently look up.
Meanwhile, our hero is studying the manuals for the starship, and knows he has time, so he'll eventually find his way home.
Unfortunately, while the story apparently stuck well, I don't remember the author, name, or anthology.

 

[chrispenycate]

I too have read the first one, but can't remember what it was. It has a sort of flavour of Eric Frank Russell to it, but looking up the themes to short stories (even when you can get a list of a particular artist's oeuvre), is not easy.

 

[wizcam]

That part about the death field sure rings a bell. Hopefully some one will remember.

 

[otistdog]

"Danger -- Human" by Gordon R. Dickson.

 

[ashewyntr]

That's it! Thanks!
Free to read at Baen.

 

[SilentRoamer]

The second one sort of sounds like Alfred Besters The Stars My Destination.

While not a short it is a short novel and the main character Gully Foyle learns how to teleport himself.

Hoping to help.